Strategies: Game Design with Mentoring for Computer Science and Math Achievement for Educationally Disadvantaged Students

该项目将利用计算机图形学、游戏开发和相互指导作为创新的计算机科学课程的要素，面向两组代表不足的高中生。该课程的设计、开发和实施将通过加利福尼亚州萨克拉门托(计算机科学系和教育学院)、数学工程科学成就(MESA)和当地K-12学校的合作进行。该项目的主要目标是测试新课程的有效性，1)增加学生在大学学习计算机科学的可能性，2)提高学生在大学学习计算机科学和数学的准备，3)确定两种计算机语言中的哪种最适合在课程中使用，以吸引学生并促进他们对计算机科学的理解。拟议项目的另一个主要组成部分是相互指导，这将形成一个从早期年级到高中再到大学的指导渠道：小学生将测试游戏，并与高中生见面；中学生将测试高中生开发的游戏；教师和教职员工将指导高中生。为了实现其目标，该项目包括以下内容：--连续两批计算机科学入门高中生(两种编程语言各一名)，--大学生对高中生的相互指导，--中小学生参与实地测试，--教育工作者的专业发展，--教育工作者和学生的支持模块，包括培训、辅导小组、学习圈和联系活动。强有力的项目评估将记录项目目标是否已实现、项目在实施过程中是如何运作的以及其优势和劣势是什么，并衡量参与者的成果和收益。这项评估将调查学习计算机编程--特别是游戏编程--是否提供了一个让学生发现解决数学问题的相关和令人兴奋的领域。

This project will utilize computer graphics, game development and mutual mentoring as elements in an innovative Computer Science curriculum for two cohorts of underrepresented high school students. The design, development and implementation of this curriculum will be conducted through a partnership of California State Sacramento (the Department of Computer Science and the College of Education), Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) and local K-12 schools. Key goals of the project are to test the new curriculum's efficacy for 1) increasing the likelihood that students will study computer science in college, 2) improving students' readiness to study computer science and mathematics in college, and 3) determining which of two computer languages that are candidates for use in the curriculum is best suited for engaging students and promoting their understanding of computer science. Another major component of the proposed project is mutual mentoring which will form a mentoring pipeline from the early grades through high school and into college: elementary students will test games and meet with high school students; middle school students will test the games that high school students develop; and teachers and faculty will mentor high school students. To achieve its goals, project includes the following elements: - Two consecutive MESA cohorts of introductory computer science high school students (one cohort for each of the two programming languages), - Mutual mentoring for the high school students by college students, - Involvement of middle/elementary school students in field-testing, - Professional development for educators, - Support modules for educators and students, including training, mentoring panels, learning circles, and bonding events. A robust project evaluation will document whether project objectives have been achieved, how the project worked in implementation and what were its strengths and weaknesses, and measure the outcomes and benefits for participants. The evaluation will investigate whether learning computer programming - specifically game programming - provided a domain in which students found mathematical problem-solving relevant and exciting.