Award Abstract # 1837723
Collaborative Research: Broadening Participation and Building Pathways in Computer Science (CS) through Concurrent Enrollment

NSF Org: CNS
Division Of Computer and Network Systems
Recipient: COLLEGE OF ST. SCHOLASTICA, INC.
Initial Amendment Date: September 19, 2018
Latest Amendment Date: August 11, 2023
Award Number: 1837723
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Allyson Kennedy
CNS
 Division Of Computer and Network Systems
CSE
 Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering
Start Date: October 1, 2018
End Date: February 29, 2024 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $608,611.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $608,611.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2018 = $607,697.00
History of Investigator:
  • Jennifer Rosato (Principal Investigator)
    jrosato@umn.edu
  • Renee Fall (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: College of Saint Scholastica
1200 KENWOOD AVE
DULUTH
MN  US  55811-4199
(218)723-6072
Sponsor Congressional District: 08
Primary Place of Performance: College of Saint Scholastica
MN  US  55811-4199
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
08
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): ZXADPB9Q8S65
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): STEM + Computing (STEM+C) Part
Primary Program Source: 01001819DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 023Z, 9102
Program Element Code(s): 005Y00
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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Fall, Renee "Expanding Opportunities through Concurrent Enrollment" SIGCSE '21: Proceedings of the 52nd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education , 2021 https://doi.org/10.1145/3408877.3439645 Citation Details
Freeman, Seth and Kaiser, Dan and Lindsay, Ryan and Veseskis, James "Computer Science through Concurrent Enrollment: Reflections and Lessons Learned Offering Mobile CSP as a Concurrent Enrollment Course" SIGCSE '21: Proceedings of the 52nd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education , 2021 https://doi.org/10.1145/3408877.3432545 Citation Details

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