Beauty and Joy of Computing
June Mark, Kelsey E. Klein · 2019
ABSTRACT In 2016-17, the College Board launched the Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science Principles (CSP) course and exam. The AP CSP course was designed with the goal of broadening participation in computer science, and aims to introduce students to the creative aspects of computing by engaging students in developing computational artifacts related to their interests. The big ideas of the course include programming, abstraction, algorithms, data and information, the Internet, and also the global and societal impacts of computing. With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Beauty and Joy of Computing in New York City partnership created the Beauty and Joy of Computing (BJC) course that is aligned to the AP CSP framework and endorsed by the College Board. The partnership recruited over 100 NYC teachers to implement the course, provided professional development (PD) and implementation support, and conducted research on the course implementation and the effects on teachers and students. This paper reports on findings from the implementation of BJC as an AP CSP course in NYC from the 2016-17 school year. It addresses student performance on a content knowledge assessment, a survey of students' attitudes toward computer science, and the 2017 AP CSP exam. Given the intentional design of the BJC course and AP CSP framework to address diversity and equity, student outcomes are also disaggregated by gender and race/ethnicity.