Sociocultural Approach to Integrating Computational Thinking and Data Analysis into an Online Citizen Science Program Linking Rural Educators in Maine, Mississippi, and Alabama

该项目将吸引缅因州、密西西比州和阿拉巴马州九所沿海农村学校的学生参与，将缅因湾附近的学生与墨西哥湾附近的学生联系起来。这种将在线学习社区与课堂学习社区联系起来的创新方法将吸引学生参与公民科学活动，并将导致课程模块的设计，将计算思维技能与基于标准的教学相结合。一个由教师领导、科学家和使用计算分析工具的专家组成的咨询小组将共同为学生设计三个学习模块，并为教师设计专业学习机会，以支持课堂小组开展调查。这些模块将使用专门为学生设计的数据分析工具，将计算思维技能与公民科学调查相结合，使学生能够使用与他们的调查相关的现有大规模数据集，以及他们和同龄人构建的本地数据集。该项目还将为教师开发和实施一个为期3天的暑期学院，该学院将侧重于探究驱动、基于地点的学习，将计算实践和思考结合起来。在每个暑期学院结束后，参与的教师将以团队形式将公民科学与计算思维的组成部分结合起来，重点是数据收集和管理以及数据分析。在学年期间，参与的教师、科学家和参与的社区成员将每月举行一次会议，以培养计算思维技能，制定问题来指导调查，并考虑与学生领导力相关的主题，突出科学家的工作，并利用科学为行动提供信息。待开发的模块和辅助材料将纳入学习管理系统，用于管理资源，并促进学生、教师、科学家和感兴趣的社区成员之间的互动。该项目将采用基于设计的研究方法，迭代开发和测试学习模块，通过在学校课堂上积极参与公民科学调查，让学生参与计算思维。这项工作将以两个研究问题为指导：1)在课堂上共同设计的公民科学中，当将计算数据分析技能整合到基于地点的问题解决环境中时，需要考虑的关键设计元素和实施水平是什么？2)农村教育工作者需要什么支持来增强他们在3-8年级教授计算数据分析的信心和能力？为了回答这些问题，该项目将：1)实施协同设计过程，以确定计算思维在何处以及如何与下一代科学标准和共同核心州数学标准保持一致，同时通过公民科学参与解决农村学校和社区的独特需求和兴趣；2)开发一套模块和相关的专业发展资源，支持农村教育工作者使用计算数据分析来解释和与同行和相关社区分享研究结果；3)确定支持农村教育工作者通过公民科学的视角实施计算思维技能的方法，从而使学习对当地社区的学生来说具有相关性和意义。一系列的课堂水平的数据和学生数据，定量和定性，将收集使用正在进行的，接地理论为基础的分析来检查项目的影响。该项目由STEM+计算计划和学生和教师创新技术体验（ITEST）计划共同支持。由于计算已经成为科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）实践中不可或缺的一部分，STEM+计算计划旨在通过将计算思维和计算活动应用于高中（PreK-12）早期儿童教育的STEM教学和学习，来解决计算STEM领域的新挑战。该项目将推动ITEST项目的努力，通过为缺乏服务的初高中青年开发一个技术丰富的课外STEM项目，更好地理解和促进提高学生在科学、技术、工程或数学（STEM）领域追求职业的动机和能力的实践。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 project will engage students in nine rural coastal schools in Maine, Mississippi, and Alabama, linking students around the Gulf of Maine with students near the Gulf of Mexico. This innovative approach of linking an online to classroom learning community will engage students in citizen science activities and will result in the design of curriculum modules that integrate computational thinking skills with standards-based instruction. An advisory group of teacher leaders, scientists, and a specialist in using computational analysis tools will co-design three learning modules for students and professional learning opportunities for teachers that will support classroom groups in developing investigations. The modules will use a data analysis tool designed specifically for students to integrate computational thinking skills with the citizen science investigations, enabling students to work with both existing, large-scale datasets related to their investigations, and local datasets that they and their peers have constructed. The project will also develop and implement a 3-day summer institute for teachers that will focus on inquiry-driven, place-based learning that integrates computational practices and thinking. Following each summer institute, participating teachers will work in teams to align a citizen science with components of computational thinking, with a focus on data collection and management, and data analysis. During the academic year, participating teachers, scientists, and participating community members will meet monthly to develop computational thinking skills, formulate questions to guide investigations, and consider topics related to student leadership, highlighting the work of scientists, and using science to inform actions. The modules to be developed and the supporting materials will be incorporated into learning management system that will be used to manage resources as well as facilitate interactions among students, teachers, scientists, and interested community members.This project will use a design-based research approach to iteratively develop and test learning modules that engage students in computational thinking through active participation in citizen science investigations in school classrooms. This work will be guided by two research questions: 1) What are the key design elements and levels of implementation to consider when integrating computational data analysis skills in the context of place-based problem solving in co-designed citizen science in the classroom? And 2) What supports do rural educators need to increase their confidence and ability to teach computational data analysis in grades 3-8? To answer these questions, the project will: 1) Implement a co-design process to identify where and how computational thinking can be aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards and the Common Core State Standards for mathematics while addressing the unique needs and interests of rural schools and communities through citizen science involvement, 2) Develop a set of modules and associated professional development resources that support rural educators in using computational data analysis to interpret and share findings with peers and relevant communities, and 3) Identify ways to support rural educators in the implementation of computational thinking skills through the lens of citizen science, thereby making learning relevant and meaningful to students in their local communities. A range of classroom level data and student data, both quantitative and qualitative, will be collected to examine project impacts using ongoing, grounded theory-based analysis. This project is being supported jointly by the STEM+Computing program and the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program. As computing has become integral to the practice of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the STEM+Computing program seeks to address emerging challenges in computational STEM areas through the applied integration of computational thinking and computing activities within STEM teaching and learning in early childhood education through high school (PreK-12). This project will advance efforts of the ITEST program to better understand and promote practices that increase student motivations and capacities to pursue careers in fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) by developing a technology-rich, out-of-school time STEM program for underserved middle and high school youth.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.