Expanding Pathways into Computer Science Across South Dakota

布莱克山州立大学（BHSU）提出了一个项目——在南达科他州扩展计算机科学之路（EPCS-SD）——该项目建立在当前的试点项目的基础上，将其扩展到整个州的农村地区和服务不足的学生。该项目将在全州范围内测试和完善试点项目的专业发展计划，重点是全国传播的高中课程探索计算机科学（ECS）。该计划将进行修改，以支持更分散的教师群体；课程将增加对美洲印第安人社区很重要的地方相关性和文化联系，并将实施新的学生招募和家庭参与战略。该项目将与一些合作伙伴建立研究从业者伙伴关系：来自南达科他州20所学校的教师和管理人员；BHSU和南达科他州矿业与技术学院的教师；南达科他州GEAR UP（获得对本科课程的早期意识和准备），这是BHSU和南达科他州印第安教育办公室的共同努力；以及非营利组织“教育技术与创新”。研究问题将根据实践者的需求而发展，但预计将集中在PD计划在多大程度上成功地装备教师有效地教授ECS: PD组件套件-以及ECS课程本身-在多大程度上建立了教师在教授计算机科学方面的信心和能力？参加ECS课程在多大程度上影响了学生的信念和态度？

Black Hills State University (BHSU) proposes a project--Expanding Pathways into Computer Science across South Dakota (EPCS-SD)--that builds on a current pilot project, extending its reach to profoundly rural regions and under-served students throughout the state. The project will test and refine the pilot project's professional development program, focusing on the nationally disseminated high school curriculum Exploring Computer Science (ECS), in a statewide setting. The program will be modified to support a more geographically distributed group of teachers, the curriculum will be enhanced with additional local relevance and cultural connections important to American Indian communities, and new student recruitment and family engagement strategies will be implemented.The project will develop a Research Practitioner Partnership with a number of partners: teachers and administrators from 20 South Dakota schools; faculty from BHSU and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology; South Dakota GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs), a joint effort of BHSU and South Dakota's Office of Indian Education; and a nonprofit, Technology and Innovation in Education. The research questions will evolve based on the needs of the practitioners but are expected to focus on the extent to which the PD program succeeds in equipping teachers to teach ECS effectively: To what degree does the suite of PD components--together with the ECS curriculum itself--build teacher confidence and competence in teaching computer science? and To what degree does participation in the ECS course influence student beliefs and attitudes?