Fostering Utah Education Learning for Grades 4-6 Computer Science

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This project is expanding computer science into rural elementary schools in Utah by designing and testing a process for adaptation of existing computer science resources into elementary science classes in grades 4-6. It leverages a partnership between the Utah State Board of Education, Westminster College, and the Central Utah Educational Regional Service Center to addresses the question, “How can states and regional networks support rural districts in curating and adapting national resources for computer science education?” It is creating professional learning communities that bring together rural Utah elementary teachers with experienced science and computer science teachers, as well as educational technology trainers and national K-6 computer science teachers. The computer science units will be made available through CANVAS modules (the state licensed learning management system) as a way of making them accessible to other Utah rural teachers beyond the original cohort.The research is investigating the process of adaptation of national computer science resources to rural K-12 needs, the rigor of the units created, and the success of implementation in the classroom. The team is using data on the challenges faced by teachers in those schools to iteratively refine targeted supports that include curriculum adaptations, differentiation of professional development (PD), and system-level supports that address the specific needs of rural school elementary teachers. To assess the usefulness of the adaptation, creation, and implementation process, the research involves interviews with both teachers and development team experts. Additionally, teachers are completing PD exit surveys and monthly implementation surveys. The team is also examining state data usage associated with the modules through the CANVAS platform as a way to measure implementation. The research is informing a model process for adaptation of national materials for computer science in rural K-12, and is being shared with the national computer science research community. This project is funded by the CS for All program.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.