Towards a computer-assisted Computational Thinking (CT) assessment system in higher education

With the vision to promote CT to a wider group of audiences, this PhD project explores the formative assessment of CT skills in Programming Education to support students to learn CT skills in Higher Education. In this project, we plan to investigate the importance of CT in the context of Higher Education, explore the relationship between CT skills and programming skills, build a model to assess learners' CT skills and develop a computer-assisted assessment system with automated components to enhance students' CT competences in Higher Education. Mixed-method research methodologies will be employed in distinct phases of the project accordingly. A system which allows formative assessment of CT skills will be iteratively designed and constructed throughout the project. The outcome of the project should support the CT learning process, make CT more visible for people from diverse backgrounds and empower them with a CT mindset to embrace the digitalization of society.