Catching Up to Move Forward: A Computer Science Education Landscape Report of Hawai‘i Public Schools, 2017–2020

A Computer Science Education Landscape Report of Hawai‘i Public Schools, 2017–2020This report is a computer science education landscape report and presents results of a study conducted by the Curriculum Research & Development Group in the College of Education at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa on behalf of the Hawai‘i Department of Education (HIDOE) in 2020. The purpose of the report is to examine the landscape of public school K–12 computer science education in Hawai‘i, particularly after the passing of Act 51 (HRS 302A-323). Results here are based on analysis of data from the Hawai‘i State Department of Education (HIDOE) and national data systems; data from a HIDOE survey of 492 K–12 educators and administrators; and 5 follow-up sets of interviews with educators, administrators, industry partners, and the state computer science education team. Key findings include the following: - a rapid increase of computer science activities between 2017 and 2020; - a total 33 public high schools and 11 combination schools offering computer science courses, which is 100% of high schools; - an increase of 89.6% for AP CS Principles and 28.7% for AP CS A from SY 2017–18 to SY 2018–19 exam takers; - an increase from 6.8% to 22.7% of Title I schools that offered AP CS courses from SY 2017–18 to SY 2019–20; - a need for a process of feedback and support for computer science education activities; - a high percentage of schools using programs like Code.org and Scratch; - minimal to no change in the proportion of participation by girls, Native Hawaiian students, and other underrepresented minorities in formal course enrollment; - an increase in girls’ participation in AP CS exam taking, but not in the overall proportion of CS course enrollment; - an increase in the presence of computer science opportunities in Title I schools; - a tension of time needed to implement computer science education and other initiatives; - a lack of incorporation of elements of the HĀ framework; and - a high number of ESSA highly-qualified teachers, but a low number of teachers licensed in computer science. The intent of the authors is to provide - a comparison of Hawai‘i to national computer science education trends; - a description of the current K–12 computer science opportunities in Hawai‘i public schools; - a broad report of the research results from survey, interview, and document data; and - a set of recommendations for addressing the local issues that this data uncovers. Recommendations include - maintaining continuity and sustainability of CS Initiatives; - creating additional subsidies for AP examinations; - establishing common language around computer science education; - developing pathways toward computer science college majors and careers; - creating effective supports for teachers; - rethinking traditional teaching models; and - committing to equity and access.Developed for the Hawai‘i Department of Education under MOA D20-111 CO-20089. The contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Hawai‘i Department of Education and should not be viewed as endorsed by the state government

Computational Thinking and Its Mathematics Origins through Purposeful Music Mixing with African American High School Students

Computational thinking (CT) is being advocated as core knowledge needed by all students—particularly, students from underrepresented groups—to prepare for the 21st century (Georgia Department of Education, 2017; Smith, 2016, 2017; The White House, 2017; Wing, 2006, 2014). The K–12 Computer Science Frameworks (2016), written by a national steering committee, defines CT as “the thought processes involved in expressing solutions as computational steps or algorithms that can be carried out by a computer” (p. 68). This project investigated current national introductory CT curricula and their related programming platforms used in high schools. In particular, the study documents the development, implementation, and quantitative outcomes of a purposeful introductory CT curriculum framed by an eclectic theoretical perspective (Stinson, 2009) that included culturally relevant pedagogy and critical play through a computational music remixing platform known as EarSketch. This purposeful introductory CT curriculum, designed toward engaging African American high school students, was implemented with a racially diverse set of high school students to quantitatively measure their engagement and CT content knowledge change. The goal of the project was to increase engagement and CT content knowledge of all student participants, acknowledging that what benefits African American students tends to benefit all students (Hilliard, 1992; Ladson-Billings, 2014). An analysis of the findings suggests that there was a significant increase in student cognitive engagement for racially diverse participants though not for the subset of African American students. Affective and conative engagement did not significantly change for racially diverse participants nor for the African American student subset. However, both the racially diverse set of students’ and their subset of African American students’ CT content knowledge significantly increased. As well, there was no significant difference between African American students and non-African American students post-survey engagement and CT content knowledge post-assessment means when adjusted for their pre-survey engagement and pre-assessment knowledge respectively. Hence, showing that purposeful music mixing using EarSketch designed toward African American students benefitted a racially diverse set of students in cognitive engagement and CT content knowledge and the African American subset of students in CT content knowledge. Implications and recommendations for further study are discussed

Bringing computational thinking to K-12 and higher education

Doctor of PhilosophyDepartment of Computer ScienceWilliam H. HsuSince the introduction of new curriculum standards at K-12 schools, computational thinking has become a major research area. Creating and delivering content to enhance these skills, as well as evaluation, remain open problems. This work describes different interventions based on the Scratch programming language aimed toward improving student self-efficacy in computer science and computational thinking. These interventions were applied at a STEM outreach program for 5th-9th grade students. Previous experience in STEM-related activities and subjects, as well as student self-efficacy, were surveyed using a developed pre- and post-survey. The impact of these interventions on student performance and confidence, as well as the validity of the instrument are discussed. To complement attitude surveys, a translation of Scratch to Blockly is proposed. This will record student programming behaviors for quantitative analysis of computational thinking in support of student self-efficacy. Outreach work with Kansas Starbase, as well as the Girl Scouts of the USA, is also described and evaluated. A key goal for computational thinking in the past 10 years has been to bring computer science to other disciplines. To test the gap from computer science to STEM, computational thinking exercises were embedded in an electromagnetic fields course. Integrating computation into theory courses in physics has been a curricular need, yet there are many difficulties and obstacles to overcome in integrating with existing curricula and programs. Recommendations from this experimental study are given towards integrating CT into physics a reality. As part of a continuing collaboration with physics, a comprehensive system for automated extraction of assessment data for descriptive analytics and visualization is also described

A Competency-based Approach toward Curricular Guidelines for Information Technology Education

The Association for Computing Machinery and the IEEE Computer Society have launched a new report titled, Curriculum Guidelines for Baccalaureate Degree Programs in Information Technology (IT2017). This paper discusses significant aspects of the IT2017 report and focuses on competency-driven learning rather than delivery of knowledge in information technology (IT) programs. It also highlights an IT curricular framework that meets the growing demands of a changing technological world in the next decade. Specifically, the paper outlines ways by which baccalaureate IT programs might implement the IT curricular framework and prepare students with knowledge, skills, and dispositions to equip graduates with competencies that matter in the workplace. The paper suggests that a focus on competencies allows academic departments to forge collaborations with employers and engage students in professional practice experiences. It also shows how professionals and educators might use the report in reviewing, updating, and creating baccalaureate IT degree programs worldwide

Cybersecurity in the Classroom: Bridging the Gap Between Computer Access and Online Safety

According to ISACA, there will be a global shortage of 2 million cybersecurity professionals worldwide by 2019. Additionally, according to Experian Data Breach Resolution, as much as 80% of all network breaches can be traced to employee negligence. These problems will not solve themselves, and they likewise won’t improve without drastic action. An effort needs to be made to help direct interested and qualified individuals to the field of cybersecurity to move toward closing this gap. Moreover, steps need to be made to better inform the public of general safety measures while online, including the safeguarding of sensitive information. A large issue with solving the problems at hand is that there seems to be no comprehensive curriculum for cybersecurity education to teach these basic principles. In my paper, I review and compare several after- and in-school programs that attempt to address this problem. I’ve also interviewed teachers from Montgomery County Public Schools, a relatively ethnically diverse school district outside of Washington, D.C. These issues need to be addressed, and while private organizations and local schools are attempting to tackle the problem, wider action may need to be taken at a national level to come to a resolution

Cybersecurity in the Classroom: Bridging the Gap Between Computer Access and Online Safety

According to ISACA, there will be a global shortage of 2 million cybersecurity professionals worldwide by 2019. Additionally, according to Experian Data Breach Resolution, as much as 80% of all network breaches can be traced to employee negligence. These problems will not solve themselves, and they likewise won’t improve without drastic action. An effort needs to be made to help direct interested and qualified individuals to the field of cybersecurity to move toward closing this gap. Moreover, steps need to be made to better inform the public of general safety measures while online, including the safeguarding of sensitive information. A large issue with solving the problems at hand is that there seems to be no comprehensive curriculum for cybersecurity education to teach these basic principles. In my paper, I review and compare several after- and in-school programs that attempt to address this problem. I’ve also interviewed teachers from Montgomery County Public Schools, a relatively ethnically diverse school district outside of Washington, D.C. These issues need to be addressed, and while private organizations and local schools are attempting to tackle the problem, wider action may need to be taken at a national level to come to a resolution

Introducing Preservice STEM Teachers to Computer Science: A Narrative of Theoretically Oriented Design

This paper narrates the process of designing a curricular unit that serves to introduce preservice science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers to computer science (CS) education. Unlike most literature that focuses on results and findings, this paper explains how a justice-centered approach to CS education informed decisions about the theoretical underpinnings of curricular design choices. Situated in issues related to the gentrification of Austin, Texas, the described curricular unit explores how the increased use of CS and growth of the technology sector are having a direct impact on the historically marginalized residents of East Austin. Connected by a theme that maps are both a form of data visualization and political artifact, the described curricular unit uses CS as a tool to: critique the macro-ethics of politics and society; provide a CS learning environment that can be responsive to the multiple social identities of students; and connect CS to larger struggles for justice and liberation.Educatio

First Steps Toward Change in Teacher Preparation for Elementary Science

Unless introductory undergraduate science classes for prospective elementary teachers actively incorporate the philosophy of inquiry-based learning called for in K-l2 science education refom little will change in elementary science education. Thus, at James Madison University, we have developed a new integrated science core curriculum called Understanding our World [1]. This course sequence was not only designed to fulfill general education science requirements. but also to focus on content areas our students will need to know as teachers. The objectives of these courses are based on the National Science Education Standards and Virginia’s Science Standards of Learning, including earth and space science, chemistry, physics, life sciences, and environmental science [2,3]. As an integrated package, this course sequence addresses basic science content, calculation skills, the philosophy and history of science, the process of how science is done, the role of science in society, and applications of computers and technology in science. Keeping in mind that students tend to teach in the same way they were taught, Understanding our World core classes embrace the concepts associated with reform in elementary math and science

Monitoring What Matters About Context and Instruction in Science Education: A NAEP Data Analysis Report

This report explores background variables in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to examine key context and instructional factors behind science learning for eighth grade students. Science education is examined from five perspectives: student engagement in science, science teachers' credentials and professional development, availability and use of science resources, approaches to science instruction, and methods and uses of science assessment