Collaborative Research: Using Flow-Based Music Programming to Engage Children in Computer Science

协作研究：使用基于流程的音乐编程让孩子们参与计算机科学

• 批准号: 2241715
• 负责人: Wanli Xing
• 金额: $ 39.17万
• 依托单位: University of Florida
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-06-15 至 2027-05-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2241715&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Using; Flow; Based

Achieving the goal of broadening participation in the computer science (CS) workforce will require that children have access to early opportunities to engage with CS. However, the reality is that most underrepresented children in elementary schools do not have access to CS at all. To remediate that lack of access, this project seeks to create a deeply engaging music-based CS education program and curriculum, M-Flow, that can be easily adopted by elementary schools. Computer music provides an excellent opportunity to broaden engagement in CS, as music is intrinsically connected with student identities, and it shares so many structural and historical connections with computing. M-Flow is a flow-based programming platform geared toward children in fifth grade. In flow-based programming platforms, lines of code are replaced by a graphic flowchart that uses boxes and arrows to represent process and connections. This project will explore the conjecture that a flow-based programming platform may be well-suited for novice coders to rapidly develop applications and for non-specialized teachers to implement in classrooms. Outputs of the project will include a 10 hour curriculum, teacher professional development, career awareness videos, and a browser-based programming platform accessible to anyone with internet access.The project will engage a team of teacher-leaders and curriculum experts to co-design learning modules, employing an iterative Design-Based Research to investigate how the program engages underrepresented elementary school learners in computing and music learning. The team will also develop career awareness videos and video tutorials, recruiting young underrepresented professionals to feature from San Diego Chapter of the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers. With a larger population of teachers and students the project will study how the revised flow based music programming platform is perceived and used by students and teachers, and where scaffolds are needed; how flow-based music programming influences teachers' dispositions towards CS and interest in adoption of CS activities in the classrooms; and how flow-based music programming influences students learning of CS and interest in CS careers. Data includes video recordings and observations of classroom use, pre and post interviews and think-alouds, focus groups, semi-structured interviews, performance assessments, attitude surveys, and clickstream data. The intellectual merit of the research lies in its exploration of the utility of a flow-based programming approach for engaging young novice learners with computer science. The project has the potential to make large broader impacts via its web-based distribution model, which would allow teachers to readily adopt the curriculum, potentially engaging thousands of young learners in Computer Science activities. This project is funded by the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program, which supports projects that build understandings of practices, program elements, contexts and processes contributing to increasing students' knowledge and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communication technology (ICT) careers. This project is also funded through the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.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.

实现扩大计算机科学（CS）劳动力参与的目标将要求儿童获得与CS互动的早期机会。但是，现实情况是，小学中大多数代表性不足的儿童根本无法使用CS。为了补充缺乏访问权限，该项目旨在创建一个非常引人入胜的基于音乐的CS教育计划和课程M-Flow，该课程很容易被小学采用。计算机音乐为扩大CS的参与提供了绝佳的机会，因为音乐与学生的身份具有内在的联系，并且与计算机共享许多结构和历史连接。 M-Flow是一个基于流程的编程平台，适用于五年级的儿童。在基于流程的编程平台中，代码线被图形流程图替换，该图形流程图使用框和箭头来表示过程和连接。该项目将探讨以下猜想：基于流的编程平台可能非常适合新手编码人员快速开发应用程序，并使非专业教师在教室中实施。该项目的产出将包括10小时的课程，教师专业发展，职业意识视频以及一个基于浏览器的编程平台可访问具有互联网访问的任何人。该项目将与教师领导者和课程专家组成的团队共同设计学习模式，并使用基于迭代的设计研究，以使用迭代设计的研究来使用培训的课程来调查未经培训的元素学习者的学习方式，并在计算中学习和计算音乐。 该团队还将开发职业意识视频和视频教程，招募年轻代表性不足的专业人士，从西班牙裔专业工程师协会的圣地亚哥分会发表专业人士。随着较大的教师和学生的人数，该项目将研究学生和老师如何感知和使用基于流动的音乐编程平台以及需要脚手架的地方； 基于流程的音乐节目如何影响教师对CS的倾向以及对在课堂上采用CS活动的兴趣；以及基于流程的音乐节目如何影响学生对CS的学习和对CS职业的兴趣。数据包括视频记录和课堂使用的观察，访谈前后的观察结果，焦点小组，半结构化访谈，绩效评估，态度调查和ClickStream数据。这项研究的智力优点在于它探索了一种基于流程的编程方法，以使年轻的新手学习者与计算机科学联系。该项目有可能通过其基于网络的分销模型产生更广泛的影响，该模型将使教师容易采用课程，并有可能吸引成千上万的年轻学习者从事计算机科学活动。该项目由针对学生和教师（ITEST）计划的创新技术经验提供资金，该计划支持对实践，计划要素，环境和过程的理解的项目，从而有助于增加学生对科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）以及信息和通信技术（ICT）职业的知识和兴趣。该项目还通过CS为所有人提供资金：研究和RPPS计划。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响审查标准通过评估来支持的。