{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:43:53Z","timestamp":1760060633089,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,9]],"date-time":"2025-09-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1757376000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100010790","name":"Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2020-1-HU01-KA203-078810"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2020-1-HU01-KA203-078810"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100010790","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["MTI"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This paper presents an educational experience of using Poly-Universe, a game created by Janos Saxon, with the aim of developing computational thinking (CT) skills through unplugged activities. It was implemented in the course \u201cAlgorithm Analysis,\u201d with the participation of students in the sixth period of Computer Science at a University Center for Higher Education in Brazil. These students were facing various cognitive difficulties in using the four pillars of CT, namely abstraction, pattern recognition, algorithm, and decomposition. To address the students\u2019 learning gaps, unplugged activities were implemented using Poly-Universe pieces\u2014geometric shapes such as triangles, squares, and circles\u2014exploring the connection through the pillars of CT. A mixed methodology integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches was applied to compare the progress of the students and their reactions when developing the activities. The results obtained evidenced that the level of learning involving the computational pillars on \u201cAlgorithm Analysis\u201d had a significant evolution, from 30% to almost 80% in terms of achievement in academic tests. In addition, an increase in students\u2019 engagement and collaboration was also registered. Therefore, the implementation of unplugged activities with Poly-Universe revealed a promotion of skills related to the pillars of CT, especially in the analysis of algorithms.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/mti9090095","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,10]],"date-time":"2025-09-10T12:04:55Z","timestamp":1757505895000},"page":"95","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Unplugged Activities in the Development of Computational Thinking with Poly-Universe"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"9","author":[{"given":"Aldemir Malveira","family":"de Oliveira","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Ci\u00eancia da Computa\u00e7\u00e3o, Centro Universit\u00e1rio de Ensino Superior do Amazonas, CIESA, Manaus 69055-705, Amazonas, Brazil"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0843-0200","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Piedade","family":"Vaz-Rebelo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ci\u00eancias da Educa\u00e7\u00e3o, Universidade de Coimbra, 3000-115 Coimbra, Portugal"}]},{"given":"Maria da Gra\u00e7a","family":"Bidarra","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ci\u00eancias da Educa\u00e7\u00e3o, Universidade de Coimbra, 3000-115 Coimbra, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Papert, S. 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