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EBP: Computer Science Principles and Students with Learning Differences
Outlier Research & Evaluation at UChicago STEM Education | University of Chicago and the Wolcott School (a high school in Chicago for students with learning differences) are engaged in a two-year, research-practice partnership to support more equitable learning in computer science (CS). With support from the NSF, our team is applying a rigorous research approach to:

-Identify teaching and learning challenges specific to learning differences (i.e., specific learning disabilities and attention deficit disorders) in the Code.org Computer Science Principles instructional materials, and CS classes more generally;

-Develop adjustment recommendations for the instructional materials to address those challenges; and

-Pilot the adjustment recommendations with students who have learning differences at Wolcott School in their 2016-17 AP CSP course.

A key intention of our work is to share what works and why with CSP curriculum developers and CS teachers, to equip them with research-derived strategies to proactively address student needs specific to learning differences.

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Project Contributions

Exploratory Research to Expand Opportunities in Computer Science for Students with Learning Differences
Posted by: Sarah Wille . "The computer science (CS) education field is engaging in unprecedented efforts to expand learning opportunities in K-12 CS education, but one group of students is often overlooked: those with…
The Hidden Underrepresented Group: Opening the Door to Computer Science for Students with Learning Differences
"The computer science (CS) education field is engaging in unprecedented efforts to expand opportunities in K-12 CS education, and to broaden participation of those students traditionally absent from CS. A…