(AP)CS Principles

1. (AP)CS Principles www.csprinciples.org www.collegeboard.com/html/computerscience/ CE21, CSPrinciples

2. What? A new first course in computer science Collaborative: CollegeBoard, NSF, Academia (6-12/University) Designed to be an AP course: credit/placement Alternative to CS1, not replacement CE21, CSPrinciples

3. Why toward APCSprinciples? • Why isn’t this CSPrinciples, why AP? • Entry into high schools and colleges • 2,000 audited AP(CS) teachers • National standard for curriculum/test • Single point of national leverage • States are very, very, very different CE21, CSPrinciples

4. Who? CE21, CSPrinciples

5. Process and Content • How are we designing and building this course? • Who is behind the development • What is the process used • What will be in this course? • Computational Thinking Skills • Content • Pedagogy CE21, CSPrinciples

6. Who? • Don Allen • Christine Alvarado • Owen Astrachan • Stacey Armstrong • Tiffany Barnes • Amy Briggs • Charmaine Bentley • Mark Guzdial • Rich Kick • Jody Paul • Chris Stephenson • Duane Bailey • Gail Chapman • Tom Cortina • Stephen Edwards • Dan Garcia • Joanna Goode • Susanne Hambrusch • Michelle Hutton • Deepak Kumar • Jim Kurose • Andrea Lawrence • Richard Pattis • Katie Siek • Beth Simon • Larry Snyder • Lynn Stein • Fran Trees • Lien Diaz • Cameron Wilson • Jan Cuny • Kathy Haynie CE21, CSPrinciples

7. Why is this possible now? “AP Courses should not be designed solely to replicate introductory college courses (which are not typically exemplary models)” • Reflect knowledge of how students learn • Convey content and unifying concepts NRC report 2002, AP Science Redesign CE21, CSPrinciples

8. Engineering a Course and Exam CE21, CSPrinciples

9. Timeline • 2009-2010 • Big Ideas, Practices, Claims/Evidence • 2010-11 • Pilot I: Five colleges • College Survey • College attestation/support • Test item prototype • 2011-12 • Pilot II: 10+ colleges, 10+ high schools CE21, CSPrinciples

10. Timeline continued • Necessary and sufficient conditions to continue • How do we ensure “substantial” buy-in? • 2012-2013, e.g., as part of CE21! • Curricular framework finalized? • Exam format identified • Deploy exam and course • 201X (X >= 5) CE21, CSPrinciples

11. From Process to Product • What will be in this course? • Pilot courses are exemplars • Seven big ideas • Six computational thinking practices • 30 claims each with 2-5 evidence statements, total of 117 • From bits to NP to modeling to … CE21, CSPrinciples

12. Where’s the Programming? • To that end [solving computational problems and exploring creative endeavors], the course highlights programming as one of the seven big ideas of computer science, because programming is among the creative processes that help transform ideas into reality. Course rational, csprinciples.org CE21, CSPrinciples

13. Big Ideas • Computing is a creative human activity that engenders innovation and promotes exploration. • Abstraction reduces information and detail to focus on concepts relevant to understanding and solving problems. CE21, CSPrinciples

14. Big Ideas Continued • Data and information facilitate the creation of knowledge. • Algorithms are tools for developing and expressing solutions to computational problems. CE21, CSPrinciples

15. Big Ideas Continued • Programming is a creative process that produces computational artifacts. • Digital devices, systems, and the networks that interconnect them enable and foster computational approaches to solving problems. CE21, CSPrinciples

16. Big Ideas • Computing enables innovation in other fields including science, social science, humanities, arts, medicine, engineering, and business. CE21, CSPrinciples

17. Computational Thinking Practices • Analyzing effects of computation • Creating computational artifacts • Using abstractions and models • Analyzing problems and artifacts • Communicating processes and results • Work effectively in teams csprinciples.org CE21, CSPrinciples

18. Claims and Evidence bit.ly/csprinc • Big Idea: Abstraction reduces information and detail to focus on concepts relevant to understanding and solving problems. • Key Concept II.A. Computational systems and problems are developed, analyzed, and solved using multiple levels of abstraction. CE21, CSPrinciples

19. Big Idea>Key Concept>Claim • Claim 5: The student can use abstractions and models to solve computational problems and analyze systems. • Evidence for Claim 5: Student work is characterized by: CE21, CSPrinciples

20. Evidence statements for 5 • 5a. Explanation of how data, information or knowledge are represented at different levels of abstraction. • 5b. Use of simulation and randomness to analyze and solve problems. • 5c. Explanation of how abstractions are used in software systems at many levels, ranging from programming languages to operating systems to the Internet. • 5d. Explanation of the abstractions comprising the physical layers of computing hardware, including gates, chips, and components. CE21, CSPrinciples

21. Five Pilots, One Plane Information about Pilot I (thanks to Larry Snyder) CE21, CSPrinciples

22. Five Campuses, Five Teachers The pilot schools and instructors … • Metropolitan State College, Denver: Jody Paul • UC Berkeley: Dan Garcia • UC San Diego: Beth Simon • UNC at Charlotte: Tiffany Barnes • U Washington: Larry Snyder CE21, CSPrinciples

23. Cross-Campus Comparison I CE21, CSPrinciples

24. Cross-Campus Comparison II CE21, CSPrinciples

25. Future work • Oversee pilot courses, analyze the outcomes of the pilots, prepare for next, larger pilot, … LARGER PILOT • Gain consensus on claims and evidence • Develop prototype exam questions • Gather support for next phase of project, letters of attestation CE21, CSPrinciples

26. Questions • http://www.csprinciples.org/pilots CE21, CSPrinciples