CS 10KProject Transforming HS Computing Education

1. CS 10KProjectTransforming HS Computing Education Teresa Dahlberg, NSF Presentation adapted from: Jan Cuny, NSF Owen Astrachan, Duke Beth Simon, UCSD Dan Garcia, UC Berkeley February 25, 2011

2. Problem: Student Interest Declining Percentage of American freshman intent to major in computing

3. Problem: Jobs Rising

4. Problem: Job Openings Exceed U.S. Degree Production

5. Problem: Wide Participation Gap

6. We have a problem in computing • Strong predicted job growth, Field critical to economy and national security • Low student interest in U.S. • Dismal engagement of >70% of population - minorities, women and persons with disabilities • Negligible presence in K-12

7. High school is the key

8. Why High School? • Without the HS piece, anything done in middle school will be lost. • Without the HS piece, anything done at the college level will be insufficient.

9. The state of HS CS • Since 2005, introductory secondary school computer science courses have decreased in number by 17%, AP CS courses by 33% • 2/3 of states have few computer science standards for HS • Widespread confusion about technology education, literacy and fluency, and IT & CS as academic subjects • Few states count CS in graduation core

10. Start with new AP course. Why? • Carries college prep credit • Attractive to students & schools • Could attract students to CS majors • 2,000 CB-audited teachers • Single point of national leverage

11. What? Collaborative effort: College Board, NSF, Academia (6-/University) Designed to be an AP course: credit/placement Alternative to CS1, not replacement focus on computational thinking and fluency… equate to a parallel introductory college computing experience.

12. The Plan – (Proposed) AP CS Principles • Course Framework • College and High School Pilots • Assessment and Adjustments • Entrée into schools • Credit/placement in college

13. From Process to Product • Course Framework • Seven big ideas • Six computational thinking practices • 30 claims each with 2-5 evidence statements, total of 117 • Pilot courses are exemplars • From bits to NP to modeling to …

14. Where’s the Programming? • To that end [solving computational problems and exploring creative endeavors], the course highlights programming as one of the seven big ideas of computer science, because programming is among the creative processes that help transform ideas into reality. Course rational, csprinciples.org

15. Big Ideas • Computing is a creative human activity that engenders innovation and promotes exploration. • Abstraction reduces information and detail to focus on concepts relevant to understanding and solving problems.

16. Big Ideas Continued • Data and information facilitate the creation of knowledge. • Algorithms are tools for developing and expressing solutions to computational problems.

17. Big Ideas Continued • Programming is a creative process that produces computational artifacts. • Digital devices, systems, and the networks that interconnect them enable and foster computational approaches to solving problems.

18. Big Ideas • Computing enables innovation in other fields including science, social science, humanities, arts, medicine, engineering, and business.

19. Computational Thinking Practices • Analyzing effects of computation • Creating computational artifacts • Using abstractions and models • Analyzing problems and artifacts • Communicating processes and results • Work effectively in teams

20. Claims and Evidence bit.ly/csprinc • Big Idea: Abstraction reduces information and detail to focus on concepts relevant to understanding and solving problems. • Key Concept II.A. Computational systems and problems are developed, analyzed, and solved using multiple levels of abstraction.

21. Big Idea>Key Concept>Claim • Claim 5: The student can use abstractions and models to solve computational problems and analyze systems. • Evidence for Claim 5: Student work is characterized by:

22. Evidence statements for 5 • 5a. Explanation of how data, information or knowledge are represented at different levels of abstraction. • 5b. Use of simulation and randomness to analyze and solve problems. • 5c. Explanation of how abstractions are used in software systems at many levels, ranging from programming languages to operating systems to the Internet. • 5d. Explanation of the abstractions comprising the physical layers of computing hardware, including gates, chips, and components.

23. Five Pilots, One Plan

24. Five Campuses, Five Teachers The pilot schools and instructors … • Metropolitan State College, Denver: Jody Paul • UC Berkeley: Dan Garcia • UC San Diego: Beth Simon • UNC at Charlotte: Tiffany Barnes • U Washington: Larry Snyder

25. UC Berkeley’s CS 10 The Beauty and Joy of Computing Status… 2009Fa : 16 students (half course) 2010Fa : 90 students (full course) 2011Sp: 120 students (full course) inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs10/

26. comes around the corner

27. BYOB adds functions, generic lists, l • BYOB (Build Your Own Blocks) • developed by Jens Mönig w/design input and documentation from Brian Harvey & others @ Cal • Leverages awesomeness of Scratch (design, simplicity, multi-media, community of users) • Adds just enough so that Scratch can be used in CS0 and CS1 Building a For Loop and calling it. Can you do this in your language?

28. Summary: design constraints of CS10 • UC Berkeley’s first course for majors (CS61A)expects programming experiencen& recursion • CS10 hits that in week 5, the same time as the old course • What should ugrads know about computing? • History, CS+X, apps that changed the world, hot research • Computing is really fun, de-mystification • Passion, Beauty, Joy & Awe • Take every step to make attractive to women, URM • Let them choose projects and paper relevant to them! • Make all resources free, available (Berkeley way) • Videos, notes, exercises, clickers, book!

29. Format & Textbooks • Format (7 hrs/wk * 14 wks) • Two 1-hr lectures / wk • Two 2-hr labs / wk • Pair programming!! • One 1-hr TA discussion / wk • Selected Reading • Taken from great book (“Blown to Bits” by Abelson, Ledeen & Lewis) + articles + videos • Current events play a big part (e.g., IBM’s Watson vs Jeopardy) • Our course notes may make it into an e-textbook …

30. Cross-Campus Comparison I

31. Cross-Campus Comparison II

32. CS Principles: Next Steps • Oversee pilot courses, analyze the outcomes of the pilots, prepare for next, larger pilot, … LARGER PILOT • Gain consensus on claims and evidence • Develop prototype exam questions • Gather support for next phase of project, letters of attestation

33. CS Principles: Fit withinNew High School Curriculum • Introductory course for everyone • Planning to begin soon! • Proposed AP CS Principles • AP CS Programming ECS Team at LAUSD

34. Now, The Challenge

35. CS 10K Develop an effective new high school computing curriculum and get it taught in 10,000 schools by 10,000 well-prepared teachers by 2015.

36. What is Needed: Teacher Preparation • Significant in-service training • Delivery: Local? Residential? On-line? Train-the-trainers? • Pre-service courses and programs • Ed schools, Alternative certification programs, TFA, MFA, DC Fellows • Content and pedagogy • Ongoing PD and support • Short workshops, Face-to-face & Online • Mentoring and Master Teachers • Online communities of practice How does it scale?

37. What is Needed: Entrée into Schools • STEM? • Math or science? • Standards? • Where does it fit? • PreAP & AP, CTE, 4th Year Math • Assessments

38. CS 10K: How to Make it Happen • NSF Computing Education for the 21st Century (CE21) – Catalyze K-12/Higher Ed partnerships • Leverage national programs – NMSI, UTEACH,… Needed: Public/ Private Partnership!

40. CE21: Goals • Increase the number and diversity of K-14 students and teachers who develop and practice computational competencies in a variety of contexts • Increase the number and diversity of early postsecondary students who are engaged and have the background in computing necessary to successfully pursue degrees in computing-related and computationally-intensive fields of study.

41. CE21: Required Project Components • Contribute to the creation of a rich research base that informs our understanding of effective teaching and learning in computing • Draw on partnerships among the computing and teaching and learning communities, institutions of learning, including primary, secondary and post-secondary institutions and organizations, and other stakeholders. • Review Criteria: Projects must address issues of underrepresentation

42. CE21: Other Project Components Projects must include one or more of… • Design, develop and study the effectiveness of new instructional materials and interventions • Design, develop, and evaluate the impact of pre-service and in-service efforts and strategies that enhance K-14 teaching expertise in computing • Implement and test promising computing education interventions at scale.

43. Building momentum

45. BPC Alliances National Distribution Points • NCWIT – Women and Technology • AccessComputing – Persons with Disabilities Engagement Communities • STARS – REUs, civic engagement • EL Alliance - leadership • A4RC – REUs, HBCUs • CCCE – REUs, HSIs • CRA-W – REUs + • GHC – community-building Education Communities • Into the Loop – K-12/university • CAITE – K-12/comm-college/univ • Georgia Computes! – K-12/university • ARTSI – Robotics, HBCUs • CAHSI – Gateway courses, HSIs http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=503593

46. STARSAlliance.org

48. Dot Diva

49. NLD