Latest Module Specifications
Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026
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Description In today’s rapidly changing complex world, rapid advancements in technology and increased global competition mean that the ability to think and act creatively is more important than ever before. Therefore, the need for teachers to have the knowledge, skills and abilities to use digital technologies as part of teaching, learning and assessment was never more important. Teachers are pivotal to ensuring children develop Computational Thinking (CT), so it is essential they are effectively prepared, starting at preservice level, to incorporate CT into pedagogical practices. Grounded in constructionist principles and adopting the stance that CT be developed as part of subject areas other than computer science, this module aims to enable students to combine engineering design thinking and critical thinking with computing power as the foundation for innovating solutions to real-life problems. In this module we will explore digital technologies, activities, practices and strategies to enable students to design learning environments to engage children in creative learning experiences, so that they can develop as creative thinkers and flexible problem-solvers in order to flourish in a fast-changing world. Through hands-on activities and discussions, this module will use a range of computational materials and contexts to explore strategies for supporting interest-driven, project-based, collaborative approaches to learning through the lens of design thinking, the engineering design thinking process and constructivist/ constructionist learning theory. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Learning Outcomes 1. Become familiar with and proficient in the use of a range of contemporary programmable robotics technologies and develop an understanding of their potential for student learning and meaning making ( e.g. SPIKE Essentials, SPIKE Prime ). 2. Work with a team to design and develop a cross curricular thematic learning activity centred on a real world issue which focuses on developing children’s problem-solving strategies using programmable robotics technologies (i.e. SPIKE Essentials, SPIKE Prime ). 3. Justify the design of the learning activity in relation to research literature relating to robotics and key concepts related to the engineering design thinking process and constructivist/ constructionist learning theory. 4. Acquire insights from the thematic projects of other students and reflect on them in relation to their own learning, curriculum integration and classroom practice. 5. Begin to understand the dynamic relationship between research, theory, and practice in the design and development of a technology-rich learning activity focusing on a real world issue. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml |
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Indicative Content and Learning Activities
Indicative Content • The theoretical approach used for designing the learning experiences of this module incorporates elements from Papert’s (1980) constructionist framework, which states that people can learn deeply when they build their own meaningful projects in a community of learners and reflect carefully on the process. Papert introduced the ‘idea of the computer being the children's machine that would allow them to develop procedural thinking through programming’ (Dede et al., 2013, p. 2), enabling them to combine critical thinking with computing power as the foundation for innovating solutions to real-life problems (Tabesh, 2017). For Papert, CT is therefore more than just a problem-solving process as it requires learners to solve problems algorithmically and develop a level of technological fluency and language as they learn to communicate and express their ideas with the language of code (Papert, 1980). • The module builds on the earlier “Design and Build to Learn” module which provides a critical introduction to constructionism / computational thinking and its potential use for learning as students develop a range of digital artefacts. • To extend students computational thinking they will engage in designing and constructing their own projects using SPIKE Essentials, SPIKE Prime in particular. These programming environments enable students to build personally meaningful artefacts which then become “objects to think with”. • The workshop sessions will be a blended approach of skill development with discussion and reflection on the effective use of these digital tools in the curriculum and the implications for designing learning environments. This format will enable the students to become comfortable with the iterative nature of learning and creating through failure. • Students will work with a team to design, facilitate and rework a cross curricular thematic learning activity which focuses on developing children’s problem-solving strategies using computational materials (i.e. SPIKE Essentials, SPIKE Prime) • By engaging with pertinent research literature on this cross curricular thematic learning approach, students will have the opportunity to develop their understandings of how computational thinking can be embedded in classroom practice supporting interest-driven, project-based, collaborative approaches to learning through the lens of design thinking, the engineering design thinking process and constructivist/ constructionist learning theory. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Indicative Reading List Books:
Articles:
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Other Resources None | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||