Professional Development for Computer Science Education: Design and Outcomes from a Case Study Teacher

As the role of technology in modern society increases, so too does the importance of computational thinking and computer science (CS) principles. To incorporate CS into K-12 curricula, teachers require training, continuing support, and access to computing hardware and software. Over the course of a semester, we followed one case study teacher as she applied CS principles in her school curriculum following her participation in a professional development program offered by a university team. The professional development program included two key elements: a week-long Summer Institute on CS principles and follow-up classroom support offered by university undergraduates with background in CS. Data collected from observations, an interview and student artifacts, revealed several barriers hindered Brenda’s ability to incorporate CS into her lessons, but also demonstrated that these barriers could be largely overcome with support from CS undergraduates...