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1. CSAwesome Java Curriculum

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3478432.3499235  

   Ericson, Barbara; Hoffman, Beryl (March 2022, Proceedings of the 53rd 2022 ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education)

   CSAwesome is a Java AP CSA and CS1 curriculum with 20,000 users on the Runestone ebook platform. The curriculum is online, free and interactive with embedded Java Active Code examples and problems, mixed-up code (Parsons problems), multiple-choice problems, and scaffolded coding challenges. There are many features of the Runestone platform that scaffold and differentiate learning for students. The curriculum is designed to broaden participation in CS and transition students from AP CSP (or CS0) to AP CSA (or CS1) with a variety of techniques such as scaffolded interactivity and creative and collaborative learning. Initial results from the 2020-2021 school year show average gains of 29% on the pre/post test built into the curriculum (n=958, P<.001). Pre and post surveys built into the ebook show slight gains in confidence in Java programming and pursuing further study or a career in computing (P<.001). Female students (22% of those who answered) performed similarly to all students. Students who took AP CSP (39%) prior to AP CSA performed slightly higher in the pre-test but had similar results otherwise. 47% of students rated themselves as beginner programmers and 30% intermediate at the beginning of the course; at the end of the course, 12% rated themselves as beginners and 43% as intermediate programmers. 

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2. Supporting Teacher Professional Learning and Curriculum Implementation Through Collaborative Curriculum Design

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3478432.3499118  

   Ni, Lijun; Bausch, Gillian; Feliciano, Bernardo; Hsu, Hsien-Yuan; Martin, Fred (March 2022, SIGCSE 2022: Proceedings of the 53rd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education)

   This poster shares our experience of engaging middle school teachers in a collaborative design of a computer science and digital literacy (CSDL) curriculum through a researcher and practitioner partnership (RPP) among two public universities and three urban school districts in the Northeast USA. The project used the co-design approach to facilitate curriculum development and foster professional learning. In this poster, we introduce the co-design process, the developed curriculum, and teachers' professional learning experiences. Preliminary results indicate that the co-design approach supplemented with one-one-on coaching has not only facilitated the curriculum development but also fostered professional learning and collective capacity building for CS education. 

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3. Computer Science Curriculum Trends

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3626253.3635501  

   Mackay, Sean; Decker, Adrienne (March 2024, SIGCSE)

   Since the 1960s, the ACM has provided routinely updated guidelines for what concepts constitute a computer science curriculum, with the latest version currently in development in 2023. These guidelines have traditionally provided a model curriculum from which universities can choose to adopt or modify for their own purposes. What is unclear, however, is to what degree schools follow the curriculum recommendations that the ACM provides. While most faculty and students likely have knowledge of their own institution's curriculum, as well as what courses are offered at a small selection of other schools, the goal of the work presented in this poster is to distill a cohesive view of what computer science curriculums in their second and third years look like across a broad range of universities across a range of institutions. Our goal with this work was to answer the following question: What do computer science course requirements look like at a wide range of different institutions? We believe the work will help those who are trying to develop curriculum changes within their own institutions and aims to provide a more cohesive view of what trends and patterns exist in course offerings and degree requirements for computer science in the second and third years across a wide range of universities. 

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4. A Cultural Computing Curriculum

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3287324.3287439  

   Davis, James; Lachney, Michael; Zatz, Zoe; Babbitt, William; Eglash, Ron (January 2019, Proceedings of the 50th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education)

   Broadening the participation of underrepresented students in computer science fields requires careful design and implementation of culturally responsive curricula and technologies. Culturally Situated Design Tools (CSDTs) address this by engaging students in historic, cultural, and meaningful design projects based on community practices. To date, CSDT research has only been conducted in short interventions outside of CS classrooms. This paper reports on the first semester-long introductory CS course based on CSDTs, which was piloted with 51 high school students during the 2017-2018 school year. The goal of this study was to examine if a culturally responsive computing curriculum could teach computer science principles and improve student engagement. Pre-post tests, field notes, weekly teacher meetings, formative assessments, and teacher and student interviews were analyzed to assess successes and failures during implementation. The results indicate students learned the conceptual material in 6 months rather than in the 9 months previously required by the teacher. Students were also able to apply these concepts afterward when programming in Python, implying knowledge transfer. However, student opinions about culture and computing didn't improve, and student engagement was below initial expectations. Thus we explore some of the many challenges: keeping a fully integrated cultural curriculum while satisfying CS standards, maintaining student engagement, and building student agency and self-regulation. We end with a brief description for how we intend to address some of these challenges in the second iteration of this program, scheduled for fall 2018. After which a study is planned to compare this curriculum to others. 

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5. Curriculum improvements in power engineering

   https://doi.org/10.1109/FIE.2001.963931  

   O'Neill-Carrillo, E.; Irizarry-Rivera, A.; Velez-Reyes, M. (October 2001, 31st Annual Frontiers in Education Conference. Impact on Engineering and Science Education)

   null (Ed.)

   The Power Engineering Group at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (UPRM) has implemented several strategies to improve its curriculum and meet new ABET accreditation criteria. Strategies include the revision of course contents, integration of laboratory practices to courses, and a more prominent role of undergraduate research and power electronics in the power engineering curriculum. Courses are being updated to include contemporary topics while keeping fundamental engineering principles. A recent grant by NSF will support on-going efforts to create laboratory practices that would connect the teaching of theoretical principles to actual implementations. Participation in the Center for Power Electronics Systems, a NSF Engineering Research Center, has given UPRM the opportunity to expand course offerings and undergraduate research in power engineering. An important outcome of this curriculum improvement is to motivate students to take an active role in the learning process. 

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