What is computational thinking?
Answer
What is computational thinking and how can I use it in my work?
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What is computational thinking?
Computational thinking is a structured way of approaching problems. It originates in computer science but applies far more widely. It involves four key pillars:
- Decomposition – breaking problems into smaller parts
- Pattern recognition – spotting similarities or trends
- Abstraction – focusing on the important details, ignoring what’s not essential
- Algorithmic thinking – developing step-by-step solutions
Why is computational thinking important in my studies?
It helps you to:
- Manage complex assignments or projects by breaking them into manageable steps
- Strengthen your analytical and problem-solving skills
- Make logical connections between theory and practice
- Approach challenges in a systematic and efficient way
These skills are especially valuable in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), but they also apply to areas such as criminology, business, and even everyday problem-solving.
How can I use computational thinking in my own work?
Let's consider an example of how computational thinking could be used to work with feedback to improve your future assignments.
| Step in process | Computational thinking applied to feedback |
| Decompose |
Read your feedback on your formative or summative submissions. Break the feedback down into smaller parts, for example, positive and developmental points - what went right and what could have been better? |
| Recognise patterns |
Are there any points that your markers have consistently mentioned across your feedback? Perhaps your feedback for both modules mentioned that you should work on improving your referencing, the structure of your writing, and that you had made some small typing errors in your text. |
| Abstract |
Focus on the most important points of feedback - the ones that will help you improve your work in your future assignments the most. For example, focusing on improving your referencing and structure is likely to improve your marks significantly. Investigate how you can improve in these areas. Find out what support is available to you. |
| Think algorithmically |
Write a plan that you can follow to improve your academic work in the areas highlighted in the feedback. For example, to improve your referencing, you could:
|
You can watch this video for a further explanation of computational thinking:
If you would like further support in critical thinking and problem-solving frameworks, make an appointment with an Academic Skills Tutor (if you are studying a STEM programme, you can book with our specialist Academic Skills Tutors).
If you have questions, you can get in touch with the team at AcademicSkills@arden.ac.uk
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