Connected Learning, Coding, and Supporting Nonexpert Librarians in Technical Programming

• In Event: 33.072 - Potential Futures for School Libraries: Researcher Perspectives

Abstract

Running STEM programming can be difficult for librarians who may not be experts in the disciplines. Also, developing interest-based programming that can tie to academic subjects can be very time consuming. Both of these are barriers to school librarians who have limited time, and those in underserved schools, have limited resources. This paper explores the creation of programming to be taught by non-expert librarians to youth in underserved areas.

The specific programming being evaluated as a pilot study is a coding curriculum to teach video game design. The curriculum is currently being implemented in two urban public libraries in majority minority, low socioeconomic neighborhoods. The students in the programs are between 12 and 15 and have no prior experience coding. The gender split of the pilot group is 50/50 female and male, over 75% of participants are Latino and the remaining participants are African-American or Southeast Asian American. Most participants do not have access to internet or computers in their home. The librarians from the two branches are instructing the courses with the help of interns, who they chose from their own branches who are slightly older than the participants. This 10 week summer program, as mentioned earlier is a pilot program which will be expanded over the next three years, as the curriculum is developed. The program is focused on interest and based on the connected learning framework (Ito, et al., 2013), connecting an interest in games with coding and science and computer science related concepts. The course offers the youth programming created by experts and opportunities to participate in an online community which currently connects students from the two branches, and will be expanded out to include every library who participates as the program expands. This expert created library programming is designed to be taught by non-experts, and implemented in any library that has basic computers and an internet connection. Although currently implemented in public libraries because we chose to run a summer pilot, this programming will be expanded to include school libraries as well.

Preliminary findings from this study indicate that with proper support it is possible to have non-experts lead programming in an open course with flexible curriculum. Also, youth interns are a great aid to librarians supporting a group of younger students during a process that can require extensive problem solving and individual support. Having the programming material available online so that youth can have access it anytime they have access to the internet also allows the program to be more flexible, supporting both youth who are working through the materials more slowly and those who want to make their projects more complex. The final product of the study will be a platform that offers public and school librarians programming, help videos, access to experts, and instruction support to make coding programming more accessible to youth at all libraries.

Author

• Crystle Martin, University of California - Irvine