Designing Teacher-Centred Dashboards for Computational Thinking: Insights from Upper Primary and Lower Secondary Education

The integration of computational thinking into compulsory education has been accompanied by the development of digital tools, such as programming environments. These tools are often accompanied by teacher dashboards to support instruction within the classroom. However, the effectiveness of dashboards is usually hindered by limited teacher input in their design, challenges in data interpretation, and low adoption rates. This study explores the dashboard design preferences of upper primary and lower secondary computer education teachers in Flanders. It focuses on indicators related to student learning progress, the role of dashboards in supporting teaching, the use of different display formats like charts and tables, and the level of data detail, ranging from broad overviews to individual insights. We used a mixed-methods approach to conduct surveys (N = 38) and semi-structured interviews (N = 10) to examine teachers’ needs and expectations of dashboards for programming environments. Conjoint analyses show that teachers prioritise the types of indicators displayed, assign moderate importance to the display format and dashboard role, and view data granularity as the least important factor. Interviews complement these data, further suggesting that teachers’ preferences are influenced by their context. This study highlights the need for adaptable dashboard designs that accommodate evolving pedagogical requirements.