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The purpose of this study was to examine the manifestation and learning of Computational Thinking (CT) skills as college students collaborated during iterative block-based programming activities. While prior research has extensively explored CT in K-12 education, fewer studies have investigated the construct in higher education, particularly in online collaborative settings. The mixed-method study, grounded in Constructionism, and guided by Brennan and Resnick’s CT framework, and Murphy’s framework for collaboration in online settings, analyzed Scratch projects, Online Asynchronous Discussion (OAD) posts, and reflective assignments from undergraduate and master’s students enrolled in an eight-week online course. The analysis focused on three core research questions regarding changes in CT scores, manifestations of CT in students, and the role of collaboration in the learning of CT skills.
Findings revealed significant differences in CT scores across builds and students, with some improving, others stabilizing, and some declining. Students excelled in concepts like events and sequences but struggled with conditionals and operators. CT practices such as being incremental and iterative and reusing and remixing were prevalent, while decomposition was less prominent. Connecting was the dominant CT perspective, with early interactions focused on praise and later modules showing more constructive feedback. Expressing was also prominent, reflecting students’ interests, while questioning was minimal. Higher collaboration and iterative development correlated with higher CT proficiency, whereas those emphasizing social presence showed minimal progress. Notably, no students reached the highest level of collaboration, underscoring areas for further research. The study highlights the effectiveness of Scratch in fostering CT skills, the need for complementary assessment methods, strategies to support challenging CT elements, and the importance of enhancing collaboration through structured prompts, peer feedback, and group-based projects to sustain engagement and maximize CT learning in higher education settings.