CS 10K Community of Practice

American Institutes For Research In The Behavioral Sciences, Arlington VA

Investigators

Abstract

American Institutes for Research (AIR) will extend and evaluate the CS 10K Community (CS10KC) a platform for facilitating community and professional development among teachers in NSF-supported CS 10K projects. The goal of this project is to increase the quality and volume of community activity; improve the usability and utility of the platform; and add validated online assessments of computational thinking. By contributing to the growth and professional improvement of the teaching workforce, the CS10KC will help lead to broadened participation in high school computer science education, particularly among students from underrepresented groups. This expansion of opportunity for high school students, in turn, increases the likelihood that more diverse students will earn computer science degrees and pursue computing and other STEM careers. CS10KC will contribute to scaling up training and support for current and new HS CS teachers across the country through providing access to instructional resources developed by projects and individual teachers, convening discussions and online events on topics aligned with challenges that teachers face, facilitating collaboration of teachers to generate new resources and pedagogical approaches using online tools, and providing online assessments of computational thinking aligned with the curriculum of the courses. CS10KC will provide a national picture of where, how, and by whom the Exploring Computer Science and AP CS Principles courses are being taught. CS10KC will result in a richer understanding of the growth of teaching courses designed to broaden participation in computer science and the effects that online support for teachers is having on that growth.