Computing Education for the 21st Century

CS4HS@UMBC 2012Dr. Marie desJardins & Dr. Susan Martin

August 6, 2012

Complete the 10 item quiz while we are waiting to get started!

Setting the Context:Computer Science Education

in the United States

www.umbc.edu

1. Job Growth vs. # New Grads2. Underrepresentation of Women

and Ethnic Minorities3. Curriculum Issues

What do the data show about:

Issue 1: Demand for Computing Professionals

Fastest Growing Occupations Nationally

• Software Developers +32%• Database Administrators +31%• Network and System Adm. +28%• Software Applications Developer +28%• Computer Systems Analysts +22%• Information Security Analysts, • Web Developers, and Computer

Network Architects +22%According to ONET site with 50 fastest growing occupations

Taulbee: New Undergrad CS/CE Majors http://cra.org/uploads/documents/resources/taulbee/CRA_Taulbee_2011-2012_Results.pdf

Taulbee: B.S Degrees Earned

Issue 2: Underrepresentation of Women & Racial Minorities in Computing

Underrepresented minorities (African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans) represent 28.5 percent of the U.S.

population but only 9.1 percent of college-educated Americans in the science and engineering workforce.

2010 National Academies Reporthttp://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12984

Underrepresentation intensifies throughout the education pipeline

• 38.8 percent of K-12 public enrollment• 33.2 percent of the U.S college-age population• 26.2 percent of undergraduate enrollment• 17.7 percent of those earning S&E bachelor’s

degrees• 17.7 percent of overall graduate enrollment• 14.6 percent of S&E masters degrees• 5.4 percent of S&E doctorateshttp://www.nationalacademies.org/morenews/20100930.html

Women are underrepresented in many science, technology and engineering occupations.

Biological scientists

Chemists and materials sci-

entists

Environmen-tal scientists and geosci-

entists

Computer scientists and systems ana-

lysts

Computer programmers

Computer software engineers

Chemical engineers

Civil engineers Electrical and electronics engineers

Mechanical engineers

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What about the diversity of computing graduates at the

Bachelor’s level?Bachelor’s Degrees by Gender & Race/Ethnicity

http://cra.org/uploads/documents/resources/taulbee/CRA_Taulbee_2011-2012_Results.pdf

Issue 3: Curriculum

• ACM/CSTA recommended model K-12 curriculum

http://csta.acm.org/Curriculum/sub/CurrFiles/K-12ModelCurr2ndEd.pdf

• National analysis (Running on Empty Report) of adoption of these standards

http://csta.acm.org/runningonempty/fullreport.pdf

Running on Empty Report Findings• Only 14 states have adopted secondary state education standards for computer

science instruction to a significant degree (defined as more than 50% of ACM and CSTA’s national model computer science standards), leaving more than two-thirds of the country with inadequate computer science standards at the secondary school level

• Only 9 states allow computer science courses to count as a required graduation credit for either mathematics or science.

• No states require a computer science course as a condition of a student’s graduation

• There is deep and widespread confusion within the states as to what should constitute and how to differentiate technology education, literacy and fluency; information technology education; and computer science as an academic subject

How does Maryland stack up against ACM/CSTA curriculum?

http://csta.acm.org/runningonempty/roemap.html

Breakout Discussion (10 minutes)

1. What is the demand for computer science/IT graduates in your county?

2. Which students typically takes CS courses in your school? Do they reflect the diversity of students at your school?

3. What type of credit is awarded for CS courses at your school?

4. What percentage of your high school’s graduating class go on to study computer science at a community college? at a university?

CE21 – MarylandHigh School Computer Science

Survey 2012Results

www.umbc.edu

Purpose of Survey

• Part of CE21-Maryland Planning Project (NSF)• Describe course offerings, teacher

preparation, demographics of students• Use data to guide future professional

development and projects• Use data to build relationships and create a

visible community of computer science educators

Survey Methods

• Based on the CSTA National Secondary Computer Science Survey (53 items)

• Online SurveyMonkey (May & June)• Postcard before survey launch• Email invitation and three reminders• Emails from MSDE CTE staff to their contacts• Link from the CS4HS@UMBC website• Descriptive statistics from SurveyMonkey

Survey Design• Based on the CSTA National Secondary

Computer Science Survey (38 items)• 53 items

– School & student characteristics – Teacher characteristics – CS/IT offerings – CS enrollment trends– Challenges to teaching CS– Professional development

Survey Respondents

• 347 invited (6 opted out or undeliverable)• 97 respondents began survey; 85 completed • 46.4% Female• 79.8% White; 13.1% African American; 3.6%

Asian American• 45.2% teaching for 15+ years• 73.4% over 40 years old

Answer Options Response Percent

Response Count

Allegany County 0.0% 0

Anne Arundel County 5.9% 5

Baltimore City 8.2% 7

Baltimore County 10.6% 9

Calvert County 0.0% 0

Caroline County 1.2% 1

Carroll County 1.2% 1

Cecil County 5.9% 5

Charles County 4.7% 4

Dorchester County 1.2% 1

Frederick County 9.4% 8

Garrett County 0.0% 0

Harford County 9.4% 8

Howard County 7.1% 6

Kent County 1.2% 1

Montgomery County 20.0% 17

Prince Georges County 7.1% 6

Queen Anne's County 1.2% 1

Somerset County 0.0% 0

St. Mary's County 2.4% 2

Talbot County 0.0% 0

Washington County 1.2% 1

Wicomico County 2.4% 2

Worcester County 0.0% 0

answered question 85

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Other CS Courses Offered

Introductory CS and AP CS

Entering and Exiting the High School Computer Science Pipeline

Wordle created from titles of introductory courses.

2011-2012 Enrollment: Intro CS & AP

Percentage Girls: Intro CS and AP

Percentage Minorities: Intro CS & AP

85% of respondents thought that there are students who should be taking the computer

science courses that are offered at their schools, BUT WHO ARE NOT!

Breakout Discussion (10 Minutes)

• How does your school/district compare to the data collected in the CE21-Maryland survey?

– Number and diversity of students taking intro courses and AP CS

– Nature of the CS courses offered

– Reasons why students don’t take CS

Challenges and Professional Development Needs

Other Reported Challenges *Not on CSTA Survey

Lack of parental encouragement for students to take CS 89%Lack of guidance staff knowledge about importance of CS 88%Lack of student math preparation 88%Lack of parental knowledge about the importance of CS 87%Inability to attract women and minorities to CS classes 75%Being asked to teach multiple CS related courses in the same classroom at the same time

74%

Lack of support/interest by school leadership 74%Lack of a professional community of other CS instructors 71%Lack of internships for students 68%Lack of professional development opportunities 65%Creating a curriculum that satisfies district and state standards 63%Understanding state curriculum standards 57%

Breakout Discussion (10 minutes):

• What challenges do you face as a CS teacher?• How do the challenges you face as a CS

teacher compare to those reported by the survey respondents?

• What is the one change that you would you recommend to your principal/superintendent to counteract these challenges?

Closing Comments and Wrap-Up