| NSF Org: |
CNS Division Of Computer and Network Systems |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | September 19, 2018 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | September 19, 2018 |
| Award Number: | 1837112 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Allyson Kennedy
aykenned@nsf.gov (703)292-8905 CNS Division Of Computer and Network Systems CSE Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering |
| Start Date: | October 1, 2018 |
| End Date: | September 30, 2022 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $38,709.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $38,709.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
291 SPRINGFIELD ST CHICOPEE MA US 01013-2837 (413)265-2298 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
291 Springfield Street Chicopee MA US 01013-2837 |
| 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): | STEM + Computing (STEM+C) Part |
| 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): | 47.070 |
ABSTRACT
This project studies the implementation and outcomes of Concurrent Enrollment (CE) programs as a vehicle for broadening participation in high school to college pathways in Computer Science (CS). The Mobile Computer Science Principles (Mobile CSP) project at the College of St. Scholastica, an established curriculum endorsed by the College Board for its alignment with the Advanced Placement (AP) CSP framework, has formed a Research-Practitioner Partnership (RPP) with CE programs at Capital Community College in Hartford, Connecticut and Southwest Minnesota State University in Minnesota and with partner school districts in each state.
The RPP project explores whether CS through CE can broaden the high school to college pathway in computing disciplines for those traditionally underrepresented in these fields--female, underrepresented minority, and low-SES students. While the AP CSP course has enrolled a more diverse group of students than previous AP CS courses, it is not as diverse as other AP courses. CE programs appear to have better penetration than AP among schools that predominantly serve underrepresented minorities and low-SES students, showing promise for broadening participation in other disciplines and encouraging college matriculation.
By implementing and studying CS through CE in two different contexts (rural and low-SES in Minnesota and urban, diverse, and low-SES in Connecticut), the project contributes to transforming the educational pathways in CS in a variety of contexts and to understanding the supports and barriers to implementing CSP as CE with a broadening-participation goal. This project provides professional development and support of 40 high school teachers to teach a CE version of the Mobile CSP course among partnering school districts over the course of 3 years. The goals of this RPP project are (1) to examine and address the supports and barriers to implementing and sustaining Mobile CSP as a concurrent enrollment course and (2) to study whether a CE implementation of the CSP course broadens participation in computing.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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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.
This project investigates the implementation and outcomes of Concurrent Enrollment (CE) programs as a vehicle for broadening participation in high school to college Computer Science (CS) pathways using the Mobile Computer Science Principles (CSP) curriculum. This is a collaborative project between The College of St. Scholastica, Capital Community College (CCC), Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU), and Elms College, and a Research-Practitioner Partnership (RPP) with partner school districts in CT and MN. The research aims of this RPP are to (1) examine and address the supports and barriers to implementing and sustaining Mobile CSP as a concurrent enrollment course and (2) study whether a CE implementation of the CSP course broadens participation in computing. By implementing and studying CS through CE in two different contexts (rural and low-SES in Minnesota and urban, diverse, and low-SES in Connecticut), the project contributes to transforming the educational pathways in CS in a variety of contexts and to understanding the supports and barriers to implementing CSP as CE with a broadening-participation goal.
This initiative has provided professional development (PD) and support for 37 high school teachers to teach a CE version of the Mobile CSP course among partnering CT and MN school districts over the course of four years. The Mobile CSP curriculum and PD have been adapted for CE courses and is freely available at http://mobilecsp.org/. As a result of this project, Mobile CSP has been offered in 30 high schools with 585 high school students earning college credit for concurrent enrollment in the Mobile CSP course. The pass rate of students enrolled in this CE course (80.5% to 100%) in 2017-2020 has been higher than Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles pass rates (71.2 to 74.5%). Although this CE course did not improve participation among underrepresented groups in CS, the initial findings suggest that CE is a promising mode of advanced coursework for CS in terms of the opportunity to earn college credit, especially in schools that normally offer little AP coursework.
Last Modified: 01/26/2023
Modified by: Beryl Hoffman
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