This spring, computer science education researchers, leaders from colleges of education, teacher educators, and computer scientists from across the U.S. participated in a workshop to address critical questions related to the integration of computing education into schools of education. The National Science Foundation (NSF)-sponsored conference was held in New York City April 8 and 9 and focused on bringing computer science into colleges of education around the country.
Anthony Petrosino, associate professor of curriculum and instruction in the College of Education at The University of Texas at Austin was invited to take part with 29 others because of his research expertise as well as his involvement with charter schools and public school districts. Petrosino has received more than $15 million in grants from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Education and the McDonnel Foundation for Cognitive Studies. His research interests include students’ understanding of experimentation, engineering education, and the development of expertise. He received his most recent NSF award last year to help educators increase students’ motivation and capacity to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.
Said Petrosino, “It was exciting to be part of this national effort. I’m also excited about the possibility of additional external funding for pursuing research and development in this important and evolving area of not only college education but the entire K-16 trajectory.”
Goals of the working conference included emphasizing the importance of computing education as a domain-based education research discipline, like physics or mathematics education; providing models to colleges of education for integrating computing education, and especially, to deal with the unique challenges of computing education, such as addressing issues of equity and under-representation; and working alongside colleges of education to explore computer science credentialing issues.
