CAREER: CritComp Pop-Ups: A Research-Practice Partnership for Co-Designing and Implementing Critical Computing Elementary Education Curricula

小学年龄的儿童使用集成人工智能应用程序的技术并对此感兴趣，但他们很少批判性地调查人们消费和生产人工智能技术的社会政治背景。如果不参与这种形式的关键计算，小学生将无法在道德上参与一个依赖数字的社会，并在他们继续学业和职业生涯时解决算法决策日益严重的歧视性影响。此外，仍然有一个有限的理解，小学生如何应用关键镜头计算和计算教育计划，专注于社会文化issues.This CAREER项目提案将解决这些研究的差距，共同设计，实施和分析一个创新的关键计算教育课程，被称为CritComp弹出窗口。研究目标将是（1）描述涉及教师，研究人员和学生的共同设计过程;（2）使用定量人种学测量小学生的关键计算知识和实践;（3）评估AI关键计算课程对学生对计算机科学的兴趣和信心的有效性。教育目标将是：（1）通过吸引农村地区服务不足的学生来扩大对计算的参与;（2）通过关注人工智能的文化相关教学方法培养儿童对计算机科学的兴趣;（3）为小学教师提供整合关键计算的策略;（4）举办关键计算社区活动;（5）培养本科生/研究生的研究能力和关键计算能力。潜在的贡献将是（1）通过批判性的社会政治透镜扩展对小学生如何构建知识的理解;（2）为研究人员提供批判性计算教育研究的框架;（3）为批判性计算机科学教育标准和课程的发展提供信息。该计划支持研究和实践项目，调查种族平等因素如何影响科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）教育和劳动力的改善。获奖项目旨在集中STEM企业内受系统性不平等影响最大的个人，社区和机构的声音，知识和经验。该计划符合NSF的核心价值观，即支持来自全国人口群体，地区和组织类型多样性的优秀研究人员和创新思想家。教育大学的各个项目为种族平等项目提供资金，以表彰其项目与董事会四个部门的集体研究和开发目标的一致性。该奖项反映了NSF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。

Elementary school-aged children use and have interest in technologies with integrated AI applications, yet they rarely critically investigate the sociopolitical contexts in which people consume and produce AI technology. Without engaging in this form of critical computing, elementary school students will not be prepared to participate ethically in a digitally reliant society and tackle the increasingly discriminatory affects of algorithmic decision-making as they continue their schooling and careers. Moreover, there is still a limited understanding on how elementary students apply critical lenses to computing and few computing education programs are available that focus on sociocultural issues.This CAREER project proposal will address these research gaps by co-designing, implementing, and analyzing an innovative critical computing education curriculum, referred to as CritComp Pop-Ups. The research goals will be to (1) characterize co-design processes that involve teachers, researchers, and students; (2) measure elementary school students’ critical computing knowledge and practices using quantitative ethnography; and (3) evaluate the effectiveness of an AI critical computing curriculum on students’ interest and confidence in computer science. The education goals will be to 1) broaden participation in computing by engaging underserved students in rural areas; (2) foster children’s interest in computer science through culturally relevant instructional methods focused on AI; (3) provide elementary school teachers with strategies for integrating critical computing; (4) host critical computing community events; and (5) train undergraduate/graduate students in research competencies and critical computing. The potential contributions will be to (1) extend understanding of how elementary students construct knowledge through a critical sociopolitical lens; (2) provide researchers a framing for studies on critical computing education; and (3) inform the development of critical computer science educational standards and curriculum.This CAREER project is funded through the Racial Equity in STEM Education program (EDU Racial Equity). The program supports research and practice projects that investigate how considerations of racial equity factor into the improvement of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce. Awarded projects seek to center the voices, knowledge, and experiences of the individuals, communities, and institutions most impacted by systemic inequities within the STEM enterprise. This program aligns with NSF’s core value of supporting outstanding researchers and innovative thinkers from across the Nation's diversity of demographic groups, regions, and types of organizations. Programs across EDU contribute funds to the Racial Equity program in recognition of the alignment of its projects with the collective research and development thrusts of the four divisions of the directorate.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.