| NSF Org: |
DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | August 25, 2016 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | December 21, 2018 |
| Award Number: | 1611959 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Jennifer Lewis
jenlewis@nsf.gov (703)292-7340 DUE Division Of Undergraduate Education EDU Directorate for STEM Education |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2016 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2020 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $299,969.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $299,969.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
550 S COLLEGE AVE NEWARK DE US 19713-1324 (302)831-2136 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
210 Hullihen Hall Newark DE US 19716-2553 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | IUSE |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.076 |
ABSTRACT
This project addresses the challenge of infusing computational thinking (CT) into a wide array of undergraduate courses from many different disciplines. It is addressing NSF calls for "computer science for all students" and also will contribute to the NSF call for infusing computer science into other STEM (and non-STEM) courses [CS+X]. Based on prior work at the precollege as well as post-secondary level, it is building and testing a promising model of change at the institutional level at the University of Delaware. This model has the potential to be a national example for the infusion of computational thinking (CT) into a general undergraduate curriculum. It also introduces and, potentially, tests the effectiveness of four important initiatives designed to further CT in the curriculum: 1) a model for change; 2) effective faculty professional development practices; 3) incorporation of peer mentoring; and 4) formative and summative assessment.
This change model builds on significant prior knowledge and experience and uses evidence-based approaches for ongoing faculty professional development, supported by trained undergraduates who act as Learning Assistants to create a functional learning community. It incorporates carefully-designed assessments of changes in faculty practice, general education courses, student learning outcomes and the impact of the structure on the change itself, building on the Association of American Colleges and Universities VALUE Rubrics, particularly the Quantitative Literacy Rubric.
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The need to help all students acquire computational thinking (CT) skills has gained increased attention as a result of policy efforts seeking to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) learning as well as industry initiatives aimed at promoting a more technology-savvy workforce. In this project, we developed, piloted, and evaluated a model for infusing CT into undergraduate curricula across various disciplines. We developed group professional development sessions and a consultation process that helped faculty with no background in computing integrate CT into their disciplinary courses, including music, communications, mathematics, English, and sociology. Professional development materials that introduce faculty from across disciplines to CT concepts and skills were developed, along with agenda and lesson planning prompts to guide faculty in (a) analyzing their course objectives with CT in mind, (b) introducing CT terminology to students, (c) designing or redesigning CT-integrated lessons and assignments, and (d) assessing CT knowledge gained by participating students. We designed, implemented, and evaluated a CT Fellows program that helped undergraduates with CT technical skills support faculty engaged with course adaptations and implementations. The CT Fellows program includes recruitment materials, application, and a systematic professional learning process. To support faculty in course redesign, we created a rubric that presents a succinct definition of CT with measurable criteria. Individual faculty working with the investigators on this project extracted and adapted parts of the rubric for individual assignments as appropriate. We have collected course and student artifacts, and examined the manner in which CT was infused across disciplinary courses by participating faculty and the CT skills reflected in student artifacts. Our findings illustrated diverse approaches to CT integration depending on discipline, and a wide range of CT skills among decomposition, algorithms, data, and abstraction in student artifacts.
The integration of CT into general education will address longstanding issues related to the under-representation of women and minorities in computing and make these critical skills available to a wide audience, thus better preparing students to become CT-savvy STEM citizens in the future. Given the wide attention on the development of CT skills across all students, this work can serve as a model for promoting changes in general education curricula at academic institutions nationwide in a manner that supports faculty and students in these courses.
Last Modified: 12/18/2020
Modified by: Lori L Pollock
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