Authentic STEAM-based Computer Science Education for Non-Majors

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Computer science has become an essential intellectual skill that is fundamental to a broad range of academic disciplines and careers. Colleges and universities have consistently struggled to engage a diverse population of students in computer science. Introductory computing courses, now required at a growing number of colleges, have largely failed to engage non-majors and to entice them to further study in the field. To rectify this problem, researchers from Georgia Tech and Georgia Gwinnett College will develop a new introductory computing course that uses a STEAM (STEM + Arts) approach to engage a diverse population of non-majors in computing. The course will use EarSketch, a learning environment that teaches computer science in the context of music remixing and music production. EarSketch has been proven to engage underrepresented groups at the high school level. The goal of this project will be to demonstrate that EarSketch will be effective at the undergraduate level. The research team will adapt the EarSketch curriculum for college-level study and develop new EarSketch features to support collaborative learning practices in college courses. Through student engagement surveys, a content knowledge assessment, focus groups, and a comparative analysis with other courses, the team will assess the potential of EarSketch to impact engagement, learning outcomes, and future interest in computing with a diverse population of college students. Findings from this project will contribute to a better understanding of STEAM learning environments in introductory undergraduate STEM courses and their effects on content knowledge and engagement across diverse student populations.