2023 Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance Awards (GMAA)

Course: RE1016 Engineering Computation

Faculty: Prof Ong Yew Soon

Achievement: 2023 Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance Awards (GMAA)

About the Award: Global MOOC and Online Education Alliance (GMA) is a dynamic and diverse group of 17 world-leading universities and three online education platforms from across 14 countries, six continents and 10 languages. GMA serves as a mechanism for exchange and cooperation, providing leadership of global higher education efforts to address digital education challenges and to implement practical policies in local communities and around the world. GMA capitalises on digital technology to revitalise educational ideas, reform educational models, and actively contribute to transforming higher education in the digital era while also enhancing educational equity and quality.

The 2023 GMAA aims to showcase high-quality technology-enhanced STEM courses from Alliance members, encourage innovation from educators and promote the digital transformation of higher education within the Alliance and worldwide.

Course Description: This module introduces students to the concepts of computational thinking process where they apply simple algorithms and develop the system programs using Python programming language. Students will learn computational thinking concepts (Decomposition, Pattern Recognition, Abstraction and Algorithm Design) and fundamental programming concepts (sequence, selection and iteration, data structure and function), together with the use of flow chart/pseudocode to design algorithms.

Course Highlights: RE1016 uses a browser-based gamified maze design, creation and problem solving platform in the course work. Called “3D Maze”, the platform which is produced at NTU has been used in the course by over 500 students since 2015, with more than 100 mazes designed and created by the students themselves. To accommodate to students of diverse coding background, the platform features an easy-to-use user interface, engaging graphics and follows a gamified learning progression to keep students motivated. In the course work, students work in groups to design their own mazes and solve one another’s mazes.

The result of the course work is the application computational thinking into computational action by the students. Through this process, students create outcomes that directly contribute to the platform’s library that is accessible to the greater public. With a potential to impact the public community, 3D Maze promotes a knowledge building pedagogy, with some of its principles being improvable ideas, community knowledge, collective responsibility, and symmetric knowledge advancement. This means that students are motivated to take ownership of their work, adopt a community-centric mindset, and be willing to collaborate with other students.