Developing computational thinking in college students with digital technologies

To contribute to the need for more prepared professionals to face the increasing challenges of modern
societies, universities should find strategies that provide college students with 21st century skills that
are necessary to solve real world problems. Computational thinking is a cognitive process that
requires problem-solving skills, and also can help learning mathematics, often accused of being
responsible for the lack of professionals in STEM areas. This paper research computational thinking
dimensions used by college students from two math courses of a Portuguese University in the context
of a project aimed to calculate the annual percentage rate of charge, using STEM contents. With a
qualitative methodology using an interpretive approach, and based on documental analysis applied
to projects developed by the students, it is concluded that the project promoted several dimensions of
computational thinking in the students as stated in the literature.