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Recently there has been a change in elementary curricula to focus on computational thinking, however, a good curriculum needs to be matched with good learning or teaching strategies. This study explores design-based learning (DBL) in elementary students to examine the development of computational thinking and to support knowledge construction in designing final products. An experimental design was used with 64 students; divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group used a DBL approach with worksheets aimed at students designing their own final product design, while the control group was taught by the traditional approach with worksheets for redoing, practicing and designing their final product. Pre and posttests were used for data collection and evaluation scheme developed to score the final product. The finding showed no significant difference in the development of computational thinking between the two groups. However, there was a significant difference in designing the final product between the two groups. Therefore, DBL supported elementary students in designing the final product although redesigning curricula by integrating both teaching methods is suggested for the greater achievement of computational thinking.

Engineering drawing is valuable in capturing geometric features, conveying engineering ideas, and creating a blueprint of the intended product. Engineering students usually perform orthographic projections, imagining a 3D situation and sketching its 2D representation. That requires imagination and mental visualization, determined by the learner's spatial ability. This study proposes the infusion of an AR stereogram mobile application into an engineering drawing course to establish how it influences learning outcomes among students with different spatial abilities. The quantitative experimental study involved two mechanical engineering classes in northern Taiwan, N = 69 first-year vocational high schoolers. Statistical analysis revealed that the experimental group with high spatial ability recorded better results and excellent drawing skills. Bloom's taxonomy categorization reported that spatial ability influenced "understanding" and "applying" levels, with the strongest effect on "understanding." Although no significant interaction existed, learning outcomes were highly affected by spatial ability in "understanding" and "applying" levels and AR in the overall performance. The findings and discussions show AR holds great potential to enhance students' spatial ability for real-time visualization and enables better concept comprehension by improving their understanding of engineering topics. Future studies should consider these implications in creating effective and immersive learning environments for different courses in engineering education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]