Building Capacity for Computer Science Teaching in a Rural State

培养能够帮助高中生在严谨的学术计算机科学课程中取得成功的计算机科学教师是国家的需要，特别是在农村社区。该项目旨在永久提高缅因州提供高质量计算机科学教学的能力。STEM- c（科学、技术、工程和数学，包括计算机）伙伴关系项目支持STEM专家和K-12学校系统之间的研究驱动型伙伴关系，以实现更好的K-12级别STEM教育的制度变革。这个STEM-C伙伴关系计算机科学扩展项目建立在以前成功的伙伴关系的基础上，现在致力于将高质量的计算机科学课程和教学注入缅因州的高中。在三年的时间里，该伙伴关系将支持75名现任数学教师成为计算机科学教师。支持该项目的伙伴关系由缅因州数学与科学联盟、缅因州奥古斯塔大学和区域学校单位RSU #26（缅因州奥罗诺）组成，并得到缅因州教育部、加州大学洛杉矶分校探索计算机科学项目、计算机科学教师协会、IEEE K-12 STEM扫盲委员会和行业合作伙伴的支持。课程将主要用于培训现有的数学教师，以便他们能够为高中学生提供探索计算机科学（ECS）课程。这门ECS课程将围绕缅因州的雇主和缅因州各个部门使用计算机科学的方式展开，包括Axiom Technologies、Mount Desert Island生物实验室、Jackson实验室、Kepware Technologies和L.L.Bean。将开发一门计算机科学教学方法课程，并通过缅因州奥古斯塔大学在线提供。该项目将通过与以下问题相关的研究工作来积累知识：计算机科学原理的行业实例如何支持教师将这些原理应用于相关环境的能力？此外，该伙伴关系的工作将为农村各州发展一种模式，以可持续地提供计算机科学专业发展，并为未来的计算机科学教师提供严格的在职培训课程。项目评价包括教师影响和伙伴关系成长的形成性评价和总结性评价。该项目的主要贡献包括：a)告知全州范围内的技术和数学课程的审查过程，并考虑将计算机科学纳入这些课程的方法；B)显著提高该州在全州范围内提供计算机科学的能力；c)可能激发职场课程的新模式。

Developing computer science teachers who can support high school students in being successful in rigorous, academic computer science courses is a national need, particularly in rural communities. This project aims to permanently increase the capacity of the state of Maine to offer high quality computer science instruction. The STEM-C (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, including Computing) Partnerships program supports research-driven partnerships between STEM experts and K-12 school systems to bring about institutional change for better STEM education at the K-12 level. This STEM-C Partnerships Computer Science Expansion project builds on a previously successful Partnership and now works to infuse high quality computer science curriculum and teaching into high schools across Maine. Over a three-year period, this Partnership will support seventy-five current teachers of mathematics in becoming computer science teachers. The Partnership supporting this project is comprised of the Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance, the University of Maine at Augusta, and Regional School Unit RSU #26 (Orono, Maine), with support from the Maine Department of Education, the University of California Los Angeles Exploring Computer Science project, the Computer Science Teachers' Association, the IEEE K-12 STEM Literacy Committee, and industry partners.Curriculum will be developed to train mostly current teachers of mathematics so that they will be able to offer the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) course to high school level students. This ECS course will be developed around Maine employers and the ways in which computer science is used across sectors in the state of Maine, including Axiom Technologies, Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, Jackson Laboratory, Kepware Technologies, and L.L.Bean. A Computer Science Teaching Methods course will be developed and made available online through the University of Maine at Augusta. The project will build knowledge through its research effort related to the following question: How can industry examples of computer science principles support teachers' ability to apply these principles to relevant contexts? Moreover, the work of the Partnership will result in the development of a model for rural states to sustainably provide computer science professional development, as well as give rise to institutionalization of a rigorous in-service training course for prospective computer science teachers. The project evaluation contains formative and summative evaluation of teacher impact and partnership growth. Major contributions of this project include: a) informing the statewide process of examining technology and mathematics curricula and considering ways to incorporate computer science in those curricula; b) significantly increasing the capacity of the state to offer computer science statewide; and c) potentially inspiring new models for workplace-based curriculum.