- Year 2022
- NSF Noyce Award # 2050469
- First Name Dan
- Last Name Lo
- Discipline Computer Science
- Co-PI(s)
Brian Lawler
- Presenters
Dan Lo, Kennesaw State University
Need
There are 34 States having a K-12 computer science (CS) standardsin the United States in 2019. The national momentum includinggovernor’s partnership and federal policies in supporting K-12 computer science education is expanding access or increasing equityin teaching computer science at all K-12 schools. However, twothirds of K-12 Computer Science (CS) teachers in the States do nothave a degree in CS. We are developing new CS teacher educationprograms in multiple pathways to teacher certification, strategiesfor recruitment, advising, and retention, self-learning module designs, a community, and a series of workshops and webinars forteachers and students. These efforts will build multiple pathwaysfor K-12 CS teacher education.
Goals
Our new program developmentstrategies include: (1) minimize the number of total credit hours ina degree program, (2) reuse existing courses as many as possible,(3) tailor to a specific audience, and (4) tightly couple to K-12 CSstandards.
Approach
New programsunder development include Master of Arts (MAT) in teaching onCS, MAT in Math with CS Endorsement, CS concentration in existing BSEd, and BS in CS Teacher Education. Several self-containedlearning modules are under construction. Recruitment efforts focuson Math majors and community college transfers. Retirees in ITfields are recruited to the MAT program via the university alumninetwork. Summer interns and students in the STEM tutoring clubare targets for recruitment.
Outcomes
Our preliminary results indicate that multiple pathways to CS teacher certification are indeed necessary. We are creating CS endorsement program and MAT in CS. Post certification continuous supports such as profession development, community building, and longer induction support are critical to teacher retention.
Broader Impacts
The project impacts students and teachers nationwide through distribution of the project deliverables (recruitment, teacher education, retention, community building, and professional development) along with the learning materials to pass certification tests. The direct impact starts from the development of the new programs, and the implementation of the self-learning modules. A dedicated online repository will be built to host the free self-learning materials for broaden dissemination. The results, experiences, and challenges of the project will be shared with the computing education community through teacher development workshops, student workshops, webinars, and publications. This project will potentially benefit a wide range of universities and colleges that have the need of creating or enhancing K-12 CS teacher education. The PIs will also make a sincere effort to involve undergraduate and underrepresented students in the proposed activities.
