Grants

GRANTS

Robert Noyce Teaching Scholarship. Ethical Reasoning in Computational Thinking (ERCT). There are four core practices that cut across all STEM disciplines and serve as the pillars of computational thinking (CT): Reasoning with data, making/adapting models, engaging in problem solving, and utilizing a systems thinking approach (Weintrop et al., 2018). However, any program that aims to develop students’ and teachers’ CT must be grounded in ethical inquiry due to the fact that mathematics can be (and has been) used to both help and hurt individuals, society and the environment.

Candidates will engage with UNC Charlotte professors to learn how to reason ethically in four main STEM disciplines: Nanoscience, data science, earth science and engineering, with some attention to developing introductory coding skills. Since Noyce Scholars will work in a high needs district upon graduation, a key part of the UNC Charlotte Ethical Reasoning in Computational Thinking program will be to engage them consistently in activities to develop their CT with a clear focus on the ethical use of CT to create a more equitable world. Additionally, they will co-design, implement, assess, and analyze the effectiveness of their culturally relevant and ethically grounded CT lessons with their student teaching mentor. Contact Dr. Michelle Stephan, PI msteph1@charlotte.edu; Dr. Daniel Alston, co-PI; Dr. David Pugalee, co-PI. See complete information of partners and personnel.

Pathways to Entrepreneurship (PAtENT). National Science Foundation program to provide an alternate pathway to earning doctoral degrees and will potentially spur graduation rates, generate employment in the local communities and maintain the nation’s edge in technological innovation in engineering. PI is Dr. Praveen Ramaprabhu, Lee College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Department; Co-principal investigators: Dr. Harish Cherukuri, Dr. Mesban Uddin and Dr. Terry Xu from Mechanical Engineering; Dr. Audrey Rorrer from the College of Computing and Informatics; and Dr. David Pugaleefrom the Center for STEM Education. Visit Inside Charlotte for more information.

Preparing High School Teachers to Broaden Participation by Teaching Programming Online. This National Science Foundation Research to Practice partnership seeks to enhance the teaching of Computer Science content using online resources with a long term goal to increase participation in high school courses by students from traditionally underrepresented groups. The goal of the partnership is to leverage the AP Computer Science A (APCSA) course offered online by NCVirtual throughout NC. In the proposed work, we plan to address one of the structural constraints (e.g., not enough teachers) faced when broadening participation through the use of automated assessment tools. Furthermore, to make computing relevant to a diverse student population, we plan to create culturally responsive teaching materials and train teachers on their use. We will accomplish these goals by creating an RPP in NC. Dr. Manuel A. Perez-Quinones, College of Computing and Informatics) is the PI of the project. Co-PIs are Dr. David Pugalee (Center for STEM Education) and Dr. Florence Martin (Cato College of Education). See CS4ALL for more information.

GenCyber: Teachers Practicing Cybersecurity. This award from the National Security Administration is part of their GenCyber programming. This is the second award from the NSA and the current project is available for an additional year of funding. The GenCyber Teacher Institute at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte will be a multifaceted educator experience encompassing cybersecurity content, hands-on activities, exploration of careers, programming activities, and opportunities for networking with university and secondary educators, and cybersecurity professionals. Teacher participants will develop a conceptual understanding of GenCyber Cybersecurity First Principles and Concepts that they will integrate into two culturally responsive lesson plans that are aligned with national, state, and district curriculum standards, promote ethics and foster student interest in the cybersecurity field. Dr. David Pugalee, Director of CSTEM, is the PI. Dr. Marlon Mejias, Computing and Informatics, and Ms. Alisa Wickliff, CSTEM are co-PIs.

Developing a Systemic, Scalable Model to Broaden Participation in Middle School Computer Science. This collaborative NSF project with the Friday Institute at North Carolina State University seeks to integrate computationally-intensive activities within mathematics and science middle school curricula. The program intentionally partnered with two middle schools with high URM populations for the specific purpose of addressing and researching the challenge of broadening participation in computer science focused academic opportunities. The project utilizes a STEM ecosystem model to develop a scalable, generalizable approach to addressing barriers for underrepresented populations of students to engage in CS/CT work in schools. The UNC Charlotte team is led by Principal Investigator Dr. Mary Lou Maher, College of Computing and Informatics (CCI). Co-Principal Investigators are Drs. Lijuan Cao (CCI), Dr. Mohsen M Dorodchi (CCI), David Pugalee (Center for STEM Education), and Audrey S. Rorrer (CCI).