CS & IT Symposium 2001June 24, 2001 The High School Computing Course J. Philip East University of Northern Iowa

CS & IT Symposium 2001June 24, 2001 It is important that students leave high school understanding computing! As important as understanding physics, chemistry, biology, history, government, mathematics, and (maybe) writing and reading.

CS & IT Symposium 2001June 24, 2001 Recommendation for A High School Course in Computer Science  Follow the Fluency Report  Its major recommendations  Concepts  Skills  Intellectual Capabilities  Project-based Learning

CS & IT Symposium 2001June 24, 2001 “Ten” Concepts  How computers work  ?Information systems?  How networks work  Digital representation of data & information  Information storage & retrieval  Problem representation & abstraction  Algorithmic thinking & programming  ?Universality?  Limits of comuting  Social impact

CS & IT Symposium 2001June 24, 2001 “Ten” Intellectual Capabilities  Engage in sustained reasoning  Manage complexity  Test a solution  ?Manage faulty solutions?  Find/use information  Collaborate  Communicate with other audiences  Expect the unexpected  Anticipate new tech.  Think about IT abstractly

CS & IT Symposium 2001June 24, 2001 “Ten” Skills  Set up a computer  Basic OS tasks  Text documents  Slides & images  Connecting to a network  Resources via Internet  Communication  Spreadsheet  ?Database?  Computer-based instruction & documentation

CS & IT Symposium 2001June 24, 2001 Project-based Instruction  Results in some “artifact”  Provide opportunity for students to apply some skills and practice some intellectual capabilities while demonstrating learning & understanding of some computing concept  Probably some skills, concepts, and capabilities will not be addressed by projects (but some will!)

CS & IT Symposium 2001June 24, 2001 What about programming?  Programming (ala the Fluency Report)  included in “concepts”—algorithmic thinking and programming u specifying instructions “precisely” & “primitively” for some agent other than the programmer to carry out, preferably with conditional and iterative execution  deemed essential by authors  does not require traditional programming (spreadsheet/HTML might do)  I am not convinced it is necessary I cannot equate programming with spreadsheets or HTML but do think designing significant projects in these areas uses the same intellectual skills as programming. I plan not to have students do any “programming” project(s).

CS & IT Symposium 2001June 24, 2001 What does one of these courses look like? How do I do that?

CS & IT Symposium 2001June 24, 2001 Planning The Course u Skill acquisition activities exercise on-line/independent learning capability  Knowledge acquisition activities (the “lecture” part of the course?)  Projects—apply skills and exercise intellectual capabilities to demonstrate conceptual understanding  Group work—address changing technology, societal impact, collaboration, etc.

CS & IT Symposium 2001June 24, 2001 Assessing Student Learning u Is hard u At least two forms u did you do it? u how well did you do? u Make your time as instructionally effective as possible u Try to u get students to focus on learning not grades u develop student evaluation skill

CS & IT Symposium 2001June 24, 2001 Keep In Mind u No single bit of knowledge is critical  Trust the process How do you know what students hear/learn in your current teaching? You already trust the process (with little evidence of success)!  Intellectual capabilities and concepts are enduring; skills are transitory  You pick the skills to include, concepts to address, and intellectual capabilities to apply

CS & IT Symposium 2001June 24, 2001 Resources  Being Fluent with Information Technology u College level examples u Philip East (not well done, yet): u Larry Snyder (one of the report authors): u Add your course here? u _________________________________________________

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