Collaborative Research: CSAwesome: Transitioning Teachers from AP CSP to CSA with Differentiated Professional Development

Scholastica和榆树学院将领导一个小型的高中Strand研究实践者伙伴关系（RPP），以调查如何最好地准备和支持CS新教师，因为他们从AP计算机科学原理（CSP）课程过渡到AP CSA Java课程。对高中AP计算机科学（CS）课程的需求不断增加，最初是CS原则，现在是CSA，这突出了需要更多的教师接受更高级的CSA课程培训。然而，这项任务是具有挑战性的，因为CSA具有更陡峭的学习曲线，与基于块的编程环境不同，Java的基于文本的性质在编写和调试程序时引入了语法错误和另一层复杂性。精心设计的差异化专业发展（PD）是必要的，以满足个别教师在他们的水平，并成功地建立他们的技能和信心，教CSA。RPP由研究人员组成，他们是大学理事会认可的CSAwesome AP CSA课程和专业发展（PD）的提供者，以及领导差异化CSAwesome试点PD的AP CSA大师教师的从业者。RPP团队将使用基于设计的实施研究（DBIR）RPP模型，利用迭代方法来完善CSAwesome课程和专业发展，以满足教师从AP CSP过渡到CSA的需求。该RPP的目标是增加受过培训的教师的数量（60超过2年）谁可以教AP CSA和他们的能力，招募和支持不同的学生，以扩大参与先进的CS课程。CSAwesome将利用基于设计的实施研究在研究者-实践者伙伴关系（RPP），以完善课程和PD，以支持教师和学生从CSP到CSA的过渡。该项目的目标包括：1）建立一个可持续的研究人员和实践者的RPP社区，重点支持新的CS教师从CSP过渡到CSA，2）为60名从教学CSP过渡到CSA的教师开发和实施差异化的PD，包括基于公平的教学内容知识，和3）改进CSAwesome AP CSA课程和教师资源，以支持从CSP到CSA的过渡，使用与从业者和研究人员共同设计的方法。该项目将研究差异化的PD和课程在多大程度上支持教师获得内容知识和教学内容知识，以教授AP CSA，特别是支持低收入和女学生在计算方面的需求。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The College of St. Scholastica and Elms College will lead a small, High School Strand Research-Practitioner Partnership (RPP) to investigate how to best prepare and support teachers who are new to CS as they transition from teaching the AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) course to AP CSA Java course. Rising demand for high school AP computer science (CS) courses, initially for CS Principles and now for CSA, has highlighted a need for more teachers to be trained in the more advanced CSA course. However, this task is challenging because CSA has a steeper learning curve as, unlike blocks-based programming environments, the text-based nature of Java introduces syntax errors and another layer of complexity in writing and debugging programs. Well-designed differentiated professional development (PD) is necessary to meet individual teachers at their level and successfully build their skills and confidence to teach CSA. The RPP consists of researchers who are College Board endorsed providers of the CSAwesome AP CSA curriculum and professional development (PD), and practitioners who are AP CSA master teachers who are leading differentiated CSAwesome pilot PD. The RPP team will use a design-based implementation research (DBIR) RPP model utilizing an iterative approach to refine the CSAwesome curriculum and professional development to meet the needs of teachers transitioning from AP CSP to CSA. The RPP’s goal is to Increase the number of trained teachers (60 over 2 years) who can teach AP CSA and their ability to recruit and support diverse students in order to broaden participation in advanced CS courses.CSAwesome will utilize design-based implementation research in a researcher-practitioner partnership (RPP) to refine curriculum and PD to support the transition from CSP to CSA for both teachers and students. The goals for this project include 1) establishing a sustainable RPP community of researchers and practitioners focused on supporting the transition of new to CS teachers from CSP to CSA, 2) developing and implementing differentiated PD that includes equity-based pedagogical content knowledge for 60 teachers transitioning from teaching CSP to CSA, and 3) improving the CSAwesome AP CSA curriculum and teacher resources to support the transition from CSP to CSA using a co-design approach with practitioners and researchers. The project will study to what extent the differentiated PD and curriculum support teachers in gaining the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge to teach AP CSA and, in particular, support the needs of low-income and female students in computing.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.