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Computer Science (CS) is not introduced equitably across K-12 schools, yet it is increasingly a necessary skill regardless of vocational pathway. Co-curricular activities such as summer camps have become a popular way to introduce CS to K-12 students. Researchers at our institution, through partnerships with other educational institutions and practitioners, developed a transdisciplinary approach of teaching CS in K-12 informal learning environments. Building on positive results in the K-12 informal learning environment, researchers are exploring the applicability of the transdisciplinary modules in formal instruction for early college learners in CS0 and CS1 courses. This paper explores self-efficacy data collected from multiple CS0 and CS1 courses. Learners include freshmen in computing majors and in non-computing majors. We compare their self efficacy growth in computing across race and gender, considering their formal or informal CS education experiences prior to entering college. This work is a part of a larger effort to redesign CS0 and CS1 courses to introduce more complex concepts and important design concepts such as parallel and distributed computing earlier in the curriculum. The authors’ longer-term goal is to investigate active learning strategies that will introduce higher level computer science topics early in the curriculum to enable students to recognize content applicability earlier in their college pathway.
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This content will become publicly available on June 3, 2026
A Visual Unplugged Activity to Introduce PDC
We introduce an unplugged activity designed for CS1 students to explore fundamental parallel computing concepts. The activity requires only gridded paper and basic coloring tools, such as pens, markers, crayons, or colored pencils. It was piloted in CS1 courses across six universities, where faculty successfully incorporated the activity into various CS1 curricula taught in different programming languages. Learning outcomes were assessed through surveys and examination of student work product. Student engagement was measured using a survey that evaluated participants’ perceptions of engagement (enjoyment, participation, and focus), understanding (comprehension of the material and computing concepts), and instructor effectiveness (preparedness, enthusiasm, and availability). Qualitative student feedback was favorable, and survey results suggest the activity effectively introduced parallel and distributed computing concepts.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2321020
- PAR ID:
- 10630248
- Publisher / Repository:
- IEEE
- Date Published:
- ISBN:
- 979-8-3315-2643-6
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 658 to 665
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- Milano, Italy
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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