CS principles: Piloting a new course at national scale
Since 2008, the National Science Foundation, in collaboration with the College Board, has been developing a "Computer Science: Principles" curriculum to "introduce students to the central ideas of computing and computer science, to instill ideas and practices of computational thinking, and to have students engage in activities that show how computing and computer science change the world" [1]. We report on the initial pilot of the CS Principles curriculum at five universities in 2010-2011. Beginning in fall 2011, additional colleges will pilot the course while five high schools will teach CS Principles as a rigorous Advanced Placement (AP) high school course with an associated exam. It is important to note that this is in addition to, not as a replacement for, AP Computer Science A, a Java programming course. In this special session, suitable for both college and high school faculty, the five instructors from the 2010-2011 pilot institutions will describe their classes, the piloting experience (teaching under a microscope), and the successes and failures of their offerings. Emphasis will be placed on the following: mapping the CS Principles curriculum to the specific needs of a college or university, and how others can use or modify the existing materials for pilots at their schools.
