Table of Contents:
- Conclusion of the SEED Study for AP CS Principles
- SEED Study Overview
- Study Timeline and Teacher Incentives
- Student Data Collection Information and Webinars
- SEED Study Communications
Conclusion of the SEED Study (2020-21 AP CSP)
This 2020-21 research study has concluded and the findings will be published soon. Teachers who participated in the research activities received a free 2021-22 UTeach CSP license, which expires in June 2022. Participating schools and teachers who wish to continue using the curriculum may view program costs and purchase 2022–23 licenses.
SEED Study Overview (2020-21 AP CSP)
This 2020-21 research study has concluded and the findings will be published soon. Teachers who participated in the research activities received a free 2021-22 UTeach CSP license, which expires in June 2022. Participating schools and teachers who wish to continue using the curriculum may view program costs and purchase 2022–23 licenses.
The UTeach Institute partnered with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) to conduct a rigorous, national research study of the UTeach Computer Science Principles (CSP) Advanced Placement (AP) course curriculum and professional development. This work was funded by a U.S. Department of Education Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant.
This project aimed to 1) increase the number of highly qualified computer science teachers in schools and 2) broaden participation of underrepresented students in CS through the project-based curriculum. The study provided information to participating districts about the effectiveness of the UTeach CSP curriculum with training and support, and it helped districts expand CS course offerings to high school students by providing free CSP curriculum.
There were two groups of high school teachers in this study: a “control” group that received the College Board-endorsed UTeach AP CSP curriculum and supporting materials, and a “treatment” group that received the same curriculum and materials plus virtual professional development in summer 2020 and access to the UTeach professional learning community throughout the year.
Graphics thanks to Vectors Point and Gregor Cresnar from the Noun Project
With the treatment and control groups, the study was designed to answer the following research questions:
- What is the impact of the UTeach CSP professional development and supports on teacher project-based learning instructional practices and fidelity to the UTeach CSP curriculum?
- What is the impact of the UTeach CSP professional development and supports on student non-academic outcomes, such as interest and engagement in CS courses and careers?
- What is the impact of the UTeach CSP professional development and supports on student academic outcomes, such as AP CSP exam scores?
To answer these questions, AIR collected and analyzed teacher and student administrative data (including student AP CSP test scores if students elect to take the test), teacher and student survey data, and teacher interview data.
Please email info@uteachcs.org with questions or inquiries about the study.
Clarification on Support for Teachers in the Control Group:
- In 2020-21, teachers in the control group could ask questions about course logistics or AP requirements through the support tab in Canvas. In 2021-22, teachers in the control group also received professional development, individual coaching, and access to our professional learning community on Facebook.
Support for Teachers in Both the Control & Treatment Groups:
- Getting Started Module: The "Getting Started" module at the beginning of the curriculum guides teachers through everything they need to know before starting the course, so we recommend working through that module before school begins.
- Remote Teaching Guide: We compiled a remote teaching guide on our website to review the resources available in the UTeach CS curriculum and provide additional suggestions for external tools to help teachers prepare for a variety of learning environments.
- Webinars: We will offer a few webinars throughout the year for all teachers, regardless of whether they are in the control or treatment group. Teachers can view the recording of our webinar on "Adapting UTeach CS to Your Virtual or Hybrid Classroom" and will be able to register for additional webinars throughout the year.
- Remote Teaching Video: We provided video support on Remote Teaching Strategies for all teachers, regardless of whether they are in the control or treatment group. View the playlist and subscribe to our YouTube channel to catch more videos as they're released.
Support for Teachers in the Treatment Group:
- In 2020-21, teachers in the control group received professional development, individual coaching, and access to our professional learning community on Facebook. Teachers continued to access this ongoing support in 2021-22.
Study Timeline and Teacher Incentives
As a thank you to our participating teachers, both treatment and control teachers had access to the curriculum for free for two years (2020–21 and 2021–22), even though the research study only took place for one year (2020–21). At the end of the research study (summer 2021), control group teachers had the option to participate in professional development free of charge.
Teachers who participated in all study activities received up to $1,000 in stipend money. To earn incentives, teachers participated in study activities that occurred during the 2020–21 school year. The timeline of study activities, and incentives tied to each activity, was as follows.
Fall Timeline | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month/Year | Study Activity | Who is Responsible | Description | Incentives |
| August 10 and August 14, 2020 | Data Webinars | District Data Contacts | Webinars were held for the district data points of contact to learn more about the data that will need to be collected as part of the study. The webinar recording, slides, and handouts are available in the "Student Data Collection Information" section below for those who were unable to attend. | – |
| August/September 2020 | Teacher Beginning-of-Year Survey | Teachers | Teachers will take an electronic survey during the first two weeks of the school year. | $200 |
| August/September 2020 | Student Beginning-of-Year Survey | Teachers | Teachers will administer an electronic survey to students during the first two weeks of the school year (90% of students must complete the survey). | $200 |
| October–December 2020 | First Student Data Upload | District Data Contacts | District data points of contact will upload student course enrollment and demographic data to a secure site. | – |
| October-November 2020 | AP Exam Registration and Ordering Deadline | Teachers, AP Coordinators | Teachers should encourage all students to register for the AP CSP Exam by October 2020. AP Coordinators must submit their school’s exam orders by November 13, 2020 (deadline for full-year and fall-only courses). | – |
| October–December 2020 | Teacher End-of-Unit Surveys | Teachers | Teachers will take a brief electronic survey following each unit in the fall semester. Surveys (a total of 3 for the fall semester) should be completed within one week of the unit’s end. | $100 |
Spring Timeline | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month/Year | Study Activity | Who is Responsible | Description | Incentives |
| February/March 2021 | Teachers Interviews* | Teachers | A random subset of teachers will be asked to participate in a 30-minute phone interview. | $100 |
| March 2021 | AP Exam Spring Ordering Deadline | Teachers, AP Coordinators | AP Coordinators must submit any changes to their school’s exam orders and order exams for spring-only courses by March 12, 2020. | – |
| January–April 2021 | Teacher End-of-Unit Surveys | Teachers | Teachers will take a brief electronic survey following each unit in the spring semester. Surveys (a total of 2 for the spring semester) should be completed within one week of the unit’s end. Please note that we will no longer administer a Unit 6 end-of-unit survey. We will include Unit 6 questions on the end-of-year survey, to be administered in May 2021. | $100 |
| May/June 2021 | Teacher End-of-Year Survey | Teachers | Teachers will take an electronic survey during the last month of the school year. | $200 |
| May/June 2021 | Student End-of-Year Survey | Teacher | Teachers will administer an electronic survey to students during the last month of the school year (90% of students must complete the survey). | $200 |
| July 2021 | Second Student Data Upload | District Data Contacts | District data points of contact will upload student CSP AP exam scores, and any updates/revisions to fall student data upload, to secure site. | – |
*AIR will only ask a small subset of teachers to participate in interviews. Those selected have the chance to earn an extra $100 above the $1,000. Teachers not selected may still earn the full $1,000 by participating in research activities.
Student Data Collection Information and Webinars
Attention: District Data Points of Contact
Webinars were held on August 10 and August 14 for the district data points of contact to learn more about the data that will need to be collected as part of the study. The webinar recording, slides, and handouts are available below for those who were unable to attend.
Webinar Recording for Data Contacts
Webinar Slides for Data Contacts
Handout: Data Contact Roles
Handout: File Sharing Instructions
SEED Study Communications
Please email info@uteachcs.org with questions or inquiries.