Democratizing computer science knowledge: transforming the face of computer science through public high school education

Abstract

Despite the fact that computer science (CS) is the driver of technological innovations across all disciplines and aspects of our lives, including participatory media, high school CS too commonly fails to incorporate the perspectives and concerns of low-income students of color. This article describes a partnership program – Exploring Computer Science (ECS) – that directly counters this problem in our nation's second largest school district. With a mission of democratizing CS learning, we argue that despite the constraints of working within public schools, it is imperative to do so. We discuss the ECS program based on inquiry, culturally relevant curriculum, and equity-oriented pedagogy. We describe two ECS-affiliated projects that highlight the importance of authorship, purpose, and agency for student learning and engagement: DietSens using mobile technology to study community health, and a project in which students create video games about social issues. Our work offers a counter-narrative to those who have written off the possibilities of working within public schools and a debunking of the too widespread myth within our educational system that females and students of color are inherently uninterested in rigorous CS learning.

Keywords:

• equity
• cultural relevance
• computer science
• public high school education
• teacher professional development

Notes

All of the initiatives described in this article are made possible through funding from the National Science Foundation Broadening Participation in Computing and Math and Science Partnership programs.

Based on the idea that many cultural designs are rooted in mathematical principles, Dr Ron Eglash developed several online software programs – called ‘Culturally Situated Design Tools’ – that teach math and computing skills through the simulation of cultural artifacts or development of unique designs. For example, students can learn fractal geometry through the ‘African Fractals’ program or learn physics and how to program slopes and arcs through the ‘Skateboarding’ program.

All names have been changed to protect participant privacy.

‘Street Fighter’ is a Japanese video game first released in 1987 in which game players choose martial artists/fighters from around the world – each with her or his own unique martial arts styles – to compete against each other. When Ronaldo began designing his own version of this game, his teacher felt concern for two reasons. First of all, he did not want to condone the creation of violent video games. However, he also recognized that Ronaldo's game did not emphasize gory details and was not as violent as ‘shoot ‘em up’ games. Secondly, he did not want students necessarily copying the look of already published games. However, he recognized that the process of mimicking a famous game actually required deep and rigorous CS problem-solving skills and thinking. It is not easy to recreate ‘Street Fighter’ in all of its complex details – from designing stages and characters to programming the computer to properly calculate points based on game characters’ interactions. Thus, while the teacher talked with Ronaldo about his game design decisions and challenged Ronaldo's choice to create a violent video game, the teacher did not stop him from creating this program because it peaked Ronaldo's enthusiasm and interest in CS.

Student quotes were not edited for grammar or spelling to remain true to their voices and perspectives.

Both of these projects were spearheaded by UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies doctoral students in collaboration with LAUSD teachers.

MEChA (Movímíento Estudíantíl Chícan@ de Aztlán) is a national organization created as a result of Chicano organizing during the Civil Rights Movement in 1969 to increase higher education for Latino(as) through political consciousness and student activism.

UCLA Center X's Teacher-Initiated Inquiry Project awards grants to teams of Los Angeles County teachers to identify, plan, and implement their own professional development. The mission of this project is to promote educator innovation and creativity as a vehicle for school reform.

Participatory Sensing was developed by the UCLA Center for Embedded Networked Sensing (CENS).

The UCLA CENS High School Scholar Summer Program offered students first-hand experience in a university setting conducting cutting-edge research using mobile phone technology. The program was supported by our National Science Foundation into the Loop Alliance.

In this context, ‘serious’ video games are games designed with the expressed purpose of teaching the audience/player a message that is personally meaningful for the designer. Though game play may vary, the goal is to challenge the player to deepen their thinking and/or develop a more critical view of an issue.