Informatics in Education

This study explores the application of large language models (LLMs) to create computational thinking tasks for the Bebras International Challenge through a single-case study approach. Using exemplar-based prompting with seven authentic Bebras tasks from the 2024 cycle as contextual input, a task was developed that was subsequently accepted for inclusion in the 2025 international Bebras challenge. Comparison with the exemplar tasks confirmed that the generated content drew from multiple sources rather than replicating any single task, combining grid-based constraint satisfaction, rule-based filtering, and logical deduction into a novel navigation puzzle with engaging narrative context. International expert reviewers evaluated the task using established Bebras quality criteria, confirming successful alignment with core pedagogical requirements including age-appropriateness, clarity, and cultural neutrality. However, two significant gaps emerged in the broader authoring workflow: accessibility compliance in the researcher-authored visual components and technical inaccuracies in the LLM-generated informatics framing. Following collaborative revision by international editors that addressed these concerns while preserving the LLM’s creative contributions, the task achieved acceptance for international use. The findings reveal a collaborative pipeline comprising contextual preparation, LLM-guided generation, human technical implementation, expert community review, and collaborative revision. Results from this case suggest that LLMs can efficiently generate educationally sound creative foundations while requiring integrated human expertise to meet specialised standards and ensure inclusive design, with the task’s acceptance providing encouraging evidence for the viability of this collaborative approach.

This narrative literature review examines constructionist approaches to AI literacy education for school-aged children, synthesizing research from 2009–2024 to develop a pedagogical framework grounded in hands-on learning principles. Through systematic analysis of studies retrieved from Web of Science, Scopus, IEEE Xplore, and ACM Digital Library, five interconnected themes emerged: active hands-on learning, project-based inquiry, ethics integration, age-appropriate scaffolding, and teacher support with accessible tools. The findings demonstrate that constructionist methodologies – emphasizing learning through creating AI-powered artifacts – effectively foster conceptual understanding, ethical reasoning, and critical agency among young learners. The review reveals that AI literacy develops most effectively when students actively manipulate and experiment with AI systems rather than passively consuming theoretical content. Age-differentiated strategies are essential, with primary students benefiting from embodied analogies and narrative contexts, while secondary students engage with collaborative design projects addressing real-world challenges. Teacher preparation and accessible tools emerge as critical implementation factors. This framework provides educators and policymakers with evidence-based guidance for integrating meaningful AI literacy experiences into K-12 curricula through constructionist pedagogies.

The misalignment between the skills learned in tertiary education and the skills demanded by industry is well documented. One of the ways this misalignment can be reduced is through the introduction of an internship phase in degrees. This article identifies the perceived benefits and challenges that internship programmes offer academic staff in a tertiary educational facility. It also determines how feedback from the industry helps shape the curriculum of the degree. A qualitative case study is employed through interviews with various staff working at a tertiary education institution. The data generated is analysed using a thematic approach. The results show that internships not only place value on soft skills but also build a communication channel between the mentors that visit students whilst out on placement and the industry staff that oversee the students during the work-based phase. This mutually beneficial interaction between the industry and the education institution helps the mentors maintain familiarity with the latest technologies adopted in the industry and allows the industry to influence the curriculum of the degrees. Internships were shown to offer a means of advertising the skills gained in academia to the audience that would eventually employ the graduates.

This paper investigates unplugged computing as a formal pedagogical strategy to teaching computing to a Maltese secondary class of Year 9 students. It aims at identifying the effectiveness of this pedagogy outlining the strengths and weaknesses in its application, taking into consideration the level of attainment for students, as well as the impact on teachers’ lesson preparation. This research study is based on the delivery of five unplugged activities. It analyses students’ reaction when exposed to such unplugged activities to assess the viability of using this pedagogy when teaching computing concepts in a formal setting. The study concludes that unplugged computing is an effective pedagogical strategy that helps attain a high level of engagement and student involvement, encouraging teamwork and collaboration. Students experience a wide attention span and good retention through the constant link of computing scenarios to real-life examples and the use of tangible non-computing related objects. Notwithstanding, the study also identifies certain limitations of this pedagogy, mainly that it is not sufficient as a standalone pedagogy, but needs to be applied in conjunction with other pedagogies to be able to cover all the expected learning objectives of the curriculum.

Programming is one of the most important aspects of a Computing course. Teaching programming is a challenging task due to a number of factors, ranging from lack of student problem solving skills to different teaching methods. This paper focuses on Maltese Computing teachers’ perspectives about the difficulties encountered when teaching programming to secondary school students in order to determine whether introducing programming to secondary school students through creating mobile-based games is an effective method to teach programming constructs. A resource pack consisting of various activities using MIT App Inventor 2 was created which incorporated constructivist approaches to teaching. This resource pack was reviewed by the teachers and their feedback was collected by means of a case study. The teachers agreed that developing mobile-based games would be highly stimulating to their students but there were uncertainties how this would affect students with different learning abilities and due to a general lack of computational thinking and problem-solving skills by most students.