All Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science is Not Created Equal: A Comparison of AP Computer Science A and Computer Science Principles
Douglas D. Havard,Keith E. Howard +1 more
- Vol. 2, Iss: 1, pp 16-34
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TLDR
Structural differences in both course content and end-of-course exam components likely result in less depth and rigor in the new Computer Science Principles course as compared to the Computer Science A course, making it a less viable option for students looking to acquire skills transferable to future computer science study or employment.Abstract:
This article compares the two most prominent courses of Advanced Placement (AP) computer science study offered throughout 9-12 grades in the U.S. The structure, guidelines, components, and exam formats of the traditional AP Computer Science A course and the relatively newer AP Computer Science Principles course were compared to examine differences in content and emphases. A depth-of-learning analysis was conducted employing Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy to examine potential differences in rigor and challenge represented by the two options, particularly as it relates to acquiring computer programming proficiency. Analyses suggest structural differences in both course content and end-of-course exam components likely result in less depth and rigor in the new Computer Science Principles course as compared to the Computer Science A course. A lower minimum standard for learning programming skills in the Computer Science Principles course was observed, making it a less viable option for students looking to acquire skills transferable to future computer science study or employment. The potential implications for students choosing the new course over the traditional offering, as well as for schools opting for the new course as its sole or primary offering are discussed.read more
Citations
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Computational Thinking 計算論的思考
Jeannette M. Wing,翻訳:中島 秀之 +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, a universally applicable attitude and skill set for computer science is presented, which is a set of skills and attitudes that everyone would be eager to learn and use, not just computer scientists.
Proceedings ArticleDOI
Does AP CS Principles Broaden Participation in Computing?: An Analysis of APCSA and APCSP Participants
Linda J. Sax,Kaitlin N. S. Newhouse,Joanna Goode,Max Skorodinsky,Tomoko M. Nakajima,Michelle Sendowski +5 more
TL;DR: It is suggested that while CSP may be recruiting more females and racially diverse students into the course, this course alone may not serve as a direct pipeline into computing majors and careers.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Association of High School Computer Science Content and Pedagogy with Students’ Success in College Computer Science
TL;DR: Two predictors of higher grades in college CS are found: greater frequency of coding-related activities in HS and lower frequency of “non-coding” computer use (e.g., data analysis, computer security).
Journal ArticleDOI
Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles: Searching for Equity in a Two-Tiered Solution to Underrepresentation
TL;DR: Although students who enrolled in Computer Science A were five times as likely to declare a STEM major, a comparison of the curricula and assessments for the two courses suggests that the Computer Science Principles exam places far less emphasis on programming.
Journal ArticleDOI
Physical Computing Strategy to Support Students’ Coding Literacy: An Educational Experiment with Arduino Boards
Chih-Chao Chung,Shi-Jer Lou +1 more
TL;DR: According to the qualitative analysis using student interviews, Arduino boards were found to improve students’ motivation to learn coding and to aid in systematically guiding students toward improving their coding literacy by combining their learning with DBL theory.
References
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Book
Mindstorms: Children, Computers, And Powerful Ideas
TL;DR: The gears of my childhood as discussed by the authors were a source of inspiration for many of the ideas we use in our own work, such as the notion of assimilation of knowledge into a new model.
Book ChapterDOI
A framework for representing knowledge
TL;DR: The enormous problem of the volume of background common sense knowledge required to understand even very simple natural language texts is discussed and it is suggested that networks of frames are a reasonable approach to represent such knowledge.
Journal ArticleDOI
Computational thinking
TL;DR: In this paper, a universally applicable attitude and skill set for computer science is presented, which is a set of skills and attitudes that everyone would be eager to learn and use, not just computer scientists.
Journal ArticleDOI
Computational Thinking in K–12 A Review of the State of the Field
Shuchi Grover,Roy Pea +1 more
TL;DR: The current state of discourse on computational thinking in K-12 education by examining mostly recently published academic literature that uses Wing's article as a springboard, identifies gaps in research, and articulates priorities for future inquiries as mentioned in this paper.
Journal ArticleDOI
The cognitive revolution: a historical perspective
TL;DR: By then, it was becoming clear in several disciplines that the solution to some of their problems depended crucially on solving problems traditionally allocated to other disciplines, and collaboration was called for.
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