CAREER: CritComp Pop-Ups: A Research-Practice Partnership for Co-Designing and Implementing Critical Computing Elementary Education Curricula

小学生使用并对集成人工智能应用程序的技术感兴趣，但他们很少批判性地调查人们消费和生产人工智能技术的社会政治背景。如果不参与这种形式的关键计算，小学生将无法在道德上参与到一个依赖数字的社会中，并在继续学业和职业生涯的过程中应对算法决策日益增长的歧视性影响。此外，对于小学生如何将关键镜头应用于计算机的了解仍然有限，几乎没有关注社会文化问题的计算机教育计划。这项职业项目提案将通过共同设计、实施和分析一个创新的关键计算机教育课程来解决这些研究空白，该课程被称为CritComp Pop-up。研究目标将是(1)描述涉及教师、研究人员和学生的合作设计过程；(2)使用定量人种志来衡量小学生的关键计算知识和实践；以及(3)评估人工智能关键计算课程对学生对计算机科学的兴趣和信心的有效性。教育目标将是：1)通过让农村地区服务不足的学生参与，扩大对计算机的参与；(2)通过侧重于人工智能的与文化相关的教学方法，培养儿童对计算机科学的兴趣；(3)向小学教师提供整合关键计算的战略；(4)主办关键计算社区活动；以及(5)培训本科生/研究生的研究能力和关键计算。潜在的贡献将是：(1)扩大对小学生如何通过批判性社会政治镜头构建知识的理解；(2)为研究人员提供关于批判性计算教育研究的框架；以及(3)为批判性计算机科学教育标准和课程的发展提供信息。这一职业项目由STEM教育中的种族平等计划(EDU种族公平)资助。该计划支持研究和实践项目，调查种族平等因素如何影响科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)教育和劳动力的改善。获奖项目寻求集中受STEM企业内部系统性不平等影响最大的个人、社区和机构的声音、知识和经验。该计划符合NSF的核心价值，即支持来自全国不同人口群体、地区和组织类型的杰出研究人员和创新思想家。EDU各地的计划为种族平等计划提供资金，以表彰其项目与理事会四个部门的集体研究和开发努力的一致性。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并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，被认为值得支持。

Elementary school-aged children use and have interest in technologies with integrated AI applications, yet they rarely critically investigate the sociopolitical contexts in which people consume and produce AI technology. Without engaging in this form of critical computing, elementary school students will not be prepared to participate ethically in a digitally reliant society and tackle the increasingly discriminatory affects of algorithmic decision-making as they continue their schooling and careers. Moreover, there is still a limited understanding on how elementary students apply critical lenses to computing and few computing education programs are available that focus on sociocultural issues.This CAREER project proposal will address these research gaps by co-designing, implementing, and analyzing an innovative critical computing education curriculum, referred to as CritComp Pop-Ups. The research goals will be to (1) characterize co-design processes that involve teachers, researchers, and students; (2) measure elementary school students’ critical computing knowledge and practices using quantitative ethnography; and (3) evaluate the effectiveness of an AI critical computing curriculum on students’ interest and confidence in computer science. The education goals will be to 1) broaden participation in computing by engaging underserved students in rural areas; (2) foster children’s interest in computer science through culturally relevant instructional methods focused on AI; (3) provide elementary school teachers with strategies for integrating critical computing; (4) host critical computing community events; and (5) train undergraduate/graduate students in research competencies and critical computing. The potential contributions will be to (1) extend understanding of how elementary students construct knowledge through a critical sociopolitical lens; (2) provide researchers a framing for studies on critical computing education; and (3) inform the development of critical computer science educational standards and curriculum.This CAREER project is funded through the Racial Equity in STEM Education program (EDU Racial Equity). The program supports research and practice projects that investigate how considerations of racial equity factor into the improvement of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce. Awarded projects seek to center the voices, knowledge, and experiences of the individuals, communities, and institutions most impacted by systemic inequities within the STEM enterprise. This program aligns with NSF’s core value of supporting outstanding researchers and innovative thinkers from across the Nation's diversity of demographic groups, regions, and types of organizations. Programs across EDU contribute funds to the Racial Equity program in recognition of the alignment of its projects with the collective research and development thrusts of the four divisions of the directorate.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.