Evaluating Creative Choice in K-12 Computer Science Curriculum

Computer Science is an increasingly important topic in K-12 education. Ever since the computing crisis of the early 2000s, where enrollment in CS dropped by over half in a five year span, increasing research has gone into improving and broadening enrollment in CS courses. Research shows the importance of introducing CS at a young age and the need for more exposure for younger children and young adults alike in order to work towards equity in the field. While there are many reasons for disinterest in CS courses, studies found one reason young adults do not want to study CS is a perception of it being tedious and lacking opportunities for creativity. Making more creative assignments is one way to try and engage more students who may not feel like stereotypical computer scientists. This thesis focuses in on the effects of creative choice in CS curriculum on students\u27 self-efficacy, engagement/preferences, and performance. It aims to capture the effects of creative choice on a range of K-12 students of varying demographics in order to make CS more accessible for everyone. The first half of the thesis experimentally validates the effects of creative choice in existing 5th grade CS classes. We created two variants of worksheets for the students - creative worksheets and rigid worksheets. After distributing these worksheets, surveys, and quizzes, we found students still feel a sense of ownership with limited versions of creative choice and benefit from a blend of creative and rigid instructions. In addition, student performance was not affected by our different treatments. The second half of the thesis adapted and launched the fifth grade curriculum to a new demographic, teaching the course to Juvenile Hall students. Student surveys and reports from their teacher showed this class had a positive impact and was well received by students and staff. We found students would prefer a longer class next iteration, as this one only extended five weeks. Future work will be needed to experimentally evaluate the specific impact of creative choice in this new demographic

The “Code Yourself!” and “¡A Programar!” programming MOOC for teenagers:Reflecting on one and a half years of experience

Critical thinking and problem solving are fundamental skills to function successfully in today’s world. When programming, these skills are promoted, developed and deployed. In this context, Universidad ORT Uruguay and The University of Edinburgh co-created in 2015 a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) that teaches young teenagers how to program. The course was offered simultaneously in two versions: in Spanish, called "¡A Programar!" and in English, called "Code Yourself!", which are available on the Coursera platform. Since its launch in March 2015, more than 161,000 people from 197 countries have registered. Initially it was offered in a "fixed session"; while currently it is offered in an "auto-cohort" mode. In both cases, student surveys indicate that the course has met or exceeded expectations (values above 93%). In this paper, we detail the characteristics of the MOOC, and we analyze and compare the results for the two delivery modes

Transforming the Culture of the Stem Disciplines: A Multiple Case Study of Successful Strategies for Inclusive Excellence

In spite of the myriad initiatives promoting diversity and inclusion in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines at colleges and universities across the country and the increased funding for these types of initiatives, colleges and universities have experienced modest gains and, in some cases, slight declines in the graduation rates of women and underrepresented minorities (URMs). In addressing this issue, some institutions rely on traditional or “deficit” approaches that place primary responsibility on students for their success in the STEM fields. A growing number of institutions, however, embrace the concept of inclusive excellence, which is an assumption that underrepresented students can and will rise to high expectations provided institutions have a better understanding of and commitment to fostering the conditions in which these students thrive. Although there is much in the literature about successful programs and initiatives in the STEM disciplines that are aligned with the concept of inclusive excellence, there is little information about the organizational change processes that ensure that these initiatives are implemented on a scale large enough to significantly impact the enrollment and graduation rates of women and URMs. This study addressed the void in the literature through a multiple case study of three departments/schools at elite Predominantly White Institutions that have had success with enrolling and graduating women and underrepresented minorities (URMs) at rates above the national average – the computer science department at Harvey Mudd College, the physics department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas Austin. Employing qualitative content analysis as the methodology, 246 documents from these institutions were analyzed both deductively with the Transformational Change Model for Inclusive Excellence as a framework and inductively to determine the strategies that advanced initiatives in the model departments and school. Analysis revealed that each department/school utilized, to some degree, strategies from the framework, including understanding and articulating the rationale for change, securing senior administrator buy-in, collaborating across multiple departments and disciplines, providing professional development for those associated with initiatives, focusing attention on the environment for underrepresented students, developing a vision for the department/school that was flexible and modified when needed, engaging in high impact and visible actions that were staged over time, and conducting comprehensive assessment and evaluation. Beyond the framework, analysis revealed that campus culture, external funding, and selective admissions also played a role in advancing initiatives on a large scale, as did other factors that were specific to each institution

"We don't need no education"? : yes, they DO want e-learning in Basic and Higher Education!

This inaugural lecture will feature seven datasets from module evaluations across four semesters and four modules, from 5027 University of South Africa students. The findings illustrate that these Higher Education students have access to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the Internet, overwhelmingly use myUNISA (the institutional e-learning management system), e.g. to submit their assignments and/or activities, for these modules, while their overall experience of these modules was positive and they would recommend these modules to other students. Regarding the Basic Education sector, I will describe 43 Gauteng district respondents’ feedback regarding their e-schools being characterised as having (1) learners using ICTs to enhance e-learning; (2) qualified and competent managers using ICTs for planning, management and administration; (3) qualified and competent teachers using ICTs to enhance teaching and e-learning; (4) access to ICT resources supporting curriculum delivery; (5) connections to ICT infrastructure and (6) connections to their communities.Educational Studie

Addressing the behavioral and contextual factors that put males, aged 15-18 at risk for exposure to sexually transmitted infections in Georgetown, Guyana

PROBLEM STATEMENT: Globally, 70% of more than three million new curable sexually transmitted infections (STI) are among 15-24 year olds, with young people in developing countries bearing the highest burden. Chlamydia Trachomatis prevalence, for example, is 15.4% and 20.5% in young women and men attending STD clinics in the U.S. However, Caribbean STI data for young men are particularly scarce and inconsistent and cases are under-reported due to poor health seeking behavior. In Guyana, 42% of the STI cases from 2010 -2014 occurred in young people, aged 15- 24. Moreover, few programs and policies focus specifically on the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of young men. This dissertation explores the contextual and behavioral factors that cause young men’s vulnerability to STI and proposes recommendations for the national response in Guyana. METHODS: Research methods included: 9 focus group discussions (FGDs) with young men, aged 15-18, mothers and fathers and 25 in-depth interviews with representatives from government, community, faith-based and donor organizations. Interviews and FGDs were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed for major themes among and across each stakeholder group. Analysis was guided by a socio-ecologic framework and resulted in program and policy recommendations to address vulnerability to STI and augment protective factors against STI in young men in Guyana. RESULTS: Salient overarching themes include: Poverty and Disenfranchisement “Yes, this is a Man”: Early Sex, Fast Money, and Risk”, “The Empty Room: Young Men without Male Roles Models”, “Sex in a violent society”, “Stigma, Discrimination, and Shame: Road blocks to young men’s sexual health” and Young men’s Sexual and Reproductive Health: Young men’s Sexual and Reproductive Health: It all depends on family, religion, education, music and media (or not). Participants highlighted a lack of SRH awareness and health care seeking resulting from insufficient male SRH promotion and services. Parental engagement, school attendance, supportive peers, religious commitment and internet use for SRH information were described as protective factors. CONTRIBUTION: A socio-ecological model helped to comprehensively identify and organize broad social determinants of SRH and high risk sexual behaviors for young men. The resulting program and policy recommendations are proposed for implementation in Georgetown, Guyana.2018-11-08T00:00:00