Standard 1: School/program provides equitable opportunities for students to engage in high quality STEM learning.
Concept 1: School/program has adopted an inclusive model of STEM education that is representative of community served by the institution.
Diversity Trends in the Computer Science Classes
The initial strategy to increase enrollments in Computer Science was to push it as a way to learn how to make your own games. This resulted in a large percentage of males to join the pathway. The initial goal was met, but the side effect was a lower percentage of females and a limited amount of diverse students. We informally interviewed female students taking computer science classes to see what they liked in the course and what they didn't like. Largely, most female students liked solving problems, but weren't interested in game design.
In 2016, we started making a focused effort to bring in more diversity with 3 specific changes in mind. The first strategy was to start developing apps in class. This was a big hit! Students loved having an alternative to game design. In the early days of our app development curriculum, we used a lot of step by step instructions to help students and teachers become more comfortable with the concepts. Now, students in all computer science classes are developing apps with each level in the pathway requiring less instructions for students.
The second strategy was to implement an outlet for creativity for problem solving. This manifested in the apps especially. We encouraged students to take what they are learning in the app development assignments and apply it to a new app that would solve problems in one of these 3 areas: My Community, My Self, and My School. This results in many students having a voice in what they were creating and resulted in a much more engaged student.
The third strategy was to create a gamified classroom atmosphere to make learning programming more fun. Our classes would often have races and challenges in class to learn programming concepts. We also had contests where we would have people use our apps and games and vote on the winners. Each winning team would earn "Blakemore Bitcoins" to be used for classroom rewards.
All three strategies paid large dividends. In the first year, the data shows that despite being outnumbered 31 males to 7 females, female students actually won 45% of the App Challenge prizes. However, the males dominated the game design challenges winning 78% of the prizes. The links below show the winners of the various challenges. We often look back at this data to observe trends. For example, even though the race days were fun in class, the winners of the competitions weren't representing the diversity in the class. In 2020, we replaced races days with a Find Your Limit Challenge. This encourages individuals to try their best and work together as a team to earn points.
The charts below show the advancement in diversity in the Computer Science Pathway. Despite starting the Computer Science pathway with mostly white males, the pathway has seen increases in diversity each year.
In 2016, we started making a focused effort to bring in more diversity with 3 specific changes in mind. The first strategy was to start developing apps in class. This was a big hit! Students loved having an alternative to game design. In the early days of our app development curriculum, we used a lot of step by step instructions to help students and teachers become more comfortable with the concepts. Now, students in all computer science classes are developing apps with each level in the pathway requiring less instructions for students.
The second strategy was to implement an outlet for creativity for problem solving. This manifested in the apps especially. We encouraged students to take what they are learning in the app development assignments and apply it to a new app that would solve problems in one of these 3 areas: My Community, My Self, and My School. This results in many students having a voice in what they were creating and resulted in a much more engaged student.
The third strategy was to create a gamified classroom atmosphere to make learning programming more fun. Our classes would often have races and challenges in class to learn programming concepts. We also had contests where we would have people use our apps and games and vote on the winners. Each winning team would earn "Blakemore Bitcoins" to be used for classroom rewards.
All three strategies paid large dividends. In the first year, the data shows that despite being outnumbered 31 males to 7 females, female students actually won 45% of the App Challenge prizes. However, the males dominated the game design challenges winning 78% of the prizes. The links below show the winners of the various challenges. We often look back at this data to observe trends. For example, even though the race days were fun in class, the winners of the competitions weren't representing the diversity in the class. In 2020, we replaced races days with a Find Your Limit Challenge. This encourages individuals to try their best and work together as a team to earn points.
- 2016 Software Design Business Winners
- 2017 Software Design Business Winners
- 2018 Software Design Business Winners
- 2019 Software Design Business Winners
The charts below show the advancement in diversity in the Computer Science Pathway. Despite starting the Computer Science pathway with mostly white males, the pathway has seen increases in diversity each year.
Diversity Trends in Programs Provided
The Computer Science Club is the all encompassing club that informs students about events happening related to Computer Science. The charts below show the advancement in diversity over the last few years.
Concept 2: School/program engages in proactive strategies to recruit and support engagement from students traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields of work and learning.
The Computer Science department has explored several options to reach students that may not consider Computer Science as a pathway. We categorize them into 2 groups: active and passive. Our active recruitment involves counselors meeting with students that have a Computer Science aptitude based on the YouScience test and encouraging them to pursue that pathway. We also have 8th grade tours where students visit classrooms to learn more about the pathway. Our passive recruitment involves attracting students to our pathway by developing various artifacts that make students say "I want to do that!"
Field Trips
Our department likes to use field trips as a way to put students in front of successful people. The CompSci Con was a memorable one for our department. We took 5 female students to Columbus, GA to hear guest speakers about diversity and computer science. When those students returned, they were more active and motivated to succeed in computer science. The students went on to win various competitions including the Congressional App Challenge, the Tech Fair, and several FBLA events. These girls were wonderful students to begin with, but they started on the fence on whether it could be their pathway. The conference did a lot to help their confidence in their decision.
YouScience Recruitment
Our school has been giving the YouScience exam to all of our 9th graders since 2019. The YouScience exam is designed to help students learn their aptitudes. Then the platform provides careers and colleges that may fit their profile. We have used these reports in many ways. Advisors walk through the results and explain what it means. This often leads to what courses could be good to take in high school. Counselors use the reports to help assist students select the correct pathway for them. Teachers can use the reports to learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of students. Ultimately, its a tool to help identify students that may do well in certain areas.
Learn more about You Science at youscience.com
Learn more about You Science at youscience.com
SnapChat Filters
At the high school level, our SnapChat filters are definitely the best tool to make students consider the Computer Science pathway. Just during Homecoming Week, our SnapChat filters were viewed over 1 million times. When students realize that it was created in the Computer Science pathway by Computer Science students, they always want to peak inside the classroom to learn more.
Below is a Slideshow that contains SnapCodes for each home football game as well as one for everyday of Homecoming week. These slideshows were running in the hallway, the media center and the cafeteria. It was a great way to build school spirit, but also an opportunity to highlight the Computer Science Pathway.
Below is a Slideshow that contains SnapCodes for each home football game as well as one for everyday of Homecoming week. These slideshows were running in the hallway, the media center and the cafeteria. It was a great way to build school spirit, but also an opportunity to highlight the Computer Science Pathway.
Apps Developed for Younger Students
Another passive recruitment tool that we have used is creating apps specifically for our younger Trojans. We have made several apps like the Trojan Sight Words or Trojan Quick Math. Both of these apps were developed by collaborating with teachers at our elementary school. These apps are then used in classroom and downloaded by parents for home use. The response has been incredible! The parents generally had no idea we could even do that at the high school level. The parents have not only remarked that they want to child to take the class, they want to take it for themselves.
Mentoring
Another passive recruiting tool we use is mentoring. Recently our school system started looking into creating a K-12 Computer Science curriculum. That has opened up many opportunities for helping teachers and students at other schools with computer science. Over the last few years, our school has sent Hour of Code volunteers to the elementary school which amounts to about 3,000 students being trained by an older peer. We also send students to the schools various coding clubs. Both the elementary school and our upper elementary school have monthly coding club meetings that are regularly attended by high school mentors to help out.