Courses in Computer Science Education

This is the first of a two-course sequence, where students will be introduced to a variety of different conceptualizations and pedagogical approaches for computer science education for K-12. In this course, students will spend their time at the micro level, learning about the strategies for teaching computer science as well as components involved in developing lesson plans. In the subsequent course, students will shift to the macro-level, where they will learn how to develop entire units of instruction.

This is the second of a two-part sequence focused on computer science pedagogy in K-12 schools. In the previous course, students spent their time at the micro-level, learning how to develop isolated lesson plans. In this course, students will spend their time at the macro-level and learn how to develop entire units of instruction. Building on the first course, students will examine factors influencing teaching, learning, and assessment of robust computer science curriculum aligned to national and state standards. Emphasis is placed on developing computational thinking and reinforcing computer programming concepts.

This first course in a two-part series introduces the principles and practices of object-oriented (OO) programming and procedural programming, and the evolution of hardware, software, and networking technologies. Programming topics include traditional programming constructs (i.e., sequence, selection, and repetition); class definitions; class versus instance properties and methods; abstraction; encapsulation; inheritance and multiple inheritance; polymorphism; software design techniques; problem-solving; and introductory user interfaces. Additional topics cover current software, hardware, and network terminology and technologies. The concepts are utilized in numerous activities in the course. This course is targeted at in-service K-12 teachers who intend to teach computer science in their schools and school districts.

This second course in a two-part series introduces the principles and practices of software design, basic data structures, and the historical and social aspects of computer science. Programming topics include a review of foundational programming concepts covered in the first course, exception-handling, recursion, linked lists, stacks, queues, priority queues, binary trees, graphs, and advanced sorting algorithms. Special attention will be placed on efficient algorithm design and Big-O notation. Additional topics cover historical and social aspects of computer science with implications for the future. The concepts are utilized in numerous activities in the course. This course is targeted at in-service K-12 teachers who intend to teach computer science in their schools and school districts.

This course examines current and emerging issues and trends impacting computer science (CS) education. What do we know about teaching computer science? What assumptions does the CS education research field make about pedagogy, who belongs/doesn’t belong in CS education, and how to measure learning and engagement? Students in this course will become familiar with existing CS education research and will critically examine that research in light of historical trends, social implications, and the future of CS education. We will explore relevant educational theories as well as topics such as social justice, accessibility, and the varying roles of teachers and students in current CS educational approaches.

This course provides a culminating experience for the MAE in Computer Science Education. It allows students to integrate knowledge learned across the program into an investigation of a computer science (CS) education problem of practice. Each student will explore an advanced topic in CS education, define a question related to that advanced topic within their professional context, and develop a systematic way of investigating problem through practitioner inquiry.