A Google Computer Science for High School Workshop

Afrin Naz; Mingyu Lu

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Conference: 2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Publication Date: June 15, 2014
Start Date: June 15, 2014
End Date: June 18, 2014
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: K-12 Computer Science and Computational Thinking Initiatives
Tagged Division: K-12 & Pre-College Engineering
Page Count: 13
Page Numbers: 24.53.1 - 24.53.13
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--19945
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/19945
Download Count: 629

Paper Authors

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Afrin Naz West Virginia University Inst. of Tech.

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Afrin Naz completed her Ph.D. and joined Drake University in Fall 2007. Her original research area is cache memory design. Since she joined West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Fall 2011, she expanded her research in a new direction, Engineering Education. Within the past three years she had received four grants in the field of Engineering Education. She has been working closely with the administrators and teachers at K-12 level. She has organized multiple workshops for high school teachers. Dr. Naz is an ABET IDEAL scholar and she is serving as the accreditation coordinator for her institution. She is also serving as reviewer for American Society of Engineering Education and Frontiers In Education.

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Mingyu Lu West Virginia University Inst. of Tech.

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Mingyu Lu received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, in 1995 and 1997 respectively, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2002. From 1997 to 2002, he was a research assistant at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. From 2002 to 2005, he was a postdoctoral research associate at the Electromagnetics Laboratory in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was an assistant professor with the Department of Electrical Engineering, the University of Texas at Arlington from 2005 to 2012. He joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, West Virginia University Institute of Technology as an assistant professor in 2012. His current research interests include wireless power transmission, radar systems, microwave remote sensing, antenna design, and computational electromagnetics. He was the recipient of the first prize award in the student paper competition of the IEEE International Antennas and Propagation Symposium, Boston, MA in 2001. He served as the chair of Antennas and Propagation Society of IEEE Fort Worth Chapter from 2006 to 2011.

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Abstract

A Google Computer Science for High School WorkshopIn summer of 2013, a Computer Science for High School Workshop was successfully organizedin ____ university. The workshop was sponsored by Google. It was the first Computer Sciencefor High School workshop for the state of ____. The workshop aims to achieve six outcomes: (1)Provide professional development opportunity for high school teachers, (2) Train high schoolteachers to integrate modern tools with their teaching, (3) Acquaint the high school teachers withthe cutting-edge computing technologies, (4) Inspire innovative ideas and strategies for effectiveteaching in the computing field, (5) Establish networking among high school teachers anduniversity educators, and (6) Attract minorities to the computing field. Fourteen high schoolteachers from nine counties participated in the workshop. Speeches were made by universityadministrators, industry experts, and a Google representative. Multiple theoretical, hands-on, anddiscussion sessions were held within two days, as briefly described in the following.Computational thinking session: University and high school teachers discussed aboutfundamental computing concepts. Emphasis was placed on how high school teaching wouldbetter prepare the students for statewide assessments and for college degrees involving computer.Curricular innovations and pedagogical tools session: This hands-on session was conducted inparallel on both days. Altogether four topics were covered: webpage development, introductionto Alice, game programming, and robotics.State-of-the-art of computing session: Various cutting-edge computing technologies includingparallel computing and cloud computing were presented.Share ideas in computing session: This session was held on both Day 1 and Day 2. On Day 1,university faculties discussed with the participants about approaches to develop and improvehigh school courses related to computer. On Day 2, the director of Upward Bound on our campuswas invited to present about Upward Bound, which is a program of US Department of Educationdesigned to provide support to prepare high school students for college entrance.Attracting minorities session: In this session, the situation of minorities’ participation incomputer-related majors is presented. Then the high school teachers joined the discussion aboutseveral initiatives to recruit more females and minorities in computer and other STEM majors.Assessment was conducted primarily through a series of surveys before, during, and after theworkshop, which include both formative measures to provide feedback to workshop organizersand summative evaluations to address the workshop’s effectiveness. One survey was completedby the participating high school teachers over a Google website; the survey results indicate anaverage score of 4.5 (out of 5). A range of follow-up activities are currently ongoing. Forexample, after the workshop university faculties and students visit the participating high schoolsto provide on-site assistance to the high school teachers. Also, a website is constructed andmaintained as a forum for the high school teachers, with the purpose of seeking long-termcollaborative relationships with high schools. This workshop was the pilot workshop to begin ourcollaboration with k12 level to inspire the high school students in computing field and we expectto successfully continue with this effort.Second page:The agenda of our two-day CS4HS Workshop is shown in Tables I and II below. Table I: Agenda of Day 1 Time Session Topic Location 9:00 – 9:30 Breakfast, welcome from organizers Ballroom Inaugural session 9:30 – 10:30 Presentation from Google representative Ballroom 10:30 – 11:00 Attracting minorities Increase minorities’ interest in computer Ballroom 11:00 – 12:00 Share ideas in computing Improve curricula related to computer Ballroom 12:00 – 1:30 Lunch Speech from industry expert Ballroom Curricular innovations and Webpage development Computer Lab 1:30 – 3:30 pedagogical tools Introduction to Alice Computer Lab 3:30 – 4:00 Break Engineering Lab 4:00 – 5:00 Computational thinking Computer education for the 21st century Engineering Lab Table II: Agenda of Day 2 Time Session Topic Location 9:00 – 9:30 Breakfast Engineering Lab 9:30 – 10:00 Share ideas in computing Upward Bound program at Tech Engineering Lab Curricular innovations and Game programming Computer Lab 10:00 – 12:00 pedagogical tools Robotics Computer Lab 12:00 – 1:30 Lunch Speech of CEO of our university Engineering Lab 1:30 – 3:00 State-of-the-art of computing Cutting edge technologies in computing Engineering Lab 3:00 – 3:30 Break Engineering Lab 3:30 – 4:00 Surveys to Google Computer Lab 4:00 – 5:00 Concluding session Surveys about post-workshop activities Engineering LabIn the following table, we map our five types of sessions along with our six outcomes. Table III: Mapping of Sessions and Outcomes Sessions Computation Curricular State-of- Share Attracting Outcomes al thinking Innovation the-art of ideas in Minorities and computing computing Pedagogical tools (1) Provide professional development X opportunity for high school teachers (2) Train high school teachers to integrate X modern tools with their teaching (3) Acquaint the high school teachers with X the cutting-edge computing technologies (4) Inspire innovative ideas and strategies for X X effective teaching in the computing field (5) Establish networking among high school X teachers and university educators (6) Attract minorities to the computing field X

Citation
Format

Naz, A., & Lu, M. (2014, June), A Google Computer Science for High School Workshop Paper presented at 2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Indianapolis, Indiana. 10.18260/1-2--19945

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -               A Google Computer Science for High School WorkshopIn summer of 2013, a Computer Science for High School Workshop was successfully organizedin ____ university. The workshop was sponsored by Google. It was the first Computer Sciencefor High School workshop for the state of ____. The workshop aims to achieve six outcomes: (1)Provide professional development opportunity for high school teachers, (2) Train high schoolteachers to integrate modern tools with their teaching, (3) Acquaint the high school teachers withthe cutting-edge computing technologies, (4) Inspire innovative ideas and strategies for effectiveteaching in the computing field, (5) Establish networking among high school teachers anduniversity educators, and (6) Attract minorities to the computing field. Fourteen high schoolteachers from nine counties participated in the workshop. Speeches were made by universityadministrators, industry experts, and a Google representative. Multiple theoretical, hands-on, anddiscussion sessions were held within two days, as briefly described in the following.Computational thinking session: University and high school teachers discussed aboutfundamental computing concepts. Emphasis was placed on how high school teaching wouldbetter prepare the students for statewide assessments and for college degrees involving computer.Curricular innovations and pedagogical tools session: This hands-on session was conducted inparallel on both days. Altogether four topics were covered: webpage development, introductionto Alice, game programming, and robotics.State-of-the-art of computing session: Various cutting-edge computing technologies includingparallel computing and cloud computing were presented.Share ideas in computing session: This session was held on both Day 1 and Day 2. On Day 1,university faculties discussed with the participants about approaches to develop and improvehigh school courses related to computer. On Day 2, the director of Upward Bound on our campuswas invited to present about Upward Bound, which is a program of US Department of Educationdesigned to provide support to prepare high school students for college entrance.Attracting minorities session: In this session, the situation of minorities’ participation incomputer-related majors is presented. Then the high school teachers joined the discussion aboutseveral initiatives to recruit more females and minorities in computer and other STEM majors.Assessment was conducted primarily through a series of surveys before, during, and after theworkshop, which include both formative measures to provide feedback to workshop organizersand summative evaluations to address the workshop’s effectiveness. One survey was completedby the participating high school teachers over a Google website; the survey results indicate anaverage score of 4.5 (out of 5). A range of follow-up activities are currently ongoing. Forexample, after the workshop university faculties and students visit the participating high schoolsto provide on-site assistance to the high school teachers. Also, a website is constructed andmaintained as a forum for the high school teachers, with the purpose of seeking long-termcollaborative relationships with high schools. This workshop was the pilot workshop to begin ourcollaboration with k12 level to inspire the high school students in computing field and we expectto successfully continue with this effort.Second page:The agenda of our two-day CS4HS Workshop is shown in Tables I and II below.                                               Table I: Agenda of Day 1        Time                     Session                                Topic                            Location   9:00 – 9:30                                        Breakfast, welcome from organizers          Ballroom                     Inaugural session   9:30 – 10:30                                       Presentation from Google representative     Ballroom   10:30 – 11:00     Attracting minorities            Increase minorities’ interest in computer   Ballroom   11:00 – 12:00     Share ideas in computing         Improve curricula related to computer       Ballroom   12:00 – 1:30      Lunch                            Speech from industry expert                 Ballroom                     Curricular innovations and       Webpage development                         Computer Lab   1:30 – 3:30                     pedagogical tools                                                      Introduction to Alice                       Computer Lab   3:30 – 4:00       Break                                                                        Engineering Lab   4:00 – 5:00       Computational thinking           Computer education for the 21st century     Engineering Lab                                              Table II: Agenda of Day 2        Time                     Session                               Topic                             Location   9:00 – 9:30                                        Breakfast                                   Engineering Lab   9:30 – 10:00      Share ideas in computing         Upward Bound program at Tech                Engineering Lab                     Curricular innovations and       Game programming                            Computer Lab   10:00 – 12:00                     pedagogical tools                Robotics                                    Computer Lab   12:00 – 1:30      Lunch                            Speech of CEO of our university             Engineering Lab   1:30 – 3:00       State-of-the-art of computing    Cutting edge technologies in computing      Engineering Lab   3:00 – 3:30       Break                                                                        Engineering Lab   3:30 – 4:00                                        Surveys to Google                           Computer Lab   4:00 – 5:00       Concluding session               Surveys about post-workshop activities      Engineering LabIn the following table, we map our five types of sessions along with our six outcomes.                                 Table III: Mapping of Sessions and Outcomes                                                                                   Sessions                                                     Computation     Curricular      State-of-      Share     Attracting                     Outcomes                         al thinking   Innovation       the-art of    ideas in   Minorities                                                                        and         computing     computing                                                                    Pedagogical                                                                       tools   (1) Provide professional development                   X   opportunity for high school teachers   (2) Train high school teachers to integrate                            X   modern tools with their teaching   (3) Acquaint the high school teachers with                                            X   the cutting-edge computing technologies   (4) Inspire innovative ideas and strategies for                                       X           X   effective teaching in the computing field   (5) Establish networking among high school                                                        X   teachers and university educators   (6) Attract minorities to the computing field                                                                    X
AU  - Afrin Naz
AU  - Mingyu Lu
CY  - Indianapolis, Indiana
DA  - 2014/06/15
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - A Google Computer Science for High School Workshop 
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/19945
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--19945
ER  -