PILA_KarelApp_description_June 2021.pdf

Welcome to the Karel assessment application! 'Karel', a turtle-shaped robotic agent, needs help to navigate this grid-like ‘world’ and complete a few missions. To ensure Karel can achieve its goals, students will learn and apply computational problem-solving concepts and skills in a simple, accessible block-based programming environment.

Karel the Turtle

PILA | Karel the turtle

Students learn and demonstrate computational problem solving skills by building computational solutions that achieve specific goals and self-regulated learning skills by accessing and using automated feedback and information found in learning resources.

While we work on Betty's Brain, you can...

Help Betty do well on her test! Learn about complex phenomena, uncover and graphically represent the interaction among different variables and teach Betty about it all.

Betty's Brain

Students develop the ability to reason about causal relationships, learn about scientific topics and apply self-regulated learning strategies.

Students learn and demonstrate causal reasoning skills by reading about complex phenomena and mapping how concepts are causally linked and self-regulated learning skills by accessing and using feedback thanks to Betty taking quizzes or in conversations with virtual agents. 

Students learn and demonstrate 1) computational problem solving skills by using an event-based visual programming language to build solutions to increasingly complex problems, 2) creative thinking skills by developing novel and creative ways of designing a playable game, and 3) self-regulated learning skills by accessing and using hints and automated feedback to develop productive strategies for regulating their own learning in open problems.

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What skills are taught and assessed in Betty's Brain?

In this application, students teach a virtual agent, Betty, about complex phenomena by using resources and causal mapping tools.

In this application, students adopt a teaching role to help a virtual agent, Betty, learn about a complex phenomenon, such as climate change and thermoregulation. Students read about cause-and-effect relationships in a resource book and build a causal map to represent how different variables are related. Students receive feedback on their progress by asking Betty to take quizzes and chatting with the mentor agent, Mr. Davis. 

The Betty's Brain application aims to develop and assess students' causal reasoning, systems thinking and self-regulated learning skills. Students create a causal map based on learning resources to teach a virtual agent, Betty, about complex phenomena.

Betty's Brain Application

What skills are taught and assessed in Karel the Turtle?

In this application, students program instructions to help a robotic turtle to navigate and complete tasks in a grid-like world. 

In this application, students are asked to build programs to instruct a robotic turtle, Karel, to navigate and complete tasks in a grid-like world. Within the block-based programming environment, students can iteratively build solutions, test them and receive automated feedback. Covering a wide range of complexity, Karel the Turtle tasks can challenge students at every level of ability!

The Karel the Turtle application aims to develop and assess students' computational problem solving and self-regulated learning skills. Students are asked to build programs to instruct a robotic turtle, Karel, to navigate and complete tasks in a grid-like world.

Karel the Turtle Application

What skills are taught and assessed in the Game Creator by Cand.li?

In this application, students program game elements and design environments to create video games.

Interested in using the Game Creator by Cand.li?

In this application, students learn to design, program and test games. Using an event-based programming environment, students can make game elements come to life, create complex game behaviours and receive automated feedback. They must also design the game "world" by combining and placing sprites (e.g. platform, tree) in an open environment. The Game Creator gives students the opportunity to create video games rather than just play them for a change!

The Game Creator powered by Cand.li application aims to develop and assess students' computational problem solving, creative thinking and self-regulated learning skills. Students create video games by designing environments and programming each element.

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