Computer Science Education Research Articles

Determining metrics for broadening participation in computing: Connecting data to multi-state computer science education policy efforts

Facilitating the development of a common framework for monitoring progress in K-12 computer science (CS) education and advocacy with an emphasis on broadening participation is the key to constructing strong CS education policy. Based on a project that brought together leadership teams from six states, a framework for measuring broadening participation in computing (BPC) and setting the foundation for national scaling was developed. Built around a collaboration of leaders representing experience in data gathering, data analysis, data reporting, and data utilization, this project applied the tenets of collective impact to address the challenge of consistently measuring progress toward BPC across state contexts. By establishing a common agenda, including mutually agreed upon definitions of computer science education and broadening participation, these leaders guided the selection of metrics. This led to the development of shared measurement systems and built a deeper understanding of state data systems across the participating states. This phase resulted in common goals and a monitoring system to measure BPC efforts that could inform state policy efforts. Mutually reinforcing activities included the development and sharing of tools, allowing stakeholders to quickly and accurately analyze and disseminate data that drives BPC measurement and policy work. Guided by backbone support to coordinate the work and continuous communication, meaningful participation of all stakeholders was central to the project. Making the case for CS education policy via common metrics and measuring progress across a region stands to impact BPC policy efforts across the United States. The common framework developed in this project serves as a call to action, especially for state and local education agencies committed to increasing diversity in computer science pathways.

The Early IT ecosystem: Re-envisioning dual credit, college access and affordability, and teachers as professionals

The Early Information Technology ecosystem (Early IT) developed at a large R1 university in the Midwest has created a direct linkage between K-12, higher education, and industry, eliminating barriers throughout the pipeline for students. The program was created within a unique policy window, with the shortage of IT talent in the workforce converging with both the call for computer science education at the K-12 level and for dual credit options to reduce the cost of higher education. The limited capacity of K-12 schools to meet these demands on their own resulted in a window of opportunity for disruptive policy innovation. This opportunity resulted in a program that is broadening participation in computing and meeting the call for a scalable and sustainable talent pipeline, but that also serves as evidence for the potential of transformational change across various education policy domains. We use early successes in the program to highlight potential futures in the areas of dual credit, college access and affordability, and teacher professionalism.

The lives of hidden figures matter in computer science education

"I cannot work on what I cannot see…" ---Katherine Goble, Hidden Figures

Industry’s push for computer science education: Is computer science really for all?

Recent research on Computer Science (CS) has largely found that inequities in access persist. In 2016, President Obama announced the Computer Science for All initiative, recognizing that CS is a “new” basic skill in K-12 schools and over US$4 billion was pledged to Computer Science education (CSEd) initiatives. While general support for computer science and the associated funding is currently evident, this has not always been the case. From no mention in 2001’s No Child Left Behind legislation (2002) to making the national educational agenda in 2015’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), CS has found a place in K-12 education. The current state of the CSEd agenda in the US has been greatly influenced by those who have served in industry. However, ESSA was designed to give states flexibility in creating equitable educational systems, especially for students who have been historically marginalized. Given this contrast of federal legislation and the economic motivations of industry on CSEd, we ask, why did computer science education become part of the US federal agenda, and how have business and industry “pushed” and influenced computer science education? We draw on policies, research, reports, organization websites, and professional networking sites, to better understand the national support for CSEd as well as how state-level flexibility has resulted in specific states engaging within this policy window in varying ways. We then examine one company that has “pushed” a CSEd agenda to highlight the magnitude of the impact of industry on the field of CS. We close with implications for researchers and policymakers.

Повышение квалификации учителей математики и информатики на основе командного подхода для устранения методических дефицитов осуществления критериальной оценки учебных достижений школьников

The widespread introduction of a criterion system for evaluating the educational results of schoolchildren is an actual and significant direction of the development of domestic education. The article is devoted to the problem of eliminating methodological deficits of teachers in the development of criteria assessment tools for the current control of subject results of teaching mathematics and computer science in primary and high school. The article describes the method of organizing advanced training of teachers of mathematics and computer science on the basis of a team approach that contributes to the practical implementation of the intra-school system of current control of students ' academic achievements on a criterion basis. The article presents an approach to the implementation of an additional professional training program for teachers of mathematics and computer science on the basis of "team training", focused on the development of professional skills necessary for conducting procedures for the current control of subject learning outcomes, the Department of Mathematical Education and Computer Science of St. Petersburg Academy of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education.

Internet technology as one of distance education during pandemic

The article aims at allowing you to deepen the knowledge of the program material on computer science and, as a consequence, will increase the efficiency of the educational process as a whole during a pandemic, will increase the motivation of students to the subject; will allow developing students' abilities for self-development, self-education. Based on the purpose, subject, hypothesis of the research, the following tasks were solved: scientific methodological and pedagogical literature on the topic of research was studied; revealed the content and essence of Internet technologies; an Internet resource has been developed that allows organizing the process of distance learning in informatics; tested the effectiveness of its use in the process of teaching computer science to students. The practical significance of the study lies in the creation of an educational Internet resource that allows students to acquire the skills to independently create a Web site. This Internet resource can be used for forms of work in informatics in any educational institution during a pandemic.

Honor classes in China's higher education: perspectives from four universities

Ever since the University of Science and Technology of China started the Special Class for the Gifted Young in 1978, many Chinese universities have set up their own honor classes under different names such as Gifted Young Class, Basic Science Class, Experimental Class or Elite Class. These are often small classes; some emphasize mathematics and physics, aiming to cultivate talents with broad basic knowledge, while others focus on a particular discipline, such as computer science. In 2011, the Chinese Ministry of Education started the Experimental Program for the Cultivation of Top Talents in Basic Sciences, which boosted a new round of honor classes.How do these classes cultivate their students? Which kinds of special strategies are employed? Have they indeed fostered outstanding graduates? How did the students develop after graduation? On the other hand, are these classes a violation of the spirit of ‘equity in education’? Trying to answer these questions, in this NSR forum chaired by Professor Zhenjiang Hu, educators from four Chinese universities exchanged their experiences, views and perspectives on running the honor classes. Baoquan Chen Executive Director of the Center on Frontiers of Computing Studies, School of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science, Peking University. (Turing Class, Peking University.) Changqing Chen Professor and Head of the Department of Engineering Mechanics, Tsinghua University. (Tsien Excellence in Engineering Program, Tsinghua University.) Zhenyu Li Professor of the School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China. (School of the Gifted Young, University of Science and Technology of China.) Yong Yu Professor of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. (ACM Class, Shanghai Jiao Tong University.) Ming Zhang Chair of the ACM Special Interest Group of Computer Science Education (SIGCSE) China; Professor of the School of Electronics Engineering and Computer Science, Peking University. Zhenjiang Hu (Chair) Dean of School of Computer Science, Peking University.

Equity Conjectures: A Methodological Tool for Centering Social Change in Learning and Design

This article offers methodological insights and tools to those engaged in design-based research (DBR) seeking to advance equity-oriented learning and outcomes through co-design. We respond to recent scholarship that points to the inseparability between the assumptions we hold about society and those we hold about learning, and consider how such insights can inform the methods we employ to facilitate learning in DBR. To do so, we examine the affordances of equity conjectures, statements about how learning remedies socially and historically constructed injustices, within conjecture mapping, a process frequently used in DBR efforts to make assumptions about learning visible to ground design, implementation, and iterative refinement. We share how we made participants’ equity conjectures visible in a research-practice partnership (RPP) between university researchers, elementary computer science (CS) curriculum designers, and elementary school teachers. We examine how making these equity conjectures visible during co-design of equity-focused CS lessons facilitated shifts in both the design process and the CS education practices of participating teachers. Our findings point to the utility of explicitly surfacing equity conjectures in collaborative design efforts aimed at equity and justice.

Computer science education and K-12 students’ computational thinking: A systematic review

This systematic review examined how computer science (CS) education was implemented in schools and its efficacy for developing students’ computational thinking (CT). Sixty-six papers were selected for this systematic review and analyzed for patterns in relation to the implementation of CS education in K-12 schools and its impact on the development of students’ CT skills. Although educational interventions have not always been successful in CS education, this review provides strong evidence that overall, CS education promotes the development of students’ CT in the K-12 setting while improving their creative and critical thinking skills. We recommend early access to CS education, various innovative instructional approaches to CS education and appropriate support and guidance for student learning.

ПРОБЛЕМИ ПРОФЕСІЙНОЇ ПІДГОТОВКИ МАЙБУТНІХ УЧИТЕЛІВ МАТЕМАТИКИ ТА ІНФОРМАТИКИ У ПАРАДИГМІ НАЯВНИХ СУПЕРЕЧНОСТЕЙ

The article updates the problems that exist today in the professional training of future teachers, in particular, the purpose of the article is to single out the contradictions that exist today in the professional training of teachers of mathematics and computer science. We used normative acts, and scientific and pedagogical intelligence of Ukrainian scientists, which were subjected to analysis and generalization for the purpose of clarifying trends and requests from Ukrainian society and directions of development of scientific opinion in the field of professional training of teachers from the side of scientists, comparing the positions of both sides to identify existing contradictions. It has been proven that in Ukraine there is a change in the educational paradigm from "knowledge" to competence. Such a trend appeared due to the psychological characteristics of the young generation, which often grows up in the conditions of "virtual space", and therefore stands out from other generations with an active visual perception of the world and a more developed short-term memory. It is substantiated that training future mathematics and computer science teachers require special attention. Since, on the one hand, the study of fundamental disciplines in institutions of higher education today takes place with the use of information technologies in education, and on the other hand, the training of future teachers of mathematics and computer science takes place in the conditions of the implementation of a new educational paradigm "New Ukrainian School" in general secondary education institutions. Educational trends are characterized: by informatization of education; focus on competence approaches and development of information and digital competence of participants in the educational process; request for visual images in learning. Based on the analysis of the practical state of development of the problem of training teachers of mathematics and informatics, comparison of the results of scientific and pedagogical research, development of normative documents on the organization of the educational process and existing concepts of the development of the pedagogical field, contradictions were found in the professional training of teachers at several levels: at the conceptual level of modern education; at the socio-pedagogical level; at the theoretical and methodological level.

Initial Learning of Textual Programming at School: Evolution of Outreach Activities

Learning programming is at least to some extent part of school curricula in nearly all countries. But in practice there is still a shortage of teachers that got a relevant education in computer science and, in particular, computer programming in almost all countries. Another challenge of teaching programming in schools is the heterogeneity in prior education and programming knowledge of students. This ranges from no prior knowledge to deep experience. We show in this paper how we outreach from our university to teachers and school classes using learning materials and personal support. We also show three stages in the development of our outreach activities and argue why we needed to evolve to the next stages.

PEDAGOGICAL PRACTICE IN THE SYSTEM OF PROFESSIONAL TRAINING OF INFORMATICS TEACHERS

The importance of practical training of students, namely, pedagogical practice, in the process of obtaining the qualification «teacher of computer science» under the educational-professional program «Secondary education (Informatics)» is described. Current scientific and methodological works on the researched problem are generalized. The educational-professional programs of the first (bachelor's) level are analyzed, according to which future computer science teachers study on the content of different types of practices. The adaptive, didactic, developmental, diagnostic, prognostic, communicative and reflective functions of practice are presented. Propaedeutic and industrial pedagogical practices are singled out, each of which is aimed at the formation of professional competencies and allows students to realize themselves as teachers. The diagram shows the relationship between academic disciplines and propaedeutic practice on the example of the educational program of Rivne State University for the Humanities. The tasks of practice in a secondary education institution are specified. Pedagogical practice is presented as: a method of teaching aimed at consolidating awareness of psychology, pedagogy, computer science and methods of teaching; a means of developing students’ personal and professionally significant qualities; a form of combining the educational activities of students with the pedagogical work of a computer science teacher in a secondary school. It is proposed to implement pedagogical practices in various forms from the first year of study in a higher education institution, combining practical, educational and cognitive, research activities, using the results obtained in course and qualification projects, individual educational and research tasks from the cycle of disciplines.

Introduction

This volume of CJMMR is dedicated to the memory of Dr Vimala Kamalodeen, Past President of Mixed of Methods International Association – Caribbean Chapter, who passed away on July 5th, 2022. Dr Kamalodeen specialized in Math and Computer Science education at the School of Education, University of the West Indies in Trinidad, St. Augustine. Her doctoral thesis used an eclectic mixed methods design focusing on hybrid data from educational online social networking. Vimala is the founding President of IT Teachers Professional Network (ITTPN) Global, a professional learning network and was engaged in mixed methods research in Game-based learning. Dr Kamalodeen successfully hosted the 3rd regional mixed methods conference in the Caribbean and was very active in the CJMMR. Apart from publishing in the two previous volumes and this current volume, she was a member of the editorial board and a committed associate editor. She has left an indelible mark in the mixed methods research community in the Caribbean. Dr Kamalodeen was not only our colleague, she was our friend, a phenomenal woman and consummate professional.

As a CS educator, how do you think we can address inequity issues that exist in the field?

We have been inviting CS education researchers to offer brief remarks to spark discussion and provide ideas for actions we can all take to address inequity issues.

Measuring Effects of Spatial Visualization and Domain on Visualization Task Performance: A Comparative Study.

Understanding one's audience is foundational to creating high impact visualization designs. However, individual differences and cognitive abilities influence interactions with information visualization. Different user needs and abilities suggest that an individual's background could influence cognitive performance and interactions with visuals in a systematic way. This study builds on current research in domain-specific visualization and cognition to address if domain and spatial visualization ability combine to affect performance on information visualization tasks. We measure spatial visualization and visual task performance between those with tertiary education and professional profile in business, law & political science, and math & computer science. We conducted an online study with 90 participants using an established psychometric test to assess spatial visualization ability, and bar chart layouts rotated along Cartesian and polar coordinates to assess performance on spatially rotated data. Accuracy and response times varied with domain across chart types and task difficulty. We found that accuracy and time correlate with spatial visualization level, and education in math & computer science can indicate higher spatial visualization. Additionally, we found that motivational differences between domains could contribute to increased levels of accuracy. Our findings indicate discipline not only affects user needs and interactions with data visualization, but also cognitive traits. Our results can advance inclusive practices in visualization design and add to knowledge in domain-specific visual research that can empower designers across disciplines to create effective visualizations.

НАУКОВО-ПРАКТИЧНИЙ АНАЛІЗ РІВНЯ РОЗВИТКУ СКЛАДОВИХ МЕТОДИЧНОЇ КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТІ ВЧИТЕЛЯ МАТЕМАТИКИ

The article is dedicated to the scientific and practical analysis of the level of development of the components of the methodological competence of a mathematics teacher during the development of model curricula in advanced training classes. A review of the scientific literature on approaches to determining the methodological competence of teachers, including mathematics teachers. Attention is focused on the components of methodological competence required for the implementation of methodological activities during the implementation of the State Standard of Basic Secondary Education. The content and organization of educational activities within the module "Educational and methodological support of the educational process of the New Ukrainian School" curriculum for teachers who will teach mathematics in 5th grade in 2022/2023 academic year. Based on surveys and observations in-service training courses, the level of readiness of teachers according to the model curriculum in mathematics in 5th grade is described. With the help of scientific and practical analysis the main shortcomings in the development of methodological competence of mathematics teachers and its components, primarily normative and variable competences, are highlighted. Identified the prospects for further scientific exploration: the study of the components of the positive impact on the development of the components of the methodological competence of teachers of natural sciences, mathematics, and computer science.

Викладання вищої математики при підготовці економістів з обліку і оподаткування для післявоєнної економіки

Optimizing activities as the main challenge of the economy and state administration during and after the war also applies to the training of qualified specialists by higher schools, in particular, accountants as the most sought-after specialists in the economic profile. Economists in their professional activities must use the mathematical apparatus to solve practical problems of the war and post-war economy. Taking into account the unsatisfactory level of mathematical competence of Ukrainian applicants and the difficulty of students' perception of mathematical disciplines, there is a need to change the methodology of teaching higher mathematics. The purpose of the work is to study the methodology of teaching mathematical disciplines to students majoring in "Accounting and Taxation" with the aim of its urgent improvement. The article identifies the problems of using mathematical methods to solve professional tasks in the field of economics by graduates of the educational program "Accounting and Taxation" of the Vasyl’ Stus Donetsk National University. According to the results of the research, an approximate topics of the discipline "Higher Mathematics and Probability Theory" is proposed, the role of student research groups in optimizing the educational process is revealed, the need for integrated teaching of mathematics, computer science and economics is substantiated. The directions of further researches are planned.

Importance of Mathematics in Computer Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) Education

Students with weak mathematics background are often overwhelmed by the many mathematics courses that they have to take during their undergraduate Computer Science, Engineering and Technology (CSET) programmes; and tend to question the relevance of mathematics to their CSET studies. This paper examined the syllabuses of undergraduate CSET courses being offered in 10 Ghanaian universities and discussed the importance of relevant mathematics courses to them. Furthermore, it proffered recommendations to promote students’ academic success in CSET programmes.

COMPUTER ORIENTED TRAININGS FOR THEORY OF PROBABILITY AND MATHEMATICAL STATISTICS FOR FUTURE TEACHERS OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Introduction. The problem of using computer-based teaching aids in mathematics is very relevant today, especially for future computer science teachers, that are not interested in traditional teaching methods. Since the choice of teaching methods and tools, as well as forms of organization of the educational process are closely related, the implementation of computer-based approaches to learning requires the development of appropriate methods and teaching aids. Purpose. The main purpose is a theoretical substantiation of introduction of computer-oriented means of teaching probability theory and mathematical statistics of future teachers of computer science Methods. During the research such general theoretical pedagogical methods were used as analysis of scientific and scientific-methodical literature on this issue, analysis of educational programs, curricula, textbooks and manuals; generalization and systematization, comparison, classification. Results. The use of modern computer-based tools for teaching probability theory and mathematical statistics to future teachers of computer science are considered and theoretically justified. The main types of classes using computerbased learning systems, including computer-based lectures, computer-based practical classes and laboratory-practical classes using software are considered. The use of some software tools and programming languages in the teaching of this discipline is considered and theoretically substantiated. The combination of traditional and computer forms of education allows to intensify educational and cognitive activities in the study of mathematical disciplines, including theory of probability and mathematical statistics by future teachers of computer science. Originality. The paper considers and theoretically substantiates the use of computer-based tools in the educational process in in the teaching of theory of probability and mathematical statistics by future teachers of computer science. Conclusions. The use of computer-based tools for teaching theory of probability and mathematical statistics for future computer science teachers provides a number of methodological and methodological advantages over traditional teaching, enhances cognitive activity and improves the level of practical and professional training.

МОБИЛЬНЫЕ ТЕХНОЛОГИИ В ОБУЧЕНИИ БУДУЩИХ УЧИТЕЛЕЙ ИНФОРМАТИКИ

МОБИЛЬНЫЕ ТЕХНОЛОГИИ В ОБУЧЕНИИ БУДУЩИХ УЧИТЕЛЕЙ ИНФОРМАТИКИ