2025 Spring Summit
Our next statewide gathering is slated for Friday, April 11th, again at IU-Indy. This Spring Summit will be a round table collaboration session - you will leave with specific, clear, and easy-to-implement lesson ideas for the integration of Indiana's CS standards into K-8 content areas. Participants will again receive a stipend for attendance, and lunch will be provided.
Whether BCPCS is already on your radar, or you are new to the project, we hope you will be a part of the effort this semester. CS education for future K-12 educators needs champions at the collegiate level!
For now, please save April 11th on your calendar and check out BCPCS online. Be on the lookout for another email soon with a Summit registration link, as well as information about professional learning opportunities we can bring to your campuses this semester.
As always, if CS education is not in your wheelhouse, please forward this email to a colleague(s) who might want to be involved.
Together in preparing tomorrow's Indiana educators,
The IU BCPCS Team*
*Drs. Susan Drumm, Tom Brush, Anne Leftwich, Jeremy Price, Ugar Kale; PhD Candidate Dilnoza Kadirova; PhD Student Lin Chu
2024 Fall Summit
In the 2024 Fall Summit, 25 participants gathered to discuss the future of CS education in Indiana. The attendees included faculty members from University of Southern Indiana, Ball State University, Butler University, Franklin College, Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana University Northwest, Indiana University Southeast, Manchester University, Marian University, Purdue University West Lafayette, Purdue University Fort Wayne, University of Evansville, University of Saint Francis, and Vincennes University, as well as experts in CS education from Nextech and Five Star.
During the summit, we shared our recent aha moments in CS education. For example:
- Faculty members realized that CS is not just about coding; individuals without a CS background can learn CS.
- Professional development and CS Cohort's support have facilitated integrated thinking.
- Showcasing CS implementation has helped teachers witness the change and impact on students' learning.
- AI has significantly altered interactions and impacted people's lives.
- Schools still have varying perceptions of CS education in terms of its implementation.
- It is essential to consider who invented the technology and who is being left out, highlighting the need for more discussions around accessibility in CS education.
- Opportunities for including CS education in curriculum mapping remain limited.
The BCPCS team shared insights on the future of CS education and our progress in needs analysis. Dr. Anne Leftwich emphasized that not everyone needs to be a programmer, especially with the rise of AI technologies. There is a close connection between CS and AI, and understanding how AI works can help students grasp CS concepts, enhancing their AI literacy and problem-solving skills. The full report from the needs analysis can be accessed through the needs analysis page. Dr. Tom Brush discussed the results of the needs analysis and mentioned plans to expand the analysis to in-service teachers.
The BCPCS team also invited Stephanie Zircher, the Vice President of Nextech, to celebrate CS education. She addressed how advancements in CS are shaping the future and highlighted the efforts of Nextech, Expanding Computing Education Pathways (ECEP), and IDOE over the past several years to promote CS education across all grade levels. This includes developing curricula for elementary, middle, and high schools, implementing policies to improve CS accessibility, and providing professional development opportunities like CSPD weeks.
At the end of the summit, the BCPCS team shared opportunities for getting involved. We continue to offer professional development opportunities and CS Cohort programs. Many faculty members shared positive experiences from these collaborations. Additionally, BCPCS is working with the Senior Director of Research and Higher Education from Five Star to introduce CS education for preservice teachers through the Indiana Learning Lab online platform.
2024 Spring Summit
The second summit, held in February 2024, saw a growing interest in preparing preservice teachers to include computer science (CS) in their teaching. The event was attended by 23 faculty members from various institutions, including Butler University, Franklin College, Grace College, Hanover College, IU Indianapolis, IU Kokomo, IU Southeast, Indiana State University, Ivy Tech Community College, Manchester University, Marian University, Martin University, Purdue University at Northwest, Purdue University at West Lafayette, Taylor University, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of St. Francis, and Valparaiso University.
During the summit, we reported on our needs analysis progress, which included responses from 30 participants and preliminary interview results. Based on these findings, we invited faculty members to discuss additional challenges they have encountered. We also shared the outcomes of professional learning opportunities, highlighting that 13 workshops were conducted across six universities, involving over 350 preservice teachers and nine faculty members. Additionally, we discussed the development of new CS curriculum. Finally, we outlined our plan to recruit a CS Cohort to establish a professional learning community for CS educators.
2024 Fall Summit
The 2023 Fall Summit marked the initial event led by PI Dr. Anne Leftwich, along with Co-PIs Drs. Thomas Brush, Susan Drumm, Kyungbin Kwon, and Cindy Hmelo-Silver. The summit saw participation from ten esteemed faculty members representing Grace College, IU Indianapolis, IU Kokomo, IU Southeast, Marian University, Purdue University at West Lafayette, Taylor University, University of St. Francis, Vincennes University, and #T.E.A.C.H (Training Educators and Creating Hope), as well as the STEM & Computer Science Specialist from the Indiana Department of Education and the vice president of Nextech.org.
During the summit, we delved into our visions for computer science education, engaged in a CS unplugged activity (sorting network), and discussed the challenges faced in implementing CS education in elementary preservice teacher training programs. We also brainstormed potential solutions to these challenges. Additionally, the BCPCS team presented the preliminary needs analysis and introduced professional development workshop opportunities to the faculty members.
