Exploring the Impact of Coding Across the Curriculum Professional Development

This paper presents a mixed-methods evaluation of the CODERS professional development program, funded by the US Department of Education's Education, Innovation, and Research initiative. The program aimed to enhance digital literacy in rural schools through interdisciplinary approaches. The professional development (PD) sessions were designed to cultivate coding literacy across disciplines, leveraging expertise from various fields. Using evidence-based pedagogies such as Model-Practice-Reflect and writing strategies, the PD modules facilitated educators in integrating coding into their teaching. The study addresses research questions concerning the influence of CODERS PD on teachers' content knowledge, efficacy, and instructional practices, as well as its impact on rural students' engagement in coding, career interests, and efficacy. Data collection involved surveys, interviews, and statewide tests administered to both teachers and students. Preliminary findings suggest a positive impact of the CODERS program on both teachers and students. Teachers exhibited increased efficacy in teaching coding and writing. Students demonstrated enhanced achievement in science standardized tests and improved confidence in coding and STEM-related fields. The study underscores the importance of integrating coding literacy across the curriculum, particularly in rural settings where access to such opportunities may be limited. By equipping rural educators with coding skills and fostering student engagement in coding activities, the CODERS program has the potential to bridge the digital divide and expand career opportunities for underrepresented groups in 21st-century industries. This research highlights the potential of coding literacy to empower students and educators, shaping their perceptions of literacy, learning, and future career pathways.

Credit: Keri R. Franklin, CODERS Council, and Callie Dean

Twenty Years of NSSE Data Use: Assessment Lessons for the Collective Good

How a university used evidence from a student engagement survey to make an impact on campus change

Virtual Students/Virtual Teachers: the Reality of Student Responsibility in Education

A wide range of possibilities exists for the use of computers in the freshman composition classroom. Computer technology can help students reach and understand new concepts of learning. A computer "pedagogy" in the writing class can promote collaboration, responsibility for learning, decentering of authority, understanding of the social construction of knowledge, the practice of freedom from dominant structures in society, and critical thinking skills. In this thesis, I demonstrate through the evaluation of freshman composition students and research in the field of composition how a computer pedagogy can help students be more responsible for their own learning and better prepared to enter upper-level classes and eventually the workplace.

Elbow to Elbow: Collaborative Writing with Colleagues

writing collaboratively with colleagues

Credit: English Journal

Blogging about books: Writing, reading, and thinking in a twenty-first century classroom

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to investigate how blogging as a reader response tool influences students' writing, response to literature, and thinking. From October 2006 through January 2007, thirty students in a ninth grade, English I Honors class, used the blog to post responses to literature. The data suggests that students can sustain appropriate and beneficial online conversations with minimal prompts from the teacher. Using open coding and categories from Hillocks (1980) and Odell (1999) student writing on the blog was analyzed for writing, specifically fluency and voice, levels of comprehension, and thinking. The data suggests that students' fluency, voice, and confidence increased.

How Does a High School Reading Class Influence Students' Reading Levels, Habits, and Perceptions?

The purpose of this case study was to describe and analyze a ninth grade reading class. The elements of the reading class were aligned with the literature supporting these practices Data collection included observations, teacher interviews, student interviews, pre-and post-reading test scores, sample lesson plans, and sample reading assignment handouts. Overall, student's reading scores, reading habits, and perceptions of reading improved through their experiences with a variety of research-based reading practices. The authors concluded that researchbased practices and a qualified reading teacher can positively influence and motivate struggling readers.

Credit: Journal of Reading Education

Semantic Analyses of Open-Ended Responses From Professional Development Workshop Promoting Computational Thinking in Rural Schools

a semantic analysis of open ended responses from professional development

Credit: International Journal of Computer Science Education

Translating Traditional Writing Process Tools to Digital Ones: Integrating Digital Writing in K-12 Classrooms

This chapter offers user-friendly free applications to help teachers incorporate digital writing tools in their classrooms. The authors encourage a collaborative and inquiry-driven environment to help teachers implement new digital tools that can motivate students and develop 21st century writers. The authors use the NCTE's Definition of 21st Century Literacies (2013) to discuss digital writing tools. The authors offer a framework for scaffolding the introduction of these applications in K-12 classrooms and in professional development and align traditional writing process tools to digital writing tools.

Credit: Open Source Technology: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications