Teacher training workshop. Finally, secondary educators in the state of Nebraska had the opportunity to use another Google Colab notebook written by former DIVAS scholars last summer. Scholars wrote this code to measure the height and density of invasive grass growing in pots. The grass system is flexible in providing a variety of angles from which to engage students in inquiry-based learning and to learn the concepts of asking questions, designing experiments, and analyzing and representing data. Teachers explored the pros and cons of manual measurements, then reviewed the image-based approach to taking similar measurements by creating their own code maps as they worked through the Colab notebook. As teachers worked through the code they identified other approaches toward taking the same measurements and ways to test the code at different points to make sure it was functioning. This group of teachers, the large majority of whom had never coded, were able to use the notebook and to evaluate it for how it might be used in the classroom both as a measurement tool and as a source of inquiry-based curriculum within a matter of a couple of hours.
Broadening the alliance
Over the three years of the pilot study, we have learned a lot about how self-efficacy in computing could be fostered early in a student’s college career. The pilot data and anecdotal experiences themselves might inspire other schools to try similar approaches. However, there is also a need to more fully test the DIVAS program interventions across institutional types and different student populations to better understand the generalizability of what we have observed. Broader implementation of all or part of DIVAS program elements will also give us a better understanding of the most impactful elements of the program so that those schools wanting to implement a more streamlined program can still realize significant impacts on their students. A broader DIVAS alliance also provides additional opportunities for students to form collaborations that can further build their own skills while also strengthening the community of practice. To additionally broaden the DIVAS community of practice, we also hope to expand the teacher training workshops, including both secondary and undergraduate educators, in the Training of Trainers (ToT) model so that educators are empowered to integrate DIVAS interventions into their classrooms and research labs.
Discussion
There is a long-standing need to find ways to broadly infuse computational thinking, coding, and the use of scientific software within natural and physical science undergraduate education. Our experience in implementing the DIVAS project, our pilot study, and the additional opportunities it fostered suggest that this can be done in environments where a community of practice approach can be supported. We have begun to see how that community can change the way students view computing from a specialized skill to a set of tools anyone can learn to use. We have seen that novice learners can learn to effectively use computational tools to solve problems relevant to their disciplines, thereby gaining confidence in their ability to conduct additional computational work and highly desirable workforce skills. The generalizability of our experience and the essential elements leading to improved computational self-efficacy and skill among novice learners will become more clear with the broader adoption of DIVAS program elements.
References