Collaborative Research: Beyond CS Principles: Engaging Female High School Students in New Frontiers of Computing

该项目建立在AP计算机科学（CS）原理课程所奠定的基础上，旨在大幅扩大对最令人兴奋和新兴的计算前沿的访问，特别是对高中女生，如分布式计算，物联网（IoT），网络安全和机器学习。以及其他世纪的技能，需要有效地利用计算方法和工具，在几乎每一个职业。创造途径，激发高中学生对高级主题的兴趣，目标是建立一个多元化，性别平衡，为未来做好准备的劳动力队伍，这是这项工作中解决的一个关键和有影响力的当务之急。一个经验丰富的多学科研究团队，高中教师和行业合作伙伴将参与设计一个新的，模块化的，开放式的课程，称为计算机科学前沿（CSF），提供了一个引人入胜的介绍这些先进的主题在高中（目前只有CS专业在大学）。为了解决计算领域严重的性别差距问题，该项目将设计和研究让女生参与的课程。通过研究创新的计算工具和课程单元对学生（特别是年轻女性）的学习，态度，兴趣和合作的影响，该项目将推进发现和理解，以帮助扩大参与技术相关职业的事业以及人类技术前沿工作的未来。课程材料的开放式模块设计和传播活动将确保这项研究的产品得到广泛采用。该项目利用了NetsBlox，这是一个强大而易于使用的可视化编程环境，已被证明可以提高参与度和对计算的兴趣。此外，NetsBlox支持有效的协作，同时促进在非正式环境中学习分布式计算，网络和网络安全。该项目的早期阶段将涉及通过与七位参与教师的共同设计研讨会，与学生的夏令营以及田纳西州和北卡罗来纳州的试点实施来设计和改进课程模块，从而在高中教师的第三年全面实施课堂。通过调查收集的数据，学生的投资组合，教师访谈，并从NetsBlox数字日志将进行分析。研究结果将有助于了解是否以及如何在高中引入先进的计算方法以及关键能力;涉及围绕现实世界、多学科问题的基于项目的活动的教学法如何提高女生对计算的兴趣;以及哪些高级主题在难度和参与度方面比其他主题更好。该项目由学生创新技术体验资助和教师（ITEST）计划，该计划支持建立对实践，计划要素，背景和过程的理解的项目，有助于增加学生对科学，技术，工程，信息和通信技术（ICT）该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

Building on the foundations set by the AP Computer Science (CS) Principles course, this project seeks to dramatically expand access, especially for high school girls, to the most exciting and emerging frontiers of computing, such as distributed computation, the internet of things (IoT), cybersecurity, and machine learning, as well as other 21st century skills required to productively leverage computational methods and tools in virtually every profession. Creating pathways that stimulate high school learners' interest in advanced topics with the goal of building a diverse, gender-balanced, future-ready workforce is a crucial and impactful imperative addressed in this work. An experienced multi-disciplinary team of researchers, high school teachers, and industry partners will be involved in the design of a new, modular, open-access curriculum called Computer Science Frontiers (CSF) that provides an engaging introduction to these advanced topics in high school (that are currently accessible only to CS majors in college). To address the dire gender disparity in computing, the project will design and research the curriculum to engage female students. Through studying the impact of innovative computing tools and curricular units on learning, attitudes, interests, and collaboration of students (and especially young women), the project will advance discovery and understanding to aid the cause of broadening participation in technology-related careers as well as the future of work at the human-technology frontier. The open access modular design of the curricular materials and the dissemination activities will ensure wide adoption of the products of this research. The project leverages NetsBlox, a powerful yet easy-to-use visual programming environment that has been shown to increase engagement and interest in computing. Additionally, NetsBlox supports effective collaboration while facilitating learning of distributed computing, networking, and cybersecurity in informal settings. Early phases of the project will involve design and refinement of curricular modules through co-design workshops with seven participating teachers, summer camps with students, and pilot implementations in Tennessee and North Carolina, leading to full classroom implementations in Year 3 by the high school teachers. Data collected through surveys, student portfolios, teacher interviews, and digital logs from NetsBlox will be analyzed. Research findings will help in understanding if and how advanced computing methods alongside key competencies can be introduced in high school; how pedagogies involving project-based activities around real-world, multidisciplinary problems work to increase female students' interests in computing; and which advanced topics work better than others in terms of difficulty level and engagement.This project is funded by the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program, which supports projects that build understandings of practices, program elements, contexts and processes contributing to increasing students' knowledge and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communication technology (ICT) careers.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.