Collaborative Research: CSAwesome: Transitioning Teachers from AP CSP to CSA with Differentiated Professional Development

圣斯科拉斯蒂卡学院和榆树学院将领导一个小型高中链研究-从业者伙伴关系(RPP)，以调查如何最好地准备和支持从教授AP计算机科学原理(CSP)课程到AP CSA Java课程的CS新手教师。对高中AP计算机科学(CS)课程的需求不断增加，最初是CS原理课程，现在是CSA课程，这突显了更多教师需要接受更高级的CSA课程的培训。然而，这项任务具有挑战性，因为CSA具有更陡峭的学习曲线，因为与基于块的编程环境不同，Java的基于文本的性质会在编写和调试程序时引入语法错误和另一层复杂性。精心设计的差异化专业发展(PD)是必要的，以满足每个教师的水平，并成功地建立他们的技能和信心，教授CSA。RPP由大学理事会认可的CSAweseAP CSA课程和专业发展(PD)提供者的研究人员，以及领导差异化CSAwesePilot PD的AP CSA大师教师的从业者组成。RPP团队将使用基于设计的实施研究(DBIR)RPP模式，利用迭代方法来完善CSA课程和专业发展，以满足从AP CSP过渡到CSA的教师的需求。RPP的目标是增加能够教授AP CSA的训练有素的教师的数量(两年内60名)，以及他们招募和支持不同学生的能力，以扩大对高级CS课程的参与。CSAwesom将利用基于设计的实施研究，通过研究人员-实践者伙伴关系(RPP)来完善课程和PD，以支持教师和学生从CSP过渡到CSA。该项目的目标包括1)建立一个可持续的RPP研究人员和实践者社区，重点是支持新教师从CSP过渡到CSA；2)开发和实施差异化PD，其中包括为60名从教学CSP过渡到CSA的教师提供基于公平的教学内容知识；3)改进CSAwesap CSA课程和教师资源，通过与实践者和研究人员共同设计的方法，支持从CSP向CSA的过渡。该项目将研究差异化的PD和课程在多大程度上支持教师获得教学知识和教学内容知识，以教授AP CSA，特别是支持低收入和女性学生在计算方面的需求。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The College of St. Scholastica and Elms College will lead a small, High School Strand Research-Practitioner Partnership (RPP) to investigate how to best prepare and support teachers who are new to CS as they transition from teaching the AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) course to AP CSA Java course. Rising demand for high school AP computer science (CS) courses, initially for CS Principles and now for CSA, has highlighted a need for more teachers to be trained in the more advanced CSA course. However, this task is challenging because CSA has a steeper learning curve as, unlike blocks-based programming environments, the text-based nature of Java introduces syntax errors and another layer of complexity in writing and debugging programs. Well-designed differentiated professional development (PD) is necessary to meet individual teachers at their level and successfully build their skills and confidence to teach CSA. The RPP consists of researchers who are College Board endorsed providers of the CSAwesome AP CSA curriculum and professional development (PD), and practitioners who are AP CSA master teachers who are leading differentiated CSAwesome pilot PD. The RPP team will use a design-based implementation research (DBIR) RPP model utilizing an iterative approach to refine the CSAwesome curriculum and professional development to meet the needs of teachers transitioning from AP CSP to CSA. The RPP’s goal is to Increase the number of trained teachers (60 over 2 years) who can teach AP CSA and their ability to recruit and support diverse students in order to broaden participation in advanced CS courses.CSAwesome will utilize design-based implementation research in a researcher-practitioner partnership (RPP) to refine curriculum and PD to support the transition from CSP to CSA for both teachers and students. The goals for this project include 1) establishing a sustainable RPP community of researchers and practitioners focused on supporting the transition of new to CS teachers from CSP to CSA, 2) developing and implementing differentiated PD that includes equity-based pedagogical content knowledge for 60 teachers transitioning from teaching CSP to CSA, and 3) improving the CSAwesome AP CSA curriculum and teacher resources to support the transition from CSP to CSA using a co-design approach with practitioners and researchers. The project will study to what extent the differentiated PD and curriculum support teachers in gaining the content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge to teach AP CSA and, in particular, support the needs of low-income and female students in computing.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.