Asee peer logo

WIP: Examining the role of university support in aiding an out-of-field middle-school teacher to deliver arts-integrated computing instruction.

Download Paper |

Conference

2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Publication Date

June 22, 2025

Start Date

June 22, 2025

End Date

August 15, 2025

Conference Session

Diversity, Inclusion, and Representation in STEM

Tagged Division

Community Engagement Division (COMMENG)

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

11

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/57409

Download Count

1

Paper Authors

biography

Azizi Penn Purdue Engineering Education

visit author page

Azizi Penn is a professional software engineer, a professor at California State University, Sacramento, and an engineering education Ph.D. student. Prior to and during her graduate work, she developed a passion for providing engineering practice experiences to pre-college students.

visit author page

biography

Tamara J Moore Purdue University at West Lafayette (PWL) (COE) Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-7956-4479

visit author page

Tamara J. Moore, Ph.D., is a Professor of Engineering Education and University Faculty Scholar at Purdue University, as well as the Executive Co-Director of the INSPIRE Research Institute for Precollege Engineering. Dr. Moore's research is focused on the integration of STEM concepts in K-12 and postsecondary classrooms in order to help students make connections among the STEM disciplines and achieve deep understanding. Her work investigates engineering design-based STEM integration, computational thinking, and integration of high-level content in K-14 spaces. She is creating and testing innovative, interdisciplinary curricular approaches that engage students in developing models of real-world problems and their solutions.

visit author page

biography

Kerrie A Douglas Purdue University – West Lafayette (College of Engineering) Orcid 16x16 orcid.org/0000-0002-2693-5272

visit author page

Dr. Douglas is an Associate Professor in the Purdue School of Engineering Education. Her research is focused on improving methods of assessment in engineering learning environments and supporting engineering students.

visit author page

Download Paper |

Abstract

Background U.S. urban, rural, and small pre-college schools struggle to implement computer science education for most students. This is especially true in primary and lower secondary schools where multi-subject credentialled teachers may not feel comfortable delivering computer science instruction. One means of outreach to such schools is through undergraduate service learning. Purpose This qualitative study examines the experiences of a novice, out-of-field middle school teacher implementing an arts-integrated physical computing and engineering design class at a small urban school. The teacher is supported during the semester by undergraduate computer science and design students participating in a service-learning class. We use Sandy’s (2007) Benefits to Community Partners to frame the teacher’s experience with service learners in the classroom. Research Questions What benefits does the teacher receive from having university students engaged in service learning in the middle-school classroom as aligned with elements in Sandy’s (2007) Benefits to Community Partners? Design/Method We used thematic analysis to analyze multiple interviews with the teacher to understand his thoughts about teaching the new class, the undergraduates’ role, and the university in helping him successfully deliver the class. Results Early stages of this ongoing work reveal that the primary teacher viewed the support of university outreach through undergraduate service-learning students as essential to enable him to deliver the instruction. The teacher expressed early apprehension about teaching the topic and discussed specific support needed and received from the university and undergraduates. Conclusions K-12 school teachers engaging in out-of-field computer science instruction can benefit from support provided by the university through undergraduate service learning.

Penn, A., & Moore, T. J., & Douglas, K. A. (2025, June), WIP: Examining the role of university support in aiding an out-of-field middle-school teacher to deliver arts-integrated computing instruction. Paper presented at 2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Montreal, Quebec, Canada . https://peer.asee.org/57409

ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2025 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015