BPC-DP: Improving Minority Student Participation in the Computing Career Pipeline with Culturally Situated Design Tools
Project flyer |
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| Audience/Grade: | 5 - High School Senior |
| Discipline(s): |
Computer Engineering Computer Science Computing Diversity Engineering Diversity Information Systems Information Technology Mathematical Sciences Software Engineering |
| Special Topic(s): |
Technology and Society Native American Engineers and Scientists Black and African American Scientists and Engineers BPC - NSF Programs Java Applets for Engineering Education Project Links at RPI Hispanic Engineers and Scientists |
| Learning Resource Type: |
Teaching - Software Tool/Environment |
| Media Type: |
Document |
| Author(s): |
Mukkai Krishnamoorthy Ron Eglash Tiffany Barnes |
| Description: | "Culturally Situated Design Tools" (CSDTs) are web applets based on ethnocomputing: the mathematical and computational knowledge embedded in cultural designs such as cornrow hairstyles. Native American beadwork, Latino percussion rhythms, etc. CSDTs allows students to use these underlying math and computing principles to simulate the original cultural designs, create new designs of their own invention, and engage in specific math inquiries. Based in K-12 schools with majorities of African-American, Latino, and Native American students, preliminary evaluations indicate statistically significant increase in pre/post contrasts for comprehension and career interest, compared to control groups using comparable materials without the cultural design practices. This BPC project has allowed us to develop a new "programmable" interface (pCSDTs) in which students create designs using drag-and-drop "codelets." It has utilized the CSDTs in the Student Leadership Corps (SLC) of the BPC-sponsored STARS alliance, providing new training and resources to students with outreach projects in grade 7-12 and out-of-school education. Our evaluation examines the impact of CSDTs on both SLC students and their outreach constituency, and allows us to compare this impact to the old interface. In addition, students in the SLC will have the opportunity to develop CSDTs of their own creation, following a design protocol that ensures respectful use of cultural materials by a participatory process, and a coding library that allows fast integration into the pCSDT system. |
| Rating: |
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| Usage Tip | |
| Related ABET Criteria: |
Academic Achievement Confidence Creative Thinking (a) Apply mathematics, science, and engineering Design Skills Engagement Motivation |
| Use of Resource: |
Strategies and interventions: simulations, case studies and animations using ethnomathematics. More information can be found here: http://www.rpi.edu/~eglash/csdt.html |
| Version Info | |
| Publication Date: | May 2008 |
| Platform/Format: |
WWW |
| Cost: |
Free |
| Download URL: | www.csdt.rpi.edu |
| Metadata: |
IEEE LOM Record |
| Collection: |
Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC)
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