[GMA Award 2023] Engineering Computation

Engineering Computation

Recommended by: School of Computer Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University

Mode of Teaching: Blended/Hybrid courses

Information of the Course Teaching Team:

• Ong Yew Soon, President Chair in Computer Science; Professor, School of Computer Science and Engineering, NTU
• Chit Lin Su, Teaching Assistant
• Jason Fok Kow, Teaching Assistant

“This course innovatively employs a browser-based, gamified maze solving and design platform, encouraging knowledge building in computing and artificial intelligence, and has seen over 100 mazes created by more than 500 students.”

Course Introduction: This course introduces students to computational thinking through a module where they apply simple algorithms and develop system programs using Python. The curriculum is divided into eLearning via LAMS, where students engage with online materials individually before practising problem-solving and programming skills in class with groupmates. A key feature is the use of a browser-based gamified maze design platform called “3D Maze,” created at NTU. Since 2015, over 500 students have utilized the platform, designing more than 100 mazes. The course emphasizes applying computational thinking to real-world problem-solving, encouraging students to contribute to the platform’s library accessible to the public. “3D Maze” aligns with a knowledge-building pedagogy, fostering improvable ideas, community knowledge, collective responsibility, and symmetric knowledge advancement. This approach motivates students to take ownership, adopt a community-centric mindset, and collaborate with peers.

3D Maze Demo