Curriculum
Computer Science for Societal Challenges and Innovation, XXXVIII series
Grant sponsor
University Scholarships co-funded by the Departments DPG, DPSS, DM
Supervisor

Tullio Vardanega
Co-supervisor
s
Barbara Arfè
Contact
gabriele.pozzan@studenti.unipd.it

Project description
This project is positioned at the intersection of research on the teaching of Informatics (including works related to Computational Thinking, CT, i.e. the set of mental skills that develop through the learning of Informatics such as abstraction, problem decomposition, debugging, etc.) and on the role of cognition in this process. I am also interested in advancing the field of Learning Analytics (LA), i.e. the study of human-computer interactions aimed at improving learning activities by leveraging digital traces to model student behaviours, provide adaptive materials, etc. My main reference from cognitive research is Cognitive Load Theory (CLT): a model of learning processes that focuses on the intrinsic and extrinsic load that educational materials place on students' cognitive processing. Foundational works in the field of CLT report on various "effects" tied to the cognitive load of learning activities and suggest how to structure instructional activities in order to mitigate them. This project aims to advance knowledge and scaffolded practice in the context of CLT applied to the teaching/learning of Informatics. In particular, the experiments I am conducting involve: 1) block-based programming languages, reported to lower cognitive load e.g. by reducing the possibility of syntax errors; 2) a focus on the CT/Informatics skill of debugging, reported as hard to learn, to lack standardized teaching methods and to benefit from direct instruction, e.g. in the form of programming games; 3) learning activities based on both widely studied (and effective) CLT effects such as the worked-example/completion-problem effect and less analyzed effects such as the isolated-elements effect; 4) LA techniques applied to programming processes, i.e. moment to moment students' actions, to support instructors in teaching activities