An Accelerated CS0 for Online Mature-Age Part-Time Students

Abstract

In this paper,we present the design of a "CS0" Computational Thinking course at an Australian regional university, that is also offered to non-enrolled students via the Open Universities Australia network. Unlike many CS0 courses, this targets a predominantly mature age and part-time demographic, although high school leavers are also included. Our design attempts to recognise that computational thinking experiences are increasingly incorporated into school experiences, both through curricula and outreach. Consequently, a CS0 course no longer has the sole purpose of introducing students to computing. It also serves a bridging role, giving a compressed form of outreach and school experiences to adult learners who might have missed them. It also brings brings opportunities to compress the introduction of programming, so that more time can be spent in challenges that stretch students' experience, and in demonstrating its application to areas such as robotics and social AI.