Widening the Pipeline of At Risk Students into Computing with Mars Rovers, Flash, Design-First Java, and Tutoring (Human and Artificial)

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Widening the Pipeline of At Risk Students into
Computing with Mars Rovers, Flash, Design-First
Java, and Tutoring (Human and Artificial)

• Glenn D. Blank
• Computer Science Engineering Department
• Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA

With support from the National Science
Foundation (Grants Nos. EIA 0231768 and
0624553) and the Pennsylvania Infrastructure
Technology Alliance (PITA)
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Need widening the pipeline

• The pipeline for women and minorities entering
  information technology is shrinking, at a time
  when projected demand for IT professionals is
  growing
• CS degrees for women 36 in 1984 to 22 in 2004
• Interest in CS among women fell 80 percent since
  1988
• Taulbee reports show declining trends for
  minorities
• Computing Research News, May 2005
• We must take direct action to attract and retain
  more women to computing at all points in the
  pipeline (i.e., K-12, undergraduate, graduate,
  faculty and industry). (Camp 1999)

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Pieces of the pipeline in place

• S.T.A.R. Academies (now in 18th year at Lehigh)
• Students That Are Ready for STEM
• Promotes academic achievement for at-risk
  students
• Saturdays (once a month) and summer (three weeks)
• College students provide tutoring and mentoring
• Corporate partners and parents
• 98 of S.T.A.R. students go to college

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LV STEMNSF G(raduate) K-12 in the Lehigh Valley

• Graduate Teaching Fellows bring research and role
  models to Lehigh Valley classrooms
• 8 teams two in CS, two in Mech Eng, Bio, Chem,
  Math, Physics
• Develop and disseminate novel resources, such as
• Mars Yard from HMMS to all four ASD middle
  schools
• Macromedia Flash enriching required Microsoft
  Office courses
• Design-First with Java introduces UML design in
  high schools
• Science and Math coordinators assure that new
  curricula meet standards and help with
  dissemination
• Curricula at www.lehigh.edu/stem
• In- pre-service training for teachers learning
  curricula
• Outreach students deploy at other schools in
  region

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Launch-IT (NSF ITEST) Launching at risk Lehigh
Valley students toward college careers in
Information Technology

• Combines strengths of S.T.A.R. LV STEM
• Targets at risk students with high standards and
  tutoring
• Connects LV STEM pipeline from middle to high
  school
• 70-80 in academic year, 55 in summer program
• Over 70 from underrepresented minorities
• Over 55 are girls

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Focus on Information Technology
E-NOSE Lab

• IT-oriented field trips
• IT at local airport, REU E-Nose Lab, Mobile
  Robotics Lab, etc.
• IT-oriented guest speakers from regional
  corporations
• Dilivium Graphic Arts, Alcatel-Lucent, Merck,
  Johnson Johnson
• Initiating conversations concerning college and
  IT careers
• One-on-one tutoring by college students
• PSAT/SAT prep
• Self-directed multimedia and intelligent tutoring
  systems

A tutoring system preparing students for SAT math
Multimedia introducing Object- oriented design
and Java
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Mars Rovers Team

• 6th and 7th graders
• Science/math/IT missions with remotely
  controlled robots in a simulated Martian
  landscape
• Isaac Rieskts, Mars Rovers in Middle Schools,
  at 520pm
• Rocketry experiments with physical and virtual
  rockets

Assembling a Mars Rover Summer 2007
Building math skills at www.FirstInMath.com
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Fuego Flash team

• 8th and 9th graders
• Flash animations and interactivity web-based
  juke box
• Programming logic with ActionScript
• Math inquiry-based activities shapes and
  tessellations
• Daily journal entries via blogging

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Design First with Java team

• 10th 12th grades
• Design First with Java curriculum
• Multimedia-enhanced
• Learn design concepts and UML before coding
• Prepare for AP Java test
• PSAT/SAT prep
• Ethics in IT
• Resume writing and mock interviews with industry
  professionals

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Results

• Satisfied with working on computers 3.5/4
• Flash animation rubric 3.7/4
• Action Script rubric 3.0/4
• Java project rubric 3.3/4
• High participation of girls and minorities
• Several seniors admitted to higher quality
  colleges than envisioned, in Computer Science
• Increasing email connection with fellows and
  tutors between sessions
• Need to improve parental involvement
• Need to monitor of progress in school

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Questions about LV STEMor Launch-IT?
My program works!
www.lehigh.edu/stem www.lehigh.edu/launchit

• LV Computer Science Teachers Association in May

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Multimedia
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Intelligent Tutoring Systems
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Thank you!
My program works!
www.lehigh.edu/launchit glennblank_at_gmail.com

• Questions?
• LV Computer Science Teachers Association in May