Collaborative Research: Engaging High School Students in Computer Science with Co-creative Learning Companions

本研究探讨了最先进的创新和教学代理如何改善学生的学习、态度和对计算机科学的参与。该项目将在高中教室中使用EarSketch进行，EarSketch是一个在线计算机科学学习环境，全球有超过16万名学习者使用JavaScript或Python代码制作音乐。研究人员将建立第一个共同创造的学习伙伴Cai，它将为学生提供教学策略，包括使用学习者代码来说明抽象和模块化，建议新的代码来支撑新的概念，提供帮助和提示，并解释其决定。这项工作将直接解决国家发展计算机素养作为核心STEM技能的需求。提议的工作汇集了一个经验丰富的跨学科团队来调查这样一个假设，即在一个富有表现力的计算机科学学习环境中添加一个共同创造的学习伙伴将改善学生的计算机科学学习（通过代码复杂性和概念知识来衡量），对计算的积极态度（自我效能和动机），以及参与（学习期间的集中注意力和参与）。共同创造学习伙伴的迭代设计和开发将基于EarSketch教室中人类协作的研究，共同创造文献和虚拟代理研究中的发现，以及研究人员对EarSketch在教室中使用的观察。这项工作将解决以下研究问题：1)表达性编程的共同创造学习伙伴应该执行的基本教学动作是什么？2)对于一个共同创造的学习伙伴来说，什么样的教育策略最有效地支持学习、对计算机的有利态度和参与？3) EarSketch中的共同创造学习伙伴在高中课堂的社会文化背景下，以何种方式增加计算机科学的学习、参与和对计算机科学的积极态度？提出的研究有可能改变我们对如何通过表达性计算环境支持学生学习和扩大参与的理解。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This research investigates how state-of-the-art creative and pedagogical agents can improve students' learning, attitudes, and engagement with computer science. The project will be conducted in high school classrooms using EarSketch, an online computer science learning environments that engages over 160,000 learners worldwide in making music with JavaScript or Python code. The researchers will build the first co-creative learning companion, Cai, that will scaffold students with pedagogical strategies that include making use of learner code to illustrate abstraction and modularity, suggesting new code to scaffold new concepts, providing help and hints, and explaining its decisions. This work will directly address the national need to develop computing literacy as a core STEM skill.The proposed work brings together an experienced interdisciplinary team to investigate the hypothesis that adding a co-creative learning companion to an expressive computer science learning environment will improve students' computer science learning (as measured by code sophistication and concept knowledge), positive attitudes towards computing (self-efficacy and motivation), and engagement (focused attention and involvement during learning). The iterative design and development of the co-creative learning companion will be based on studies of human collaboration in EarSketch classrooms, the findings in the co-creative literature and virtual agents research, and the researchers' observations of EarSketch use in classrooms. This work will address the following research questions: 1) What are the foundational pedagogical moves that a co-creative learning companion for expressive programming should perform?; 2) What educational strategies for a co-creative learning companion most effectively scaffold learning, favorable attitudes toward computing, and engagement?; and 3) In what ways does a co-creative learning companion in EarSketch increase computer science learning, engagement, and positive attitudes toward computer science when deployed within the sociocultural context of a high school classroom? The proposed research has the potential to transform our understanding of how to support student learning in and broaden participation through expressive computing environments.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.