Castonguay : Éducation

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Education research team successfully launches innovative computer science curriculum

http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/science_nation/intotheloop.jsp?WT.mc_id=USNSF_51

When one thinks about computer science, images of a lone programmer might spring to mind, but computer science (CS) is about more than just coding. Computer science also includes problem solving, creativity, and abstraction. Whether designing artificial limbs, analyzing medical data to develop more effective treatments, or understanding the potential impact of impeding severe weather, computational competencies are empowering. Today, most U.S. schools do not offer academic CS courses. Schools offer courses on how to use technology, but not courses that cover the fundamental concepts and skills of computing. In fact, only 19 percent of U.S. high-school students take a computer science class, a percentage that has fallen over the last two decades. Moreover, women, African-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and individuals with disabilities take CS courses in astonishingly low numbers. These individuals constitute 70 percent of the nation's population and their underrepresentation in CS represents a loss of talent and creativity for our nation. Central to NSF's efforts is the CS 10K Project which focuses on making computer science accessible in high schools. CS 10K is a nationwide effort to get engaging, rigorous academic computer science courses into 10,000 schools taught by 10,000 well-prepared teachers. The project pays careful attention to the inclusion of women and minorities--groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in computing.

Credit: Georgia Computes! Georgia Tech