Cultivating Interest and Competencies in Computing Authentic Experiences and Design Factors (2021) / Chapter Skim
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8 Conclusions, Recommendations, and Research Agenda
8 Conclusions, Recommendations, and Research Agenda
Pages 149-162
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From page 149... ...
uthenticity can also refer to how meaningful or relevant a learning A experience seems from the learner's perspective. Given the complexity of the term, the committee identified two key facets of authenticity: "professional authenticity" -- that is, aligned with professional STEM practices and culture -- and "personal authenticity" -- that is, personally or culturally meaningful to the learner.
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From page 150... ...
This broad framing means that the outcomes go beyond a narrow focus on coding to include a larger set of foundational knowledge and competencies. Finally, the committee considered the range of settings in which authentic learning experiences in computing occur, including schools, informal settings, home, and online communities.
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. CONCLUSION 2: Authentic learning experiences in computing that are designed to closely mirror professional practice -- professional authenticity -- may engage some learners.
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When a STEM learning experience is connected to cultural referents, places, and social relationships that learners find personally meaningful, it can foster a sense of disciplinary learning that is relevant to the learner. In view of this research, authentic experiences in computing that reflect professional practice and also connect learners to problems that they care about are one possible approach for reaching a broader range of learners.
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CONCLUSION 8: Authentic learning experiences in computing can occur in a wide range of settings, including classrooms, community organizations, homes as well as online. Each setting brings constraints as well as affordances with respect to the potential to provide experiences that combine both personal and professional authenticity.
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. CONCLUSION 11: In both formal and out-of-school settings, educators and program facilitators who have strong backgrounds in computing and are proficient in pedagogical approaches that engage learners are key to implementing professionally and personally authentic learning experiences in computing.
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. Designing Authentic Learning Experiences in Computing CONCLUSION 12: Principles for good program design for STEM learning, which incorporate attention to both professional and personal authenticity, suggest that careful attention to the following factors is essential: • programmatic goals, including specification of desired outcomes; • characteristics of the learners to be served; • learners' interests, identities, and backgrounds; • involvement of supportive caregivers, peers, educators, facilitators, and mentors; • preparation of the individuals who will support the experience; • ensuring participants have access to necessary materials and resources; and • the organizational contexts within which the learning will occur.
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RECOMMENDATION 1: Program designers should be intentional in the design and implementation of programs offering authentic learning experiences that build interest and competencies for computing. This includes: • having clear and explicit programmatic goals and continuous re finement of the program to ensure alignment to those goals; • designing for personal authenticity that builds on learners' inter ests, identities, and backgrounds while also designing for profes sional authenticity; • ensuring that the participants include people who are under represented in computing because of their gender, race, ethnicity, or perceived ability; • considering inclusion of families and community members as well as learners in opportunities to co-create activities; • ensuring educators and facilitators have adequate preparation and access to necessary materials and resources; and • reflecting on whether the communication, outreach, and operation of the program are inviting for learners who are underrepresented in computing because of their gender, race, ethnicity, or perceived ability.
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ensuring schools have adequate resources such as equipment, reliable broadband Internet, and time. RECOMMENDATION 5: Program providers in out-of-school settings should increase efforts to expand access to authentic learning experi ences for computing through growth of opportunities and active pro gram promotion within underserved communities and in rural areas.
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The pressure to expand access to computing and the proliferation of programs for computing creates urgency for the research community to better understand how these experiences can best support learners. The major gaps in the evidence base related to learning experiences in computing include a lack of knowledge about the access and participation in authentic learning experiences in computing, particularly those that ccur outside of the formal school setting; a lack of evidence about the o specific design features and pedagogies that facilitate high-quality uthentic a learning experiences in computing; and a lack of evidence about the effectiveness and outcomes of programs that provide authentic learning experiences in computing.
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From page 159... ...
It is worth noting that this research is challenging due to the heterogeneity of learners as well as type and quality of authentic STEM experiences. The possible areas for study below are an invitation for continued dialogue and a guide for funders or researchers seeking to understand the role of authentic learning experiences in developing interest, foundational knowledge, and competencies in computing.
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. Supporting Learning How to best support authentic learning experiences in computing might be explored through studies that • outline effective professional preparation and professional develop ment programs, including pedagogy and content knowledge, for teachers and facilitators; • probe how in-school and out-of-school, home, online, and youth driven learning experiences can mutually support students' ongoing participation and aspirations in computing; • examine how accumulated learning experiences about comput ing, over time, support students' efficacy, interests, and knowledge growth toward pursuing computing; • detail the impact of peer and adult encouragement for supporting students' interest in pursuing computing; and • identify the skills, interest, and competencies in computing that are developed in home-based settings or outside of structured (in school or out-of-school)
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From page 161... ...
Engaging learners in opportunities that enable them to develop computational literacy and skills is imperative. However, as this final chapter suggests, there is much more that can and should be learned about the outcomes, nature, and d esign and implementation of authentic learning experiences for computing.
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