NSF’s CS 10K initiative started by defining an exciting new curriculum, Computer Science Principles (CSP) (http://www.csprinciples.org) that focuses on 1) increased enrollment and diversity among students in CS courses and 2) principles that encompass the breadth of computer science as contrasted to the almost total focus on programming inherent in the CS A Advanced Placement (AP) exam. In the 2016-2017 academic year, CSP will become the focus of a new CS AP exam to join the current CS A AP exam.
To encourage as many high schools as possible to adopt a CS Principles course, University of North Texas’ Computer Science and Engineering department is, in summer 2015, offering a professional development workshop for a Computer Science Principles course called the Beauty and Joy of Computing (BJC). The BJC course was developed at University of California, Berkeley by Professors Dan Garcia and Brian Harvey. A version of BJC has been taught at UNT each semester since Spring 2014. (See attachment for a “poster” about the UNT course.)
Workshop Details:
- Location – University of North Texas, Discovery Park
- Format – Two weeks of face-to-face meetings separated by 3 weeks during which attendees work online
- Tentative Dates – We plan two face-to-face weeks, June 15 – 19 and July 13 – 17
- Continuing Education Units – We plan to have 80 CEU units available for attendees who “finish” the course
- Costs – There will be no charge for the workshop itself, but there will be a $15 charge for those wishing CEU certification
- Questions – Contact Phil Sweany (sweany@unt.edu)