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How to Develop a Culture of Coding for the Future: A Case Study of the megaGEMS Coding Academy

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Conference

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Portland, Oregon

Publication Date

June 23, 2024

Start Date

June 23, 2024

End Date

June 26, 2024

Conference Session

Engineering Futures: Navigating the Pathways of Education, Inclusion, and Professional Growth

Tagged Divisions

Equity and Culture & Social Justice in Education Division (EQUITY)

Page Count

21

DOI

10.18260/1-2--47541

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/47541

Download Count

50

Paper Authors

biography

George Zaccheus Sikazwe University of the Incarnate Word

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George Z. Sikazwe is an undergraduate electrical engineering student at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. Mr. Sikazwe is passionate about applying engineered solutions to real-world problems. As a student research assistant in the Autonomous Vehicle Systems Research Laboratories his focus is in computational intelligence, specifically applications of deep learning onto hardware. For the GEMS (Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science) program he was the instructor of Coding Academy in which he was able to teach Python to high school students from various backgrounds.

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biography

Stephanie Weiss-Lopez

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Stephanie Weiss-Lopez has overseen GEMS since 2020 as a Project Manager and Coordinator. Ms. Weiss-Lopez is a UIW alum with a degree in Meteorology, currently the AVS Laboratories Project Manager, and an MBA student at UIW. She has over 18 years of management and leadership experience and has been a member of the AVS labs since 2018. Ms. Weiss-Lopez has experience in personnel development, scientific research, and grant writing. During Ms. Weiss-Lopez's leadership GEMS implemented and distributed over 450 free STEAM kits during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Weiss-Lopez's partnership with the PI expanded innovative programs such as megaGEMS Virtual Research camp, miniGEMS virtual after school clubs, miniGEMS virtual Spring Break camp, and the megaGEMS AEOP Apprenticeship.

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Diane L Peters P.E. Kettering University Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0001-8177-8145

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Dr. Peters is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Kettering University.

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biography

Michael Frye University of the Incarnate Word

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Michael T. Frye, Ph.D. is a Professor of Engineering in the Department of Engineering at the University of the Incarnate Word, in San Antonio, TX. He is an Electrical Engineer who specialized in the field of nonlinear control theory.

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Abstract

Girls in Engineering, Mathematics, and Science (GEMS) is a free after-school club and summer camp for girls interested in exploring their career in various Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. GEMS is the outreach program for the (blank). GEMS’ programs are designed to educate young women about STEM by providing hands-on experiential learning in robotics, programming, and research. GEMS is divided into two main programs: miniGEMS for rising fifth through eighth-grade middle school students, and megaGEMS for rising ninth through twelfth-grade high school students. miniGEMS focuses on robotic challenges and innovative STEM curriculum, while megaGEMS focuses on independent research through two programs: Research Camp (RC), a 4-week program for ninth and tenth-grade students, and the Apprenticeship Program, an 8-week college-level research program for eleventh and twelfth-grade students. All GEMS programs prioritize serving schools and students from lower-income areas of (blank) and (blank). All participants in GEMS explore and investigate hands-on lab experience in autonomy through ground and air robotics, which helps them build the important skills essential in workforce development and obtaining college-level degrees. This paper will highlight Coding Academy, a feature of the megaGEMS program that looks to empower its students with the coding knowledge necessary to complete their faculty-guided research projects. Coding Academy supplies daily 1-hour coding lessons to all participants within the megaGEMS program. Focusing specifically on teaching the fundamentals of the Python Programming Language. The function of Coding Academy under the GEMS program; however, is to supply early and effective exposure to coding and programming skills through student-led instruction, and project-based learning. It is with these methods in mind, that the Coding Academy hopes to encourage analytical thinking, effective communication, and foster a problem-solving mindset in all its students which will extend from their studies into their professional lives. Coding Academy is managed by the (blank), part of the (blank), consisting of student research assistants. The curriculum of Coding Academy has traditionally centered around the basics of programming in Python, with emphasis on the development of solid fundamental programming skills. In the latest iteration of Coding Academy, the curriculum emphasized multiple-day projects and teamwork to capitalize on the student's ability to teach one another and help them keep information learned in these sessions. Drawing inspiration from popular studying methods, Feynman technique, and spaced repetition. Alongside highlighting Coding Academy, this paper will also explore the effectiveness of the methods and techniques discussed on student outcomes.

Sikazwe, G. Z., & Weiss-Lopez, S., & Peters, D. L., & Frye, M. (2024, June), How to Develop a Culture of Coding for the Future: A Case Study of the megaGEMS Coding Academy Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--47541

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