Agricoding: Broadening Rural Participation in Computer Science

该项目支持早期建立一个研究实践伙伴关系（RPP），专注于CSforAll的preK-8部分，重点是设计、开发和试点将CS（计算机科学）和CT（计算思维）整合到preK-8课堂的教学材料。RPP由(1)教育和农业技术公司，(2)农业、计算机科学和教育领域的研究人员，以及(3)北卡罗来纳州格兰维尔和琼斯县公立学校系统的地区领导组成。RPP被命名为“北卡罗来纳农村计算机科学+农业联盟”。该联盟将为4至7年级的学生开发一门课程，将计算机科学和农业内容融合在一个基于游戏的学习平台上，为学生在未来的技术和农业职业生涯中取得成功做好准备。北卡罗莱纳农村计算机科学+农业联盟汇集了独特的研究组合和实践者的兴趣，在新颖的研究项目上进行合作，同时还创建了一些有助于将计算机科学材料整合到农村教室的人工制品。该项目的初始阶段正式确立了农村教室中计算机科学材料的机会和缺陷的基础理论。这反过来又启发了Agricoding的设计，这是一个基于游戏的学习平台，教四年级到七年级的孩子们计算机科学的基础知识，同时将内容与农业产业联系起来，农业产业是农村社区的核心支柱。该系统让学生使用基于块的编程来控制农田上的无人机，这些无人机围绕可持续农业实践完成各种目标，并与地球科学课程保持一致。联盟促进共同设计一套专业发展教材，提高农村教师的计算机科学教育技能，促进游戏学习平台的采用。北卡罗来纳农村计算机科学+农业联盟正在为新课程的全面发展奠定基础，该课程为所有学生在未来充满技术的工作场所中取得成功做好准备，并将这些遥远地区的不同利益相关者聚集在一起，就促进整个地区繁荣社区的解决方案进行合作。该项目由CS for All: Research and RPPs项目资助。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 is supporting the early establishment of a Research Practice Partnership (RPP) focused on the preK-8 strand of CSforAll which focuses on designing, developing, and piloting instructional materials that integrate CS (computer science) and CT (computational thinking) into preK-8 classrooms. The RPP is comprised of (1) educational and agricultural technology companies, (2) researchers in the fields of agriculture, computer science, and education, and (3) district level leadership in the Granville and Jones County Public School Systems in North Carolina. The RPP is named the "Rural North Carolina Computer Science + Agriculture Alliance." The Alliance will develop a curriculum for 4th thru 7th grade students that fuses CS and agriculture content together in a game-based learning platform that prepares students to succeed in future careers both in technology and agriculture.The Rural North Carolina Computer Science + Agriculture Alliance brings together a unique mix of research and practitioner interests to collaborate on novel research projects while also creating several artifacts that aid in the integration of computer science materials into rural classrooms. The initial phase of the project formalizes a grounded theory of opportunities and pitfalls for computer science materials in rural classrooms. This in turn informs the design of Agricoding, a game-based learning platform that teaches 4th through 7th grade children about the basics of computer science, while tying the content to the agricultural industry that is a core pillar of rural communities. The system has students use block-based programming to control drones on a plot of farmland that complete various objectives tailored around sustainable agriculture practices aligned with earth science curriculum. The Alliance facilitates co-design of a set of professional development materials that enhance rural teachers' computer science education skills and facilitate the adoption of the game-based learning platform. The Rural North Carolina Computer Science + Agriculture Alliance is setting the stage for full development of a novel curriculum that prepares all students to succeed in the technology infused workplaces of the future and bring together diverse stakeholders in these distant locales to collaborate on solutions that foster prosperous communities across the region. This project is funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs 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.