This SIGCSE poster presents a landscape study of six school districts across six different states in terms of their individual teachers' and administrators' capacity to integrate and implement computational thinking (CT) into their own schools and classrooms. This landscape evaluation represents the baseline start of a wider, four-year national study around district capacity to collaboratively develop consistent and comprehensive K-12 computing pathways for their students and schools. The early landscape work we present here not only represents a starting point for comparing district educators' comprehension of CT (and computer science [CS]), but also acts as an early indicator as to what extent K-12 computing is a school and district-based priority, and to what degree teachers feel they have the capacity to meaningfully implement it. This poster relies on two data sources in a mixed-methods design: Districtwide surveys of teachers and administrators on their familiarity and prioritization of CT, coupled with subsequent hour-long focus group discussions with educators to expand upon their respective district landscape survey responses. Results point to all districts perceiving the broad applicability of CT as a skill set and its integrative potential in a range of subjects. Yet in terms of classroom implementation, teachers find such CT integration decidedly less clear, recognizing it to be a priority but also reporting as less confident about creating their own curricular materials, where CT situates with their district's ongoing initiatives, and where they can find curricular resources and tools specific to their own areas of curricular integration.

Computational thinking (CT) provides opportunities for students to build the skills they need for everyday life, future academic success, and careers. Increasingly, districts are integrating CT into K-12 disciplinary subjects and a growing number of teachers need the knowledge to lead CT learning opportunities. CT is still nascent in teacher education, however, and not all teachers are receiving professional learning on the job. Teachers need effective methods of support to ensure they are providing students with high quality CT learning opportunities. We present methods of support for integrating CT into schools. The poster highlights four methods to support teacher professional learning: allowing ample time for collaboration, a school-based advocate championing CT integration, posting and promoting curated resources, and a foundational person anchoring the work as the initiative expands. In doing so, this poster provides interrelated examples of teacher support and highlights methods of continuous support for teachers integrating CT across content areas.

To promote inclusion of students with marginalized identities, districts need to develop comprehensive inclusive computing pathways across grade levels. Working in a Research Practice Partnership (RPP), we have co-designed a district-facing toolkit to support the creation of these pathways. In this poster, we present both the CT Pathways Toolkit and results from four districts piloting it. We examine the experiences of the pilot districts and analyze trends in the toolkit's use. This work expands knowledge about building inclusive computing pathways and computational thinking (CT) integration within K-12 schools.

In this special session, we present tools and resources created from educational theory to make teaching and scholarship easier and more effective. Included in these resources are CS Teachers Association, CSforAll, CS Teaching Tips, CT Pathways Toolkit, EngageCSEdu, CS Assessments Hub, Cybersecurity, and CS Ed Research Resource Center. These tools/resources provide assistance at the district and school level (administrators, curriculum designers), classroom level (teachers), and researcher/evaluator level. In addition to these overviews, we will provide information on where to find them and will leave ample time for questions from attendees.

Talladega County Schools (Talladega) is working to design and implement an inclusive K-12 computing pathway in their district as part of a larger Research Practice Partnership (RPP). This poster describes the reflections of a district leader in Talladega who led an inclusivity in computing initiative related to the pathway. The Talladega committee reflected on their pathway within the context of their district equity goal and centered conversations around how to support young women and students from low socio-economic households to participate in computing. After reflecting and discussing, the group designed equity-centered formative assessment tools for the three overarching competencies: Algorithmic Thinking; Data Collection and Analysis; and Creating Models and Simulations. This work builds on literature about designing equitable computing learning environments for students.

This poster reports on year one of a three-year NSF-funded Research Practitioner Partnership (RPP) to develop a K-8 pipeline for computer science (CS) and computational thinking (CT) education within two rural school districts in Eastern Kentucky : Pikeville Independent School District and Floyd County Schools. Economically devastated by the departure of the coal industry, these communities are committed to developing high-quality computing curricula for all students, beginning in their earliest years. The poster has two components. First, through a mixture of qualitative measures, the poster reports on the genesis and development of the RPP. It focuses on the RPP's origin in leveraging the districts' existing relationship with Pennsylvania's South Fayette School District, which has developed one of the nation's leading programs for teacher professional development (PD) in K-12 computing. The second component of the poster focuses on the development of a series of summer workshops for Kentucky Appalachia K-8 instructors to learn the basics of CS and CT and how to integrate these skills and concepts into existing K-8 coursework. Of course, the RPP faced new challenges with COVID-19 most notably, the need to offer these summer workshops remotely, and adjusting the objectives and research questions accordingly. Through focus groups with the PD instructional team and survey responses from the KY teacher workshop participants, the poster will report on the pedagogical implications of offering teacher PD exclusively online and what the ramifications have been for Pikeville and Floyd County children with the return to school in the Fall of 2020.

Three districts representing unique contexts and challenges from across the United States have been iteratively designing and implementing inclusive computing pathways for K-12 students. In this paper, we identify barriers to inclusivity within each districts? K-12 computing pathway. Through a research practice partnership (RPP), we seek to develop a shared understanding of inclusiveness and apply that understanding to the development of targeted supports in the design and implementation of K-12 computing pathways. We analyze existing structures and systems for gaps in order to create new opportunities and resources for students, teachers, schools and districts.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate student perspectives of how college computer science (CS) programs compare to those of coding bootcamps. In particular, the research examines to what degree students report their respective programs instill the necessary interpersonal and intrapersonal skills (i.e., teamwork and resilience) necessary for workforce entry. Prior research from the authors suggests there is a perception among the software industry that college graduates often lack the necessary so-called "soft" skills for successful workforce entry; this research investigates to what degree students from each educational environment mirror this sensibility in the assessment of their own abilities, learning preferences, and educational experiences. Data is based on a series of fifty (50) one-on-one interviews with students, 22 of whom come from a coding bootcamp background and 28 who come from a four-year college. Alongside these interviews, students completed both pre-surveys (50 students) and post-surveys (19 students) on learning preferences and programmatic experience; 12 students also participated in follow-up interviews further articulating their learning experiences. Results indicate that despite significant differences in age and workforce experience, coding bootcamp students and undergraduates differ little in how they perceive themselves as learners; there were notable differences in reasons for application to respective programs as well as exposure to practical learning experiences through coursework. Discussion focuses on the degree to which the aforementioned "soft skills" are perceived as learned expertise versus a personal attribute, and to what degree such perception may contribute to higher education's pedagogical and curricular approaches to CS instruction.

Cybersecurity learning has been explored through different analytical lenses, across a range of grade levels and academic institutions. From attempts to standardize learning with accreditation to refining curricula and labs, there is currently considerable effort to create more programs in this discipline to address a million-job gap within the cybersecurity workforce. One primary challenge in cybersecurity education on the post-secondary level is offering experiential coursework to undergraduate students at liberal arts institutions. While such experiential coursework is already prevalent at research universities, smaller liberal arts institutions are still trying to gain a foothold into offering cybersecurity as a course of study. We address this issue with the design of an undergraduate course and cybersecurity learning modules that fit into the liberal arts education. First, we present the design of a general education course situated in a new educational paradigm, project CyberPaths, aiming at helping primarily undergraduate institutions with limited resources to introduce experiential cybersecurity learning. It takes advantage of experiential learning through a cloud infrastructure called Global Environment for Network Innovations (GENI). Then we describe our experience teaching this First Year Experience (FYE) course that exposed freshmen of different majors to cybersecurity. We present the design of pre- and post-course surveys, as well as focus group interviews that were used to evaluate students’ learning experience. Student feedback and direct observation suggest that incorporating flexible cybersecurity modules into general education coursework can be an effective vehicle to demonstrate importance and key concepts of cybersecurity to a diverse student population.

This study reports on the perceived capacity of coding boot camps versus computer science (CS) undergraduate programs to instill a range of software development skills from an industry perspective. We present findings from a series of national focus groups and individual interviews with representatives from the software development industry, who spoke about their hiring procedures and preferences as well as how they perceived coding boot camp applicants in comparison to graduates from four-year CS degree programs. We also present findings on how the boot camp and university participants viewed their role in developing necessary skills for employability. Results indicate that hiring managers filling positions, generally have a favorable perspective of coding boot camp hires in relation to their demonstration of "soft" skills, such as teamwork, passion, and persistence; With regards to four-year university hires, several industry representatives indicated that a four-year degree is mandatory for hire, while also listing a solid understanding of CS principles and substantial exposure to mathematics. The Discussion section focuses on the future potential of coding boot camps as an alternative training ground for the software development industry.

Many computer science programs have capstone experiences or project courses that allow students to integrate knowledge from the full breadth of their major. Such capstone projects may be student-designed, instructor-designed, designed in conjunction with outside companies, or integrated with ongoing free and open source (FOSS) projects. The literature shows that the FOSS approach has attracted a great deal of interest, in particular when implemented with projects that have humanitarian goals (HFOSS). In this article, we describe five unique models from five distinct types of institutions for incorporating sustained FOSS or HFOSS (alternatively H/FOSS) project work into capstone experiences or courses. The goal is to provide instructors wishing to integrate open source experiences into their curriculum with additional perspectives and resources to help in adapting this approach to the specific needs and goals of their institution and students. All of the models presented are based on sustained engagement with H/FOSS projects that last at least one semester and often more. Each model is described in terms of its characteristics and how it fits the needs of the institution using the model. Assessment of each model is also presented. We then discuss the themes that are common across the models, such as project selection, team formation, mentoring, and student assessment. We examine the choices made by each model, as well as the challenges faced. We end with a discussion how the models have leveraged institutional initiatives and collaborations with outside organizations to address some of the challenges associated with these projects.

The goal of the CS for SC Landscape Report is to examine the current state of computing education on the K-12 level within the state of South Carolina. Building off of the 2007 South Carolina's Computing Competitiveness Report, the report more fully examines the fundamental questions of who? what? and where? in terms how computer science education has developed in the state over the past nine years. Results are reported in this poster based on a survey of 158 K-12 educators and ten follow-up interviews with leading computing teachers and program administrators from around the state. This research is funded through a generous grant through the National Science Foundation Broadening Participation in Computing Alliance (NSF Award No. 1228352, 1228355) administered through Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP).

The rise of so-called "coding boot camps" as an alternative training ground for software development is prominent in the popular press, and these camps have caught the attention of colleges and universities. Administrators and faculty considering whether and how to partner with coding boot camps may want to consider what skills and knowledge boot camps are providing to students as well as successful college/boot camp partnerships. This poster reports on data from a collaborative NSF EHR grant (#1561705/ #1561717) funding a qualitative study of how coding boot camps and university CS programs prepare students for careers as software developers. As part of early data collection for this study, we have learned not only details of boot camp student preparation for the workforce, but also ways that universities are currently partnering with boot camps. This poster will report on data gathered in focus groups and interviews with curriculum developers from both coding boot camps and university CS programs categorized into the themes of: classifications of boot camps, screening/admission criteria, student profiles, training (both independently and in partnership with colleges/universities), and job placement. We draw suggestions from this initial data as to where boot camps may be able to enhance traditional CS degrees for students and what CS educators may want to consider when evaluating the boot camp experience.

In an effort to lay a foundational framework for a computer science (CS) middle school curriculum, this research examines youth's use and perception of the introductory programming language Scratch through both the lens of storytelling and game making. Over the course of an academic semester (5 months), two classes of 6th grade students (52 students total) progressed from creating digital stories in Scratch to creating interactive games as teams, enhancing critical thinking skills, beliefs about ability, and overall literacy skills. This poster reports on students' perception of coding both in terms of storytelling as well as in terms of gaming, and how each learning "product" (e.g., stories versus games) affected students' overall perception of coding as as a practice, as well as their own interest in and persistence with such practice. Results are based on pre-and post course student and teacher surveys and interviews, weekly field note observations, and artifact analysis of particular coding scripts. Discussion section points to the wider implications for the growing number of middle school CS in-school and after-school programs nationwide, and the role of stories and games as an effective "hook" to introduce children to CS.

In this conceptual paper, we argue that recent developments in K-12 programming education are suggestive of what can be called a "social turn", a shift in the field in which learning to code has shifted from being a predominantly individualistic and tool-oriented approach to now one that is decidedly sociologically and culturally grounded in the creation and sharing of digital media. We discuss in detail three dimensions of this social turn (1) from writing code to creating applications, (2) from composing "from scratch" to remixing the work of others, and (3) from designing tools to facilitating communities. These three shifts illustrate how the development of artifacts, tools, and communities of programming lead us to move from computational thinking to computational participation. We draw from examples of past and current research, both inside and outside of school, and situate these developments in the context of current discussions around computational thinking, which has become a driving force in revitalizing programming in K-12 curricula and altogether broadening participation in computing.

This study reports on the design, implementation, and evaluation of a service-learning course based on a "cascading mentoring" model linking together the faculty, administration, and undergraduates of an urban university's computer science department with local high school students. We present findings from surveys and post-interviews that illustrate undergraduates' and high school students' experiences in the program and how their perceptions of computing and mentoring changed based upon the outreach. In our discussion, we focus on the institutional and conceptual challenges of implementing the community service course within the university's computer science department, while also highlighting the learning opportunities for streamlining such a model for future iterations.

Though recent efforts have focused on creating tools and communities for youth game designers, the emergence of online competitions is a recent phenomenon in engaging students in such activities. In this paper we describe and analyze how a class of middle-school students participated in a national STEM video game challenge. Using Scratch, students designed, debugged and submitted their own video games over a three-month period. In analyzing the game designs, we paid particular attention to the role different authentic audiences and what we learned about supporting participation in online competitions.

This study investigates the potential to introduce basic programming concepts to middle school children within the context of a classroom writing-workshop. In this paper we describe how students drafted, revised, and published their own digital stories using the introductory programming language Scratch and in the process learned fundamental CS concepts as well as the wider connection between programming and writing as interrelated processes of composition.

Community service courses are often where undergraduates make connections between academic content and practical computer science applications, build bridges between the university and the community, and ultimately increase access to technology in such communities. In this poster we report on our efforts-supported by a NSF Broadening Participation in Computing grant-to design, implement, and evaluate a service-learning course based on a "cascading mentoring" model linking together the faculty, administration, and undergraduates of an urban university's computer science department with area high school students. The poster presents the cascading model and through a series of post-interviews offers preliminary data charting undergraduates' experiences as both mentees and mentors.

The focus of this paper is to investigate how writing computer programs can help children develop their storytelling and creative writing abilities. The process of writing a program---coding---has long been considered only in terms of computer science, but such coding is also reflective of the imaginative and narrative elements of fiction writing workshops. Writing to program can also serve as programming to write, in which a child learns the importance of sequence, structure, and clarity of expression---three aspects characteristic of effective coding and good storytelling alike. While there have been efforts examining how learning to write code can be facilitated by storytelling, there has been little exploration as to how such creative coding can also be directed to teach students about the narrative and storytelling process. Using the introductory programming language Scratch, this paper explores the potential of having children create their own digital stories with the software and how the narrative structure of these stories offers kids the opportunity to better understand the process of expanding an idea into the arc of a story.

Reflecting on one of Frobel's overlooked gifts, sewing and embroidery, this paper explores a recent renaissance in commercially available textile construction kits for children. Through a survey of such kits, we argue that revisiting embroidery in this digital age is a powerful leverage to introduce computation into material culture. In particular, we highlight the evolution of recent children's textile construction kits beginning with the Barbie Fashion Designer in 1996 then moving onto more recent developments, like the LilyPad Arduino, that combines computation, ICT, fashion and craft. We discuss the implications of these designs for learning, play, and broadening participation in computing fields.