1. Interested In...
About YWiC
Through research and outreach to middle and high school students spanning seven years, YWiC has discovered several aspects crucial to a successful introduction to computer science:
· Capture student attention quickly: There will generally not be an extended amount of time with students, any instructional software approach must work fast!
· Efficiency matters: Use an approach that leads to the greatest leverage of concepts—this is the most effective way to use the time allotted
· Listen and observe: Tailor the pace of instruction to the students’ level of understanding Questions should be answered in the simplest form to ensure the retention of curriculum
With these in mind, YWiC conducted research in 2012 contrasting two approaches: traditional coding with LilyPad Arduino and block-style coding with App Inventor Student progress was observed
in achieving these three goals over the separate platforms The results collected demonstrated students learned the most from LilyPad, if time permitted for learning only one software platform
However, the combination of LilyPad and App Inventor was most effective for teaching students more CS concepts in the curriculum Moving forward, YWiC is now able to streamline the teaching
processes of LilyPad and App Inventor, while observing the effect it has on the students’ ability to solve problems using computational thinking
Future Work
This research enables YWiC to improve future outreach projects and enrich our pool of knowledge to help
similar outreach programs achieve success By consolidating the teaching schedule, YWiC will be able to
increase throughput by teaching core computer science concepts in a shorter period of time, while still
generating and retaining interest
Future goals include:
 Keeping the LilyPad and App Inventor curriculum in YWiC camps
 Improving student recognition of core concepts in different applications
 Testing these newly developed theories on a broader representation of students, including training
teachers to instruct K-12 students in C-STEM concepts
↑5%
Women have Skills Equal to Men
in CS
↓7%
Perception of a Strong Female
Presence in CS
Summary of Results
During summer camps, students are introduced to computational thinking through the use of
computational textiles and mobile application development, specifically using Lilypad Arduino and App
Inventor Practice with each of these tools helps students gain confidence in their technological abilities
and culminates into final projects that strengthen the computational concepts learned Data has been
collected and analyzed from both the 2012 and 2013 summer camps to compare the time spent using the
learning tools to the overall student retention of computational thinking skills
The statistics calculated compare the results compiled from the “LilyPad versus App Inventor” analysis in
2012 to the streamlined project in 2013
Interpretation Key
Power of Women in CS — Students’ perception on whether women and men have equal power
in CS, pre- and post-camp; displays the tools students believed to empower women
Female Presence in CS — Whether students believed women had a strong or weak presence in
CS, pre- and post-camp
Interest In… — Students’ interest in the listed subjects, pre- and post-camp
Concepts Learned — The best tools for learning the listed CS concepts
Increased Interest — Which tools students found to increase their interest in other subjects
Sustaining Interest — Students’ interest in working in technology fields due to LilyPad or App
Inventor; displays which tools students wished to continue work with
The percentage increase in interest from
pre- to post-surveys was very notable in 2013
This table shows a comparison with the 2012
values, as well as the total percentage
difference
The streamlined approach to the LilyPad and
App Inventor curriculum proved to be a
constructive change to the camp curriculum,
which we can continue implementing in future
activities
Area 2012 2013 % Increase
CS Career 14% 19% 5%
Technology 0% 14% 14%
Electronics 0% 10% 10%
Math -4% 5% 9%
Mobile Apps 0% 10% 10%
CS 10% 18% 8%
Programming 9% 31% 22%
Interest in...
Power of Women
in CS
Female Presence
in CS
Sustaining
Interest
ChangeinInterest
Increased Interest
Areas of Interest
ComputerScience
Fashion
Technology
Programming
OtherSciences
Math
Electronics
MobileApps
Concepts
Learned
Camp 2013:
 16 75 hours of instruction and development
 Spanning a five day period
 Learning and utilizing both LilyPad and App
Inventor tools
Camp 2012:
 26 5 hours of instruction and development
 Spanning a two week period
 Learning and utilizing both LilyPad and App
Inventor tools
Problem and Solution
According to the Department of Labor and Statistics women currently hold 57% of professional occupations in the United States workforce; yet only 27% of these positions are within Information
Technology Additionally, “only 0 3% of girls arrive at college with the intention to major in Computer Science” (Coger, 2012) YWiC aims to address this problem by introducing students to the
rewarding aspects of computer science careers, in order to inspire students to pursue collegiate degrees in computer science or other technical fields YWiC uses engaging curriculum during
workshops and summer camps to increase student confidence in their computing abilities and make computer science less daunting
In order to achieve this objective, YWiC introduces high school students to LilyPad Arduino and App Inventor simultaneously, to see how well it sparks their interest and teaches them the core
concepts of CS, such as variables, loops, conditionals, functions, etc The proposed research will look at how well students can grasp these core concepts when LilyPad and App Inventor are
intentionally taught together for five days It will build off of previous research where LilyPad and App Inventor were taught in comparison to each other, with reference to interest generation,
programming methods, and tactile versus virtual learning environments These software applications were chosen because of their uses of creativity and design, programming styles, usability, and
marketability make them relatable to YWiC students The proposed research will take data from previous research and compare it to data gathered in this project in an effort to determine to what
extent the amount of time spent learning and using each tool affects how well students grasp the CS concepts This new research looks at how well students utilize and work with the same programs
for approximately 5 hours for 5 concurrent days
Jeanne Chen, Jennifer Dana, Natasha Nesiba, Nicole Ray, Noor Muhyi, Samantha McGuinn, and Susana Bali
References:
Coger, R (2012) “Why stem fields still don't draw more women” The Chronicle Retrieved from http://chronicle com/article/
Massive-Excitement-About/135302/
Students demonstrated higher interest in programming, technology, and fashion as a result of working with
LilyPad Increased interest in electronics and CS is shown to be contributed to work with both LilyPad and App
Inventor The data presented displays the complementary characteristics of using both tools together
ChangeinInterest
Areas of Interest
ComputerScience
Fashion
Technology
Programming
OtherSciences
Math
Electronics
MobileApps
Increased Interest
In 2013 students showed an increased learning experience of all CS concepts through App Inventor
Students demonstrated a decreased learning experience of the concepts of loops, if-else statements,
and input and output functions through LilyPad Arduino
Variables
Loops
Functions
If-Else
Objects
Input/Output
Events
Concepts Learned
ChangeinPercentage
CS Concepts
↑2%
↑21%
Continue Work
Utilizing
↑19%
↑18%
Interest in Working in
Tech Fields Due To…
↑13%
↑8%Female Empowerment
Through
App Inventor LilyPad Arduino
↑2%
↑21%
Continue Work
Utilizing
↑19%
↑18%
Interest in Working in
Tech Fields Due To…
↑13%
↑8
Female Empowerment
Through
App Inventor LilyPad Arduino