Computing Education for Every Student in Secondary Schools

Northeastern University, Boston MA

Investigators

Abstract

This project emphasizes the principles of problem solving and program design using Scheme. Students learn to solve problems in a systematic manner and are able to use those skills in many domains, not just computing. The pedagogical approach is based on the belief that the conventional approach to computer science in high school is inappropriate, and, with an emphasis on code generation and successive modification by steps, is more consistent with computer science from the early 1980s. The emphasis on grammar rules is inconsistent with current methods. The results-dated methodologies have been that secondary schools have small computer science enrollments and encounter diminishing interest even by the more mathematically inclined students. The project is based on the introductory computer science curriculum developed at Rice University, and the PIs have tested these methods in high schools and found the students to be more receptive and to learn more about computational problem solving. The approximately 310 participating teachers learn a dramatically different and more applicable approach through workshops at Northeastern University, Adelphi University, Brown University, the University of Utah, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Teachers are introduced to the new content, approaches and software. A central Web repository is maintained for distribution and exchange. The teachers receive forty contact hours and extensive follow-up activities and supports plus 3 graduate credits.