Linking with High SchoolComputer Science

Gary MonnardSt. Ambrose University

For IUCSC – March 28, 2015

Computer Science Academy

• Joint Project of Two High Schools– Bettendorf and Pleasant Valley (2 miles apart)

• Bettendorf and Pleasant Valley Business and Education Partnership (for 17 years)– Engage high school students in the work place• Shadowing, internships, job training• Extended School to Work Program• Well established academies for seven career tracks (e.g.,

business, engineering, allied health)• Directed by Tammy Chelf since 1998

Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council BEST Grant ($25,000)

• Centers for Advanced Professional Studies– Iowa's statewide STEM initiative invites schools

and business collaboratives to propose STEM Business Engaging Students and Teachers (BEST) that place high-schoolers in work settings to solve real challenges while completing coursework.

– Modeled after the Northland CAPS, planning/implementation grants of up to $25,000 will be provided this fall to a handful of new partners of the Governor's STEM Advisory Council

Academy Committee

• Bettendorf & Pleasant Valley Teachers and Administrators

• St. Ambrose and Scott Community College Computer Science and IT Faculty – Scott well-integrated into the two districts

• Deere & Company, Alcoa, Twin State Technical Services

Challenge for the High Schools

• Curriculum that is compatible between two districts

• Provide a capstone experience building from pre-determined (sequential) standards

Challenge of Preparation

• Can high school students have a productive computing internship?– Engage with the IT work place?– Contribute constructively to problem solving

teams?• computer science curriculum that prepares

students for the Academy’s setting in the workplace.

Curriculum Sketch(Early Stages)

• Bettendorf– Semester-length Computer Investigations course

targeted at Freshmen, Sophomores• Application creation• Problem solving skills• Coding and gaming skills

– AP Course Junior Year– Computer Science Academy

Pleasant Valley

• Curriculum Track will follow Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Computer Science Standard– All Iowa Quad Cities high schools except

Bettendorf already have PLTW engineering.– PLTW has a

four year Computer Science curriculum, which includes the forthcoming AP Principles as well as the AP A course

– Bennett Brown, one of PLTW’s 5 Directors of Computer Science, happens to reside in Iowa City

AP Principles Course

• AP Principles Launches in 2016-17• SIGCSE 2015: “CS Principles: Expanding the

Community” – very crowded room (40-50)– Lien Diaz, College Board

• AP Principles Timeline– Draft Syllabi from Pilot Instructors Due – 6-5-15– Feedback from College Board – Feb 2016– 2016-17 Syllabus Submission – March 2016

Challenge of Preparing HS Instructors

• Multiple Preparation Programs for Pilot Courses – NSF Funded– Trinity College - Ralph Morelli – Mobile CSP

• Six weeks prep time (seemed the minimum necessary to Morelli)

– UC Berkeley – Daniel Garcia – Beauty & Joy of Computing• Six weeks – (1st and 6th week in residence)

• Project Lead the Way (PLTW)• 3-Stage Professional Development• UI, ISU – Core Training for CSE Course – 7/19-31/15

• Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA)

Matching CS Principles ACM CS 0

• St Ambrose CSCI 140: (Required for Majors)• University of Iowa CSCI 110: (Gen Ed)

– Introductory course in computer science and the study of algorithms appropriate for students in data-intensive disciplines. Topics include how computers work, simple algorithms and their efficiency, networking, databases, artificial intelligence, graphics, simulation and modeling, security and the social impact of computing. The course also includes a gentle hands-on introduction to programming concepts with Python.

• CS Principles an appropriate substitution?