Computational Thinking Effect on Students' Computer Simulation Abilities in Terms of Learning Outcomes

The use of computer simulations in higher education has been widely used in various learning materials. Computational thinking ability is one of the abilities needed when using computer simulations during the educational process. This study aims to ascertain the effect of computational thinking on students’ computer simulation abilities in terms of learning outcomes. This study employed a one-group quasi-experimental design, utilizing pre-tests and post-tests for evaluation. Fifty students enrolled in a digital communication program participated in the research study. Computational thinking treatment is given during learning. Students are introduced to the four essential components of computational thinking throughout the educational process, such as algorithmic thinking, pattern recognition, abstraction, and decomposition. The computational thinking instrument's validity score is 0.8, and its reliability score is 0.84, according to the test results. The study's findings demonstrate that students' average N-Gain, is 0.749, with high criteria. The T-test results show that computational thinking influences student learning outcomes in digital communication. The research implications show that computational thinking helps enhance students' abilities for learning.