243 Chapter 13 The Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Graduate Course to Prepare Teachers and School Librarians to Lead K-12 Computational Thinking Kim C Huett https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7085-0631 University of West Georgia, USA Adriana D’Alba University of West Georgia, USA Bruce Neubauer Albany State University, USA ABSTRACT The importance of applying computational thinking—the problem-solving approach used in the domain of computer science—to solve significant problems is increasingly recognized in K-12 schools as a fundamental skill all students need to develop The current study presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of a graduate course 20 teachers and school librarians completed in spring 2019 The purpose of the course was to expand learners’ understandings of the value and nature of computational thinking, to explore barriers to access faced by students in underrepresented groups, and to reflect on how to facilitate K-12 students’ understandings of computational thinking outside of dedicated computing courses Using a model for systematic instructional planning and evaluation, this chapter reports qualitative thematic analyses of learners’ performances and reflections The chapter concludes with planned revisions for the course and implications for similar efforts within in-service teacher education programs DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-1479-5.ch013 Copyright © 2020, IGI Global Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited The Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Graduate Course to Prepare Teachers INTRODUCTION This chapter presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of the online graduate course Leading Computational Thinking in K-12 Learning (Leading CT) The chapter opens with background literature related to the need for advancing computational thinking (CT) in K-12 schools and related challenges and policies at national and state levels It also addresses the role of instructional technology programs that teach K-12 educators The chapter then moves to the design of the course Leading CT, followed by its implementation and evaluation The discussion focuses on design implications to guide course modifications for the next iteration of Leading CT BACKGROUND Need for Computational Thinking K-12 In her 2006 essay, Jeannette Wing argued for the inclusion of computational thinking (CT) among the essential literacies taught in K-12 contexts, alongside reading and mathematics Since then, several definitions of CT have been proposed (Barr & Stephenson, 2011; Grover & Pea, 2013) In this chapter, we use the 2011 definition created by a collaboration between the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA), which describes CT as a problem-solving process applied towards a range of challenges The CT problem-solving process is supported by computers and other tools, and it may include algorithmic design to support automation; data organization and analysis; and data representation through abstraction (ISTE, CSTA, 2011) In this chapter, CT is considered fundamental to the domain of computer science (CS), a subject some students experience in high school through coursework that is usually elective The rationale behind the K-12 CS education reform movement—which includes learning CT and CS—is based on several key arguments: CT represents fundamental knowledge and skill needed to participate in our technology-enhanced society (Margolis et al., 2008); there are numerous jobs in computing and related fields projected in the future (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018); to learn CT is to learn important competencies that can be applied across domains (ISTE, 2016); and CT knowledge is necessary to solve today’s grand challenges (Code.org, CSTA, & ECEP, 2019; National Science Foundation, n.d.) Furthermore, parents want their children to learn CS (Google & Gallup, 2015), an important indicator of its value in the realm of public opinion In 2016, ISTE updated its Standards for Students that describe what every K-12 student should know and be able to with technology In this update, it added “computational thinker” as one of the seven roles K-12 students should be able to assume Students that are computational thinkers “[develop] and [employ] strategies for understanding and solving problems in ways that leverage the power of technological methods to develop and test solutions” (ISTE, 2016) Sub-elements of this standard include defining problems; thinking algorithmically; collecting, analyzing, and representing data; developing models to understand complexity; and creating and testing automated solutions (ISTE, 2016) The ISTE standards have been widely adopted by state boards of education, including in the state of Georgia, the context for the Leading CT course The ISTE standards update has implications for pre-service and in-service teacher educators: across all subjects that candidates will teach in K-12 contexts, teacher education 244 24 more pages are available in the full version of this document, which may be purchased using the "Add to Cart" button on the publisher's webpage: www.igi-global.com/chapter/the-design-implementation-and-evaluation-of-agraduate-course-to-prepare-teachers-and-school-librarians-to-lead-k-12computational-thinking/246599 Related Content Social Skills Development for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders through the Use of Interactive Storytelling Games Sukun Jin, Boaventura DaCosta and Soohnwa Seok (2016) Special and Gifted Education: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (pp 1631-1647) www.irma-international.org/chapter/social-skills-development-for-children-with-autism-spectrum-disorders-through-theuse-of-interactive-storytelling-games/151270 Investigating English Language Learners' Reading Gains From Technology-Based Instruction Kelly M Torres, Kelly M Torres, Aubrey Statti, Aubrey Statti, Caroline A Morales and Caroline A Morales (2022) International Journal of Curriculum Development and Learning Measurement (pp 1-16) www.irma-international.org/article/investigating-english-language-learners-reading/290385 Exploring Social Justice Issues Through Diverse Youth Literature: Erasing Prejudice One Book at a Time Susan M Tyrrell (2021) Handbook of Research on Teaching Diverse Youth Literature to Pre-Service Professionals (pp 482-499) www.irma-international.org/chapter/exploring-social-justice-issues-through-diverse-youth-literature/285167 Efficiency of Indigenous and Intercultural Higher Education and Research Programs: The Case of the Autonomous Indigenous University of Mexico José G Vargas-Hernández and Ernesto Guerra-García (2021) International Journal of Curriculum Development and Learning Measurement (pp 29-44) www.irma-international.org/article/efficiency-of-indigenous-and-intercultural-higher-education-and-researchprograms/285979 Building Peaceful Inclusive Schools for Inclusive Education: Is Namibia on the Transformation Path? 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