Thomas J. Cortina

CS4HS: an outreach program for high school CS teachers

In this paper, we describe a pilot summer workshop (CS4HS) held at Carnegie Mellon University in July 2006 for high school CS teachers to provide compelling material that the teachers can use in their classes to emphasize computational thinking and the many possibilities of computer science. Diversity and broadening participation was explicitly addressed throughout the workshop. We focused on broadening the image of what CS is -- and who computer scientists are -- since the reasons for under-representation in the field are very much the same as the reasons for the huge decline in interest. We describe the design of the workshop along with results from initial surveys and evaluations. Short-term evaluations show that this workshop was successful in changing the perception of CS for these teachers and giving them the impetus to include broader topics in their programming courses for the upcoming school year. Future surveys will track the long-term effect of this workshop.

Computational thinking

1. SUMMARY Computational Thinking [1] is a universal metaphor of reasoning used by both mankind and machines. From this perspective it has the potential to be a comprehensive umbrella for capturing the intrinsic nature of computing and conveying this in an understandable way to students and the general public. It represents a broad spectrum of reasoning across time and disciplines. Learning to count is a beginning of human computational thinking, followed naturally by arithmetic computation and abstract levels of symbol based thinking, often starting with algebra. Counting, arithmetic, symbols and abstract thinking are fundamental to the study of computing.

The expansion of CS4HS: an outreach program for high school teachers

1. SUMMARY In response to reports concerning the decline in enrollment in CS undergraduate programs nationwide [2], an effort began in 2006 to address this problem by running a workshop at Carnegie Mellon University titled CS4HS (Computer Science for High School). [1] This workshop provided high school teachers with course materials and information to show the breadth and application of CS to their students with the hope that this will help increase excitement about computing as a potential path for high school students when they enter college. The reach of the workshop was expanded in 2007 to include two additional universities: the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Washington. Each university had a different target audience of teachers for its workshop. In this special session, organizers at each university will describe the format of their individual workshops, describe several short exercises that were used in one or more of the workshops in the past year, show a sampling of photos and videos taken from the workshops to illustrate the effectiveness of the workshops, and share some collected data concerning the workshops with the audience. Presenters will then field questions from the audience concerning the workshops and time will be devoted to outlining how participants can get involved in running a new CS4HS workshop or attending a CS4HS workshop in their area as new workshops are organized.

The design of a history of computing course with a unique perspective

In this paper, we describe the design and implementation of a new history of computing course that includes personal and historical perspectives from faculty members to supplement the course material. Despite decreasing enrollments in our computer science courses, this new course has achieved significantly large enrollments and a wide audience due to this unique faculty perspective in addition to the approval of this course as a general education requirement that addresses the implications of science and technology on society.

Developing resources to support a national computer science curriculum for K-12

This session will continue efforts by the ACM and Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) to create a comprehensive body of resources to support the implementation of a national K-12 computer science curriculum. The ACM K-12 Computer Science Curriculum Committee, with input from the Computer Science educational community, published a Model Curriculum [1] in 2003. The Model suggests a 4-level curriculum. Level-1 topics, primarily for the K-8 years, closely follow the well-defined ISTE Standards. Level-2 topics are suggested for all students in grades 9 or 10 and are comprised of introductory computer science content. Level-3 topics focus on analysis and design with emphasis on the scientific and engineering aspects of computer science. AP Computer Science and special topics courses comprise Level-4. This special session will focus on the learning objectives and activities for Level 2 of the K-12 Computer Science Model curriculum. Attendees will be invited to provide critical feedback that will help move the curriculum project forward.

Reaching a broader population of students through "unplugged" activities

Introducing children to fundamental computing concepts through Computer Science Unplugged.

Work in progress: ACTIVATE: Advancing computing and technology interest and innovation through teacher education

In the Northern Appalachian region around Pittsburgh, PA, many high schools do not have computer science courses, so students are not introduced to this critical subject that is needed for most technical career paths. Our unique strategy is to invite current high school science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teachers, in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and Maryland, to participate in 3 summer workshops showing how to incorporate computing concepts into existing STEM courses. By working with teachers on how to assimilate programming and computational thinking into their classrooms we will effectively reach a large population of students in areas where computer science classes are not available. In this paper, we outline the current state of the project and some of the data we have collected. Future goals for this project include performing a rigorous evaluation of teacher impact and developing the workshop materials for wider dissemination.