Equitable Approaches: Computational Thinking Through Design

• In Event: 41.049 - Stories From the Field: Integrating Computational Thinking Across Curricular Domains

Abstract

Purpose and Theoretical Framework. One reason for the increasing calls for young people to engage in computational thinking (CT) is future job demands and related critical issues of equity about who is on track to take advantage of these opportunities. A number of initiatives are changing the computing education landscape, including Code.org’s Hour of Code, making online drag-and-drop logic and coding experiences available to youth ages 4 to 18, the Exploring Computer Science curriculum, introducing computational topics to high school students regardless of prior experience, and Principles of CS, an alternative, more approachable AP test. These initiatives are exciting, but we as a field need to make sure that we are watching the numbers and understanding the patterns of participation: Who is engaged? How is it going for them? What are they doing next? Is the enthusiasm for CT robust enough to support these young learners or is it perpetuating disillusionment with the field? There are recent indications of some persisting disconnects between these introductory experiences and next steps in the pathway (e.g. Margolis, Goode, & Chapman, 2015; Sharpio & Ahrens, 2016).

In our poster we address these questions by sharing the Digital Youth Divas program, focused on building and supporting a social ecosystem of computational learning in underserved communities. Our design incorporates CT and learning trajectories (Wing, 2006), a learning ecologies approach that envisions learning as happening across time and environments (Barron, 2006), and Hidi and Renninger’s four-phase model of interest development (2006). Understanding how to design for underrepresented populations who have been traditionally underserved is critical to engaging such populations.

Methods and Data Sources. Digital Youth Divas is a blended online and face-to-face out-of-school program to engage middle school girls in Chicago with introductory circuitry and programming projects through fabrication and design. The program is purposefully designed to impact girls’ interest and identity, sense of community, and computational knowledge through interconnected program components: (1) Self-paced, hands-on, project-based learning activities; (2) An online social learning network where girls access instructions and resources, upload project work, and interact with others; (3) Adult mentorship on and offline; and (4) Workshops with parents that involve them in computational content and a broader parent community. We share results from one cohort (N=98 girls) over the course of a 20-week program. Data includes pre-post survey analysis, artifacts of online participation, learner cases studies, and mentor reflections.

Results. Analysis is ongoing, but initial results reveal significant increases in girls’ content knowledge and feelings of agency in their own learning. Project development was a key aspect of the environment that engaged girls in cycles of computational planning, process, analysis, and troubleshooting and the project as an artifact invited attention and support from peers, parents, program mentors, and other caring adults.

Significance. The program design framework can be of use to educators in formal and informal computing environments, and emerging findings may help curriculum developers, professional development coordinators, and program designers design and refine environments and opportunities to be relevant to a range of young learners.

Authors

• Nichole D. Pinkard, DePaul University

• Sheena Erete, DePaul University

• Caitlin Kennedy Martin, DePaul University - Digital Youth Network