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Show i THE FORUM ADMINISTRATION & FACULTY 7 - OCTOBER 3, 2012 i i J Professor promotes computer science in high schools ' Jessie Smith Staff Reporter i 1 I Helen Hu, an associate professor of computer science, was recently awarded a $790,000 grant to facilitate promoting computer sdence in Utahs public and charter high schools. The money comes from the National Science Foundations (NSF) CS10K grant program. Hu and her colleagues were awarded the grant because their mission aligns with the NSF goal. Zgorski of the NSF said that the grant was created to allow for rigorous academic curricula incorporated into computing courses in 10,000 high schools. These programs are to be taught by 10,000 teachers. In an effort to provide better acLisa-Jo- y t well-train- ed cess to computer science, Hu took on the role of principle investigator in a project to bring the subject to every high school in Utah. Her goal is to train 100 computer science teachers in the state within three years. The grant money is going to allow us to scale the program much faster than we would be able to otherwise, she said. This year, the curriculum is being piloted in three Utah high schools. The team plans to bring ECS to 20 more schools for the 2013-201- 4 school year. Hu is working with Carl Lyman, an education specialist in information technology for the Utah State Office of Education, and Jay McCarthy, an assistant professor at Brigham Young University in Provo. The group is using a curriculum called Exploring Computer Science (ECS). The ECS program has already been applied to both Los Angeles and Chicago high schools, and has resulted in an improved rate of female and minority pre-design- ed participation. Students often feel that computer science is intimidating, Hu said. To allay that fear, the ECS curriculum spends the first half of the course problem solving and doesnt apply that to the computer programming until the second half of the program. When I help students we dont necessarily sit and look at their computer code, Hu said, we take a step back and see how we can solve a problem. Hu feels that placing the focus of computer science on problem solving rather than computer coding will benefit even those students who dont choose to pursue computer science. With an increase in qualified computer science teachers, the NSF hopes to see an increase in students who pursue computer science as a career. Hu said that right now, Utah has more computer science jobs than qualified people to fill them. Michael Corbett, a computer science teacher in Lehi, is currently teaching the curriculum. He found out about Hus project when she presented it during a meeting of the Utah Computer Science Teachers Association, and it piqued his inter- i f est. I was looking for something to fulfill the graduation requirement of computer science, Corbett said. The program that he has been different teaching focuses on computers being a tool for business, while the new curriculum introduces students to the field of computer science. Corbetts students have been responsive to the ECS curriculum so far, and have been involved in more group work this year than they have in the past There are two versions of the ECS to choose from right now: a program in Los Angeles and another in Chicago. As this process continues, we will have to make recommendations ofhow to tweak the program to fit Utah, Corbett said. He feels that the program will eventually be tailored to fit the cultural dynamics unique to Utah. As the program grows, Hu plans to involve various departments of Westminster. Because students of the school of education are trained in classroom observation, she plans to have them help determine the effectiveness of ) injE mm I WINTER PARK JOB CITY FAIR TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2:00 - 6:00 PM 2012 THE YARROW HOTEL, 1800 Park Avenue pa rk CHAMBER Of COMMERCE Park City f y i i i 4c ty i CONVENTION t VISITORS BUREAU For more information, www.visitparkcity.com 435-649-61- 00 800-453-13- 60 ECS in Utah. i i 1 |