Collaborative Research: Fostering Public Engagement in Computational Thinking by Leveraging Quilting Communities and Practices

作为加强非正式环境中学习的整体战略的一部分，推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划资助创新研究，方法和资源，用于各种环境。试点和可行性研究将为成年绗缝者开发教学研讨会，向他们介绍计算思维。通过利用预先存在的社会结构，技能组合和参与绗缝，研究人员希望帮助参与者发展计算机科学和计算思维知识和技能。长期目标是扩大公众对计算思维的认识，并在计算机科学和其他感兴趣的领域之间建立联系。通过利用社会结构和现有的技能所持有的实践绗缝，讲习班有可能达到全国各地和世界各地的数百万绗缝观众，其中大多数是成年女性。该研究将开发和测试两组：奥兰多现代被子公会在奥兰多，佛罗里达州，和一个非正式聚集在伍斯特，马萨诸塞州地区绗缝类。该项目的成果包括研讨会材料，可以在全国范围内的各种绗缝组的情况下使用，通过手工艺成人计算机科学教育的过程和机制的更深入的了解，并侧重于对参与者的参与，自我认同和学习计算思维的影响试点研讨会的评价。该研究特别关注利用已有的知识，兴趣和社会结构来建立与计算思维的联系，并研究这如何影响参与者自我描述的身份，态度和对计算机科学的参与。该项目还评估了一种用于教学计算思维的新方法，该方法在各种社交和创造性爱好中具有广泛的适用性。参与者将使用和修改生成设计软件，创建被子设计，并在这样做，学习如何创造性的兴趣可以通过计算机科学扩展。通过专注于绗缝的爱好，这是不典型的计算机科学，通过设计和评估研究建立的知识提供了改变公众对计算机科学的看法的战略。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得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的支持。

As part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program funds innovative research, approaches, and resources for use in a variety of settings. The pilot and feasibility study will develop instructional workshops for an adult population of quilters to introduce them to computational thinking. By leveraging pre-existing social structures, skill sets, and engagement in quilting, the researchers hope to help participants develop computer science and computational thinking knowledge and skills. The long-term goal is to broaden public awareness of computational thinking and build links between computer science and other areas of interest. By leveraging the social structure and existing skills held by practicing quilters, the workshops have the potential to reach an audience of millions of quilters around the nation and worldwide, the majority of whom are adult women.The research will be developed and tested with two groups: the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild in Orlando, FL, and an informally gathered quilting class in the Worcester, MA area. Outcomes for the project include workshop materials that can be used in a variety of quilting group contexts nationwide, a deeper understanding of the processes and mechanisms for adult computer science education through crafts, and evaluation of the pilot workshop focused on the impact on participants' engagement, self-identity, and learning for computational thinking. The research especially focuses on leveraging pre-existing knowledge, interests, and social structures to draw connections to computational thinking, and studying how this impacts participants' self-described identity, attitude, and engagement with computer science. The project also assesses a novel method for teaching computational thinking that has potential for broad applicability in a variety of social and creative hobbies. Participants will use and modify generative design software that creates quilt designs and, in doing so, learn how creative interests can be expanded through computer science. By focusing on the hobby of quilting, which is not typically associated with computer science, the knowledge built through designing and evaluating the research offers strategies for altering public perception of computer science.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.