Into the Loop

Exploring Computer Science (ECS) is a program developed to broaden participation of underrepresented students in computer science. The program consists of three tightly integrated pieces: curriculum, teacher professional development and policy work at a variety of levels and institutions.

The ECS curriculum is a year-long college-preparatory course, consisting of six units: Human Computer Interaction, Problem Solving, Web Design, Introduction to Programming, Computing and Data Analysis and Robotics. Students are introduced to the foundational, creative, collaborative, interdisciplinary, and problem-solving nature of computer science through an inquiry-based, equity-focused pedagogy.

Teachers are at the core of our work to increase access to computer science knowledge. ECS Teachers are supported with a professional learning community, in-classroom coaching, and an intensive, on-going professional development. The ECS professional development model begins with a weeklong summer institute that focuses on the first semester of the course. During the academic year, quarterly follow-up Saturday sessions focus on the remaining three units of the curriculum. This is followed by a second summer institute. In this way new teachers become integrated into the community as they work with teachers who have taught the course for a year. During each of these sessions, a teacher/learner/observer model is followed. Teachers plan and teach lessons from the curriculum. Debriefs of these lessons include discussions of the computer science content, inquiry teaching strategies, and equitable practices evidenced in the lessons.

In this professional development design, the Summer Institutes and quarterly follow-up sessions are not separate events, but part of a rolling system of whole-group professional learning workshops. This ongoing model of professional development also provides teachers an opportunity to meet on a regular basis and share their classroom teaching experiences while simultaneously learning new curricular content and pedagogical approaches.

Project Website: http://www.exploringcs.org

Principal Investigator: Jane Margolis, UCLA