SBIR Phase I: Computer Science Compuverse

This SBIR Phase I project will design, build, and test a web-based, modular curriculum for providing rigorous, accessible, and engaging computer science (CS) education to grades 9 - 10 students. The U.S. is experiencing two human resources gaps in computing. First, by 2020, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts there will be 1.2 million more CS related jobs than Americans trained to fill them. Second, female, African-American and Latino student participation remains stubbornly low. This results in a loss of talent and innovation for America, and lost career opportunities for U.S. students. Research suggests these gaps are the result of too few students being introduced early to rigorous and compelling CS education. Currently, 19% of U.S. high-school students take a CS class, a percentage that has fallen over the last two decades (NAEP High School Transcript Study, 2009). This issue is further exacerbated by a lack of qualified CS teachers. The Phase 1 project prototype will be an easy-to-implement, student-driven mechanism to provide standards-based CS instruction. Unlike current initiatives that narrowly focus on programming, this prototype will align with standards developed by the nation's leading organizations for computing professionals and will allow under-trained instructors to provide comprehensive CS courses to students. The proposed project will provide high school students with an engaging and rigorous introduction to CS, and a clear pathway to college-level study and careers in CS and computing-related fields. The project will be designed according to Universal Design for learning principles (UDL, 2013) to be student-driven and inquiry-based, and to support multiple learning styles. Students will engage with complex computational concepts and algorithmic constructs via interactive, multimedia, and adaptive content. Research suggests that these approaches improve knowledge retention and engagement with the subject (Gordon & Brayshaw, 2008). Unlike existing computing education, this project will make explicit connections to real-world context and societal impact which research suggests improves the engagement of students who might otherwise not connect to computing (Owens et al., 2008; Barker et al, 2014). In Phase I, the essential project infrastructure and architecture, a prototype of the reporting module and 5 of the 10 planned content modules will be developed. System and compatibility testing along with iterative usability and feasibility testing will be conducted. At the end of Phase 1, a pilot study will be conducted with high school students (n=50) and CS teachers (n=5) to assess the usability and the feasibility of the completed prototype and whether the contextualized content increases female and minority students? affiliation and interest in CS. Users will also evaluate the initial feasibility of a Phase 2 full product concept in a classroom setting based on their experience with the prototype.