A Clean Slate Approach to High School CS Where do we stand? Jan - PDF document

A Clean Slate Approach to High School CS Where do we stand? Jan Cuny 7/15/2009 Plummeting CS Enrollments Future trend? Total Bachelor's Degrees Granted in CS & CE Intention to major in CS compared to degrees granted 20000 number of BS degrees granted 15000 CS 10000 CE 5000 ‘75 ‘80 ‘85 ‘90 ‘95 ‘00 ‘05 ‘10 0 CS’ share of all bachelor’s degrees granted Share of Freshman listing CS as a possible 1999/2000 2001/2002 2003/2004 2005/2006 2007/2008 major 4 years earlier year Sources: UCLA at HERI and NSF SRS CRA: Vegso CRA Taulbee Survey, 2008 Gender Gap Missing 70% 2007 - 2008 CS & CE Degree Reciepant BS Demographics MS PhD 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Women American Asian Black White Hispanic Indian / Alaska Native CRA Taulbee Data, 2006 CRA Taulbee Survey, 2007/2008 1

Percent URM by Field and Degree Level Percent Women by Field and Degree Level 2007 Degree Conferrals 2007 Degree Conferrals Associate's Bachelor's Master's Doctorate's Associate's Bachelor's Master's Doctorate's 40% 90% 35% 80% Parity Line: 28% 30% 70% 25% 60% Parity Line: 50% 50% 20% 40% 15% 30% 10% 20% 5% 10% 0% 0% Biological Computer and Engineering Mathematics Physical Psychology Social Biological Computer and Engineering Mathematics Physical Sciences Psychology Social Sciences Sciences Information Sciences Sciences Sciences Information Sciences Sciences CPST, 2008 CPST, 2008 Change in Percentage of Women and URM’s Obtaining Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate Degrees 1986 - 2005 Why does it matter? CS & IT i Engineering Life Sciences i Mathematics Physical Sci Psychology Social Sci -4 0 4 8 12 Percentage Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics Degree Production vs. Projected Job Openings (2002- 2012) 160,000 140,000 PhD Master's 120,000 Bachelor's Projected Job Openings 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 - Engineering Physical Sciences Mathematical/ Biological/ Computer Sciences Agricultural Sciences John Sargent, US Department of Commerce, 2004 2

It’s a Loss of  Opportunity for individuals … If I bring you a batch  Talent for the workforce of resumes where everybody's  Creativity needed to maintain global name is Smith, you're bound to competitiveness ask me why I think only people named Smith can do the job. You're going to wonder, “Aren't there any Joneses out there?” David Cornwell, March 1988 Our profession is diminished and impoverished by a lack of diversity … the range of design options considered in a team lacking diversity will be smaller … It's that Why High School? the product that serves a broader international customer base, or a segment of this nation's melting pot, or our handicapped, may not be found. It is that the most elegant solution may never be pursued. William Wulf, NAE, 1998 Why High School? Why focus on AP? 1. Things are really bad there.  Often the only CS course that carries 2. Without the HS piece, anything we college prep credit do for middle school will be lost.  Attractive to students & schools 3. Without the HS piece, anything we do at the college level will be insufficient.  2,000 CB-audited teachers  Single point of national leverage 3

What’s wrong with the AP test takers (2007) current AP course?  14,529 students took AP CS A • 204,564 Calculus AB  Doesn’t appeal to many students (particularly • 141,321 Bio women and minorities) • 96,282 Statistics  AP CS had the worst gender balance of any of the AP tests • 18.3% CS A • 48.7% Calculus AB • 50.2% Statistics What’s wrong with the Math and Science in U.S. current AP course? High Schools (NRC, 2002)  Doesn’t appeal to many students (particularly  AP courses should women and minorities) • Reflect what we know about how students learn • Build students’ transferable, conceptual understanding and  Inaccessible to students without previous experience inquiry skills  Fails to introduce the fundamental concepts of CT • Convey the content and unifying concepts of a discipline  AP courses should not be designed solely to  Doesn’t teach the breadth of application or replicate introductory college courses (which are not “magic” of computing typically exemplary models) Deepak Kumar (Bryn Mawr) Tom Cortina (CMU) Mark Guzdial (GA Tech) Wanda Dann (Ithaca) AP Commission: Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and Larry Snyder (UW) Owen Astrachan, Environmental Science are leading the Eric Roberts (Stanford) Chris Stephenson, Gail Chapman way. (ESI-0525575) Amy Briggs, … Rich Kick Susanne Hambrusch (Purdue) AP Advisory Group: Michelle Hutton Juan Gilbert (Auburn) Stephen Edwards (VA Tech) Duane Bailey (Williams College) Richard Pattis (UC Irvine) Cameron Wilson (ACM) 4

e e AP GSC’s Big Ideas AP GSC’s Big Ideas u l u l R R % % 5 5 / / 5 5 9 9 4. Writing programs is an integral part of 1. Computing is a creative activity that draws solving computational problems. on a wide variety of fields, such as natural sciences, mathematics, engineering, 5. Theoretical and practical limitations affect social sciences, business, and the arts. what can be solved computationally. 2. Abstraction is a central problem-solving 6. Computing enables and empowers technique in computer science. innovation, exploration, and creation of knowledge. 3. Algorithms are the essence of 7. Computing drives and is driven by computational problem solving. economics, culture, society, and ethics. AP GSC Getting it The new AP course will be coming to  Engaging, accessible, inspiring, rigorous a school near you in 2014 … taught,  Focused on the fundamental concepts of computing (CT) well  A target for K-9 course development  An impetus for college curriculum reform  Available nationwide (IB as well) 10,000 Teachers / 10,000 In-Service Preparation Schools  Significant and intensive training (stipends)  In-service preparation  High quality on-line options  Pre-service preparation  Partnerships with universities: Beyond  Ongoing professional development outreach (Recruiting, Courses, Classroom  Entrée into schools assistance)  Build on state-wide infrastructure: Train the trainers, Master teachers, Community  Collaborations with other STEM programs e.g. MSP 5

On-going professional Pre-service preparation development  CSTA  National Writing Project-like, National Computing  Partnerships between CS & Ed Schools Project  Computing methods courses  Coaching & mentoring for novice teachers  Teacher Residency Programs (Teacher Residency Programs)  Traditional and alternative certification:  In class assistance: GK-12, SLC-like Computing UTEACH,TFA, MFA, Teaching Fellows, Corps, Retirees, Faculty (Adopt a Classroom) Transitions to Teaching (Troops to  Collaborate with mathematics teachers Teachers) … associations Entrée into the schools CS / 10K Project  Hardware, Software, Connectivity, & Tech Good News: We are gaining support among Support  Extended hours & Out of school hours •High school administrators and teachers availability  Help with teacher salaries / Stipends •University faculty  AP Incentives  Manuever patchwork of state standards, •Industry credit issues, certification requirements, etc. What can you do? Clean slate …  Help us get the word out to students but we can’t blow it. We need the computing community to step up. 6

Why not computing? Computer scientists are geeky 1. nerds. Programming is not cool. 2. Computing doesn’t benefit 3. society. Programming enables you to do really cool things.  No Internet  No diagnostic medical imaging  Automobiles don’t have electronic ignition, antilock brakes, and electronic stability control  No digital media –no wireless telephones, high-definition televisions, MP3 audio, DVD video, computer animation, and videogames  Aircraft could not fly, travelers navigate without GPS, weather forecasters have no models, banks and merchants can’t transfer funds electronically, factory automation stops Slide Credit: Ed Lazowska 7

Change the storyline What can you do?  Help us get the word out to students • Computer scientists are creative people who • Computer scientists are geeky nerds. like to solve problems.  Form a CSTA chapter  Help with advocacy • Programming allows you to do really cool • Programming is not cool. things.  Volunteer to help with CS / 10K projects • Computing doesn’t benefit society. • Computing is changing the world in exciting  Send suggestions ways. Thanks! jcuny@nsf.gov 8