Authors:
Nadine Bergner
;
Jan Holz
and
Ulrik Schroeder
Affiliation:
RWTH Aachen, Germany
Keyword(s):
Extracurricular Learning Place, Course Design, Learning Methodologies, Blended Learning, Collaborative Learning.
Related
Ontology
Subjects/Areas/Topics:
Blended Learning
;
Collaborative Learning
;
Computer-Supported Education
;
Course Design and e-Learning Curriculae
;
e-Learning
;
Learning/Teaching Methodologies and Assessment
;
Social Context and Learning Environments
Abstract:
In order to inspire middle school students for computer science topics we developed a two-day-course about cryptography. Thereby we try to counteract the relatively low interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) topics by offering engaging insights into computer science. This course is one of several workshops within our extracurricular learning place for computer science called InfoSphere. The fundamental idea of the presented workshop is to provide a first insight into the world of cryptography for middle school students. During the course groups of three to five students discover the four different cryptographic methods Skytale, Fleißner Template, Caesar Encryption and Vigenère Encryption on their own. We designed the course according to the didactic principle of exploratory learning, so the participants can learn action-oriented and at their individual learning rate. In conclusion we discuss the results of a first evaluation with a test group of 23 studen
ts (17 girls and six boys).
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