Share Paper: Evidence of Computational Thinking from Circuitry Projects in the After-School Makerspace

  1. Kevin Oliver, North Carolina State University, United States
  2. Jennifer Houchins, North Carolina State University, United States
Wednesday, June 26 3:50 PM-4:10 PM Oost

Abstract: Between 2016-2019, an after-school maker club was established at a public, all-girls school in the United States. Club members in grades 6-10 (ages 11-15) participated in three project areas tied to state and national science standards: circuitry, programmed robotics, and fabrication. Within the circuitry project area in particular, girls worked with varied conductive materials including copper foil, ink, and thread, as they produced light-up cards, posters, and pins. Additional hardware kits such as LittleBits, SnapCircuits, and K’Nex allowed girls to further experiment with circuit designs using guided projects. In this study, club mentors solicited written and videotaped project documentation from ...