Exploring computational thinking through collaborative problem solving and audio puzzles

Although educators, researchers, and designers have increasingly advocated for developing computational thinking (CT) in young children, the vast majority of CT learning environments fail to support the development of positive attitudes towards problem solving, confidence in dealing with complexity, and communicating and working with others to achieve a goal. To address this issue, our design team developed a music-based puzzle game called SynthSync. The game challenges players to work collaboratively to "debug" jumbled musical compositions through close listening, tinkering, and communication. SynthSync players manipulate controls to adjust musical variables (pitch, note length, and the length of rests) in arhythmic and dissonant musical puzzles based on popular songs until they "discover" the original piece of music.