DESTIN: Computational Thinking Usability Testing Reflective Summary 

Team Members: 

Robin Crouse 
Mike Saxton 
Polly Mitas 
Melissa Harris  
Jerry Harris 

The Excel (Computational Thinking) unit was administered to 59 students, 95% of whom are 9th
graders. A pre-test, administered before we began the Excel unit, was administered to 57 of the
students, with a 49% average. The course was completed in a traditional computer lab designed
room with students attending a traditional class style with set periods of time each day. The
instructor led the students through the lessons using the online-prompts and in-class live
guidance when needed. The entire unit/process took approximately 2 weeks.

For module 1, students completed several worksheets, where numbers were given and students
had to use Autosum or a formula to get the answer in rows or columns. This assignment scored
the highest, with an average of 87%, with 2 0’s included for students who did not turn the
assignment in at all. Before completing this assignment, we had worked for several days on
how to use Autosum and formulas for mathematical calculations. I felt that this assignment was
the most basic and did not require students to think outside the box, causing them to score
higher.

For module 2, students had to shop online and use a spreadsheet to calculate the costs of
throwing a party. The average for this assignment was a 58%, with 12 0’s included for not
turning in the assignment. With the 0’s removed, the average would be around a 73.4%.
Several students did well on the assignment. Several didn’t use formulas to calculate their
totals or part of them.

For module 3, students had to use their previous knowledge to create a Banquet Event Order
form. For this assignment the average score was 64% with 9 0’s included. With the 0’s
removed, the average would be a 76.22%. Because this assignment required students to think
on their own, they struggled with what to do. This group of 9th graders, in particular, work best
when they have very specific instructions in front of them. They struggle with independent
thinking.

Two short quizzes were administered during module 2. The first, addition, had an average
score of 82%. The second, on multiplication, had an average score of 84%. This showed that
students were getting the basic content.
Students were successful with the basic use of addition, subtraction, and multiplication
formulas, however they struggled with the practical application of these skills in Modules 2 and
3. Some revisions in the format of these modules may be necessary. For module 2, the
websites suggested may not have been familiar to the students and in fact were not available
for certain zip codes. Giving the students more familiar site suggestions like Walmart or Target
may help them. Secondly, students may need more guidance in serving size suggestions for
things like drinks and quantities needed for the number of guests. For module 3, the scores
were better because less independent research was necessary. Students were given more
direction on costs and quantities of labor and meals. One possibility to improve scores for
modules 2 and 3 would be to assign this as a paired or group project after they have shown
mastery in module 1. This would require different aspects of the project to be assigned to
different members and may alleviate students from being overwhelmed with tasks they have
never performed.

The team must acknowledge that the low scores and lack of effort shown from students (9
students not turning in the assignment) may stem from the lack of knowledge of a banquet
event order (BEO) and not necessarily from Excel. The students seemed to have a high
incidence of zero-scores when presented with new or foreign applications of their Excel
knowledge. To alleviate this potential problem, the team could move in two different directions.
We could teach the students about BEO’s first and then they would be more confident in
applying their knowledge or we could change the assignment altogether to reflect something
more familiar in order to test their knowledge within the confines of their comfort.