Approach Overview

1. Using Graphical Software Development and Robotics to Educate Students in the Principles of Computer ScienceStephanie Graham, Joseph Urban, Susan Urban, Mohan SridharanTexas Tech University 2012 NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates Site Project Approach Overview Using Dorothy, an enhanced version of the Alice 2.0 source code, and a Scribbler robot, it is our aim to increase interest in computer science. The purpose behind developing such a tool as Dorothy is to be able to educate middle school and high school students in the basics of computer science and to pique their interest such that they might be more likely to choose computer science for a career. As with any tool, a set of instructions for the user is needed, and thus, a teacher’s lesson guide on how to use Dorothy was created. This is accompanied by a presentation-format set of lecture notes. Motivation and Objectives Due to the small representation of minorities and women students in computer science, it is our aim to increase the diversity by creating an easier way to understand the basics. Minority and women student representation is needed, as they could provide additional outlooks on a situation or problem. Diversity is crucial in a growing technologic world. To increase the retention rates and recruitment in computer science, we will interest young students in computer science with an easy-to-understand graphical software development toolthat we have developed. When combined with the ability to connect to Scribbler robots, it becomes a visual representation of computer science principles. Since Dorothy lacks a complex syntax that might confuse students, it will be simpler to learn the basics of software development and boost retention rates. Results Students can easily create code that controls the robot to accomplish a simple task while avoiding complex syntax that might be found in other examples of code. Students can collect simple data about the world around the robot using its’ sensors, which can be used to change how the robot acts. This ability allows a unique opportunity for teaching students conceptual thinking while avoiding tying students down to rigorous programming rules. The final curriculum is in three parts to aid in teaching and ultimately in improving student learning and interest in computer science. Curriculum Previously, the method of using Dorothy and the robots to teach computer science principles was common between high school and middle school students. Now, the method has been separated into two different curriculums. The high school curriculum focuses more on the details and gets into higher-level abstract concepts of computer science. The middle school curriculum will focus more on the general overview of what computer science can be defined as and how it applies to the modern world in an effort to garner more interest in computer science. The curriculum was divided and was also updated to include the newly installed functions that Dorothy has to offer. It is necessary that the curriculum use the Dorothy application while maintaining use of the Scribbler robots and successfully instill the basics of software development in students. Related Work • Alice (2009) Alice, www.alice.org. • Urban (2011) Urban, S., Urban, J., Sridharan, M., Mengel, S. “Computational Thinking for Middle School Students Through the Integration of Graphical Programming and Robotics,” Technical Report. Department of computer science, Texas Tech University. • Wellman (2009) Wellman, B., Anderson, M, Vrbsky, S. “PREOP as a Tool to Increase Student Retention in CS”, Journal of Computing Science in Colleges, Vol. 25, No. 2, December, 2009, pg. 167-175 Acknowledgements This research is supported by NSF Grant No. CNS 1005212. Opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF.