Virtual and Augmented Reality to Enhance Computational Thinking and Content Knowledge in Advanced Placement History
Abstract: In this qualitative case study, high school students in an Advanced Placement Social Studies course utilized emerging technology tools to extend their content knowledge and build interdisciplinary computational thinking skills. Students engaged in immersive active learning experiences provided by the CoSpaces virtual reality platform. The observers noted that the students practiced factors of computational thinking while engaging in autonomous behaviors. Additionally, knowledge extension was evidenced by the visual metaphors students employed in the imagery of their virtual worlds. The use of emerging technology tools provided teachers in this study with an alternative approach for developing and extending content knowledge and scaffolding computational thinking in learning.