Project Objective
List of CSED-NY Engineering Design Activities Under Development
The National Science Foundation has just funded Hofstra to undertake the Computer Science through Engineering Design in New York Project. This is a groundbreaking initiative that broadens access to secondary school computer science by bringing New York State Technology Education teachers into the mainstream of the Computer Science delivery system.
The CSED-NY Project aims to serve the national interest by implementing an initiative aimed at broadening capacity and participation in secondary school Computer Science (CS) education across the state of New York. There is presently a severe shortage of CS teachers that will be exacerbated as more schools embrace CS education. To help mitigate the teacher shortage, CSEDNY will implement a model to prepare MS and HS Technology and Engineering (T&E) teachers in diverse NYS communities to teach CS courses. T&E teachers have generally not been prepared to teach CS; yet they teach in virtually every one of the state’s school districts and serve all student populations. The model is transferable nationally and this population of teachers can add significantly to the CS delivery system.
Four complementary and unifying Project components comprise a systems approach to broadening CS education capacity and participation. They are: Component 1, implementing a statewide middle school-to-high school engineering design-based CS curricular continuum for T&E education with an aligned teacher professional development (PD) program; component 2, recruiting, engaging, and retaining diverse students by situating learning in the context of authentic, culturally relevant engineering design challenges; component 3, establishing a pathway to dual T&E/CS state certification for teachers; and component 4, fostering family engagement in CS education. The dual certification and family engagement in CS components are unique and innovative and can be adopted by myriad STEM preservice and school-based programs. The prototypical model is situated in twelve middle and high school classrooms in rural, suburban, and urban LEAs which reflect New York State’s diverse population. The Project’s professional development program integrates culturally relevant pedagogy to address barriers to broadening participation and persistence in STEM.
Research will contribute generalizable findings about all Project components as a coordinated system for broadening capacity and participation in CS education. Components 1 and 2 research will study the impact of pedagogically sound CS instruction on T&E teachers’ content knowledge and psychosocial mindsets―and the subsequent impact of those on pedagogical approaches and student outcomes. Component 3 research will investigate how a program leading to dual T&E and CS certification broadens teacher and school capacity. Component 4 research will identify family engagement variables that contribute to or inhibit desired student outcomes. The Project will collect qualitative and quantitative data through the use of document reviews, surveys from teachers and curriculum developers, observations, feedback from the PD institute participants, results of pilot testing the curriculum including student performance data, student surveys, and teacher surveys/reflections. Using these data, we will create constructs using multiple indicators to empirically and descriptively articulate and test the Project model. Since each component impacts student engagement and retention, research investigates how they synergistically serve as direct or mediator variables for desired outcome sand will iteratively inform all elements of the program.
Deliverables include a secondary school curriculum using authentic engineering design challenges that integrates T&E and CS standards into a secondary school continuum of instruction; a set of professional development modules aligned with curriculum to train educators to deliver the integrated CS and T&E content effectively; assessment instruments to measure student learning outcomes and teacher growth; student projects and artifacts resulting from engagement with the authentic design challenges; a certification framework outlining the pathway to dual T&E and CS state certification for teachers and resources and training materials to support teachers in acquiring the necessary skills for dual certification; family workshop materials and resources for families to empower families to support their children’s CS learning; and research findings and insights from ongoing program evaluations and assessments. The replicable systems-based model is nationally transferable to programs in T&E and beyond.
Expanding the CS delivery system through T&E in New York State is a model for how T&E teachers nationwide can broaden CS participation without compromising their focus on hands-on project-based learning, T&E learning standards, and design-based instruction. In the final year, leadership teams from across NYS state will participate in a NYSTEEA-led day-long Statewide Dissemination Workshop. The Project is positioned to contribute valuable knowledge, resources, and models that have the potential to shape the landscape of CS education, teacher preparation, and family engagement at both state and national levels This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.