CPATH-1: Computational Thinking Evolution to Studio-Based Active Learning

Florida Agricultural And Mechanical University, Tallahassee FL

Investigators

Abstract

This CPATH project revitalizes undergraduate computing education at Florida A&M University through integrating studio-based learning and active learning experiences into the early experiences of undergraduate computing students. Through collaboration with Auburn University, the project adapts the methodology of a successful CPATH project to the Florida A&M setting. The approach is inspired by a human-language learning metaphor in which humans learn their natural language by a series of active immersions before writing. Active learning should increase the engagement of students and develop a community of learners that provides the social and academic support for students to turn the challenges of computer science into learning experiences instead of barriers. The intellectual merit of the project lies in the strong conceptual basis for the project and the collaborative team of investigators. The project includes significant evaluation and dissemination that should provide significant insights into the learning of computing to the discipline of computing education. The broader impacts include the production of approaches and artifacts that can be used widely. The project impacts two communities, computer science majors and non-majors taking a software-centric literacy course. This should broaden the pool of students in the undergraduate computing pipeline and the resulting computing workforce within the nation.