Work in Progress: Computational Thinking Skills Assessment in Higher Education

The goal of this research is to identify a tool for use in assessing Computational Thinking Skills in undergraduate Computing students. To measure the effectiveness of interventions for the development of Computational Thinking skills, there is a need for valid and reliable assessment tools. Much of the research to date has been concentrated in primary and secondary education with a shortfall in research for higher education settings. This research aims to try and address this gap and is comprised of three main stages: a literature review; a pre-pilot study; and a pilot study. The literature review identified a validated tool with potential for use with undergraduate Computing students. The pre-pilot and pilot studies invited participants to engage with the tool, but engagement was limited with low participation rates. This paper examines the reasons for this and explores possible ways to move the research forward considering these challenges.