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Melissa KochDirector of Build ITSRI International

Girls Building Information Technology Fluency Through Design

Designing for

Design Learning

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Our IT Workforce

Information Technology Workforce issues Current IT workers retire and move into other business areas (Gartner, 2005)

Decline in number of individuals graduating with computer science undergraduate or graduate degrees. As much as a 39% drop in some cases (Computing Research Association, 2005)

IT labor needs continue to grow and change with technology innovations (U.S. Depart of Commerce, 1999s)

Women constitute 45% of the workforce in the U.S. but hold only 12% of science and engineering jobs (National Council for Research on Women, 2001).

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Computer science instruction that emphasizes the ‘web’ of associations between programming, design, and other areas of the curriculum would help to attract a more diverse group of learners, and would advance computer fluency for all students.

(Tech-Savvy, AAUW, Commission on Technology, Gender, and Teacher Education, 2000).

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Mission

Develop a problem- and design-based curriculum that promotes middle school girls’ information technology (IT) fluency and incorporates the STEM content of computer science and mathematics.

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Goals

Motivate middle school girls to use technology and build their technology fluency

take high school algebra and geometry courses in preparation for postsecondary STEM education and/or IT careers.

explore IT and pursue IT careers.Enhance staff capacity to offer IT fluency programming.

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The Girls

150 middle school girls in Alameda County, CA.

82% are African-American and Latina

majority comes from low socioeconomic households

disseminate to Girls Inc.’s 1,500 program sites nationally

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Build IT’s Design Approach

Curriculum Development Follow the Understanding by Design (UbD) approach. Engage youth and youth leaders in curriculum development through

user-centered and participatory design techniques Feedback sessions Pilot tests with girls and leaders Train-the-trainer professional development

Embed formative assessments (i.e. performances tasks) for evaluating girls’ technology fluency

Embed formative evaluation for iterative design of the curriculum

Curriculum Implementation Teach computer science concepts through design and communication

technologies. Teach the design process. Provide individual and design team experiences in participatory

and user-centered design.

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UbD’s 3 Steps

1. What do we want girls to learn? Being Fluent with Information Technology (NRC) Secretary’s Commission on Necessary Skills

(SCANS) National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

(NCTM) A Model Curriculum for K-12 Computer Science

(ACM)

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UbD’s3 Steps

2. What evidence will show that they’ve learned it?

Embedded Performances (activities and Family Tech Night presentations)

Interviews & Observations IT Attitudes Survey IT Concepts Survey

3. What curriculum will foster this learning?

Then develop the curriculum

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Unit 1The Design Process

Unit 1: Redesigning Your World (one semester, after school; Apprentice level).

Performances Tasks:

Understanding Elements of the design process;

Eliciting and incorporating users’ feedback;

Presenting the Design Process

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Six Units

Unit 2: Design Online: Communication Tools and the Internet (one semester, after school; Apprentice level).

Performances: Form and function; Linking blog pages; Model how email and web page information travels on the Internet; Presenting their blogs, Tapped In Clubhouses, and demonstrations of how the Internet works

Unit 3: Redesigning the Web (two weeks during the summer; Apprentice level).

Performances: Functionality can be visible or hidden; role of engineering conventions; Draw what the html will do.

Unit 4: Design in Networked Technologies (one semester, after school; JourneyGirl level).

Performances: Networks have human and technology components; computers can be used as part of networks or on their own. Algorithmic thinking. Handhelds, GroupScribbles

Unit 5: Collaborative Game Design & Troubleshooting (one semester, after school; JourneyGirl level).

Performances: Object-oriented programming; collaboration; participatory design. Stagecast Creator

Unit 6: Joining a Design Team (two weeks during the summer; JourneyGirl level).

Performances: Leadership; troubleshooting

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Year 1 Results

Girls are learning design and technology skills but conceptual understanding of design and information technology concepts are not understood by the majority of girls. Made design learning goals more explicit to

girls and youth leaders Allocated more time for reflection on these

concepts by girls and youth leaders. Girls’ images of IT careers as solitary

and boring are changing significantly to collaborative, fun, and intellectually stimulating.

Girls expressed more interest in mathematics and computer science courses.

Girls Inc. staff have developed greater design and IT knowledge and skills.

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What are best practices in creating curricula for and teaching design skills and concepts?

How should we simplify the design process without loosing its complexity?

design methodologies, such as participatory and user-centered design?

Next Design Steps