[Need Assessment]

 Project Title

Core Computational Practice, Debugging

 Project Description

         The purpose of this instructional design project is to provide debugging history, knowledge, strategies, and teaching methods. Debugging is a core computational practice in computer science education. Since Obama promoted to bring computer sciences into K-16 education in 2016, more and more K-12 schools involved computer sciences in school curriculum, or after-school programs. However, teachers might not be familiar with computer science teaching, especially for elementary teachers. Elementary teachers usually need to teach most of subjects themselves. They have limited time to prepare their lesson plans. If the teachers are not familiar with teaching topics, such as computer sciences, they need to learn these computer sciences contents and compile it themselves. However, ragged computer sciences teaching materials and resources may challenge teachers’ teaching and students’ learning process.

         Thus, this project is aimed to equip elementary teachers’ knowledge related to debugging history, strategies, teaching methods. There will be several modules included but not limited to course introduction, history of debugging in computer sciences, different debugging models, general debugging strategies, debugging strategies for novices and expertise, teaching debugging in elementary education. The assignment for this project will include lectures, discussion post, reflections, lesson plans, and projects. Each module will need learners to spend five hours for finishing it. After finishing this project, learners will know basic debugging history, knowledge, strategies, and teaching pedagogies.

Needs Assessment

Phase I(Planning):

Since this project will be an instructional design product for elementary teachers’ professional development, the designer will conduct felt needs, expressed needs, and anticipated or future needs. Designers consider teachers who may try to improve their CS teaching knowledge and skills as main participants for this ID project. Felt needs could identify targeted participants’ desire if they want to improve their performances or skills (Morrison et al., 2019). Expressed needs can assess targeted participants’ willingness to put effort or take action to improve their performances and skills. Anticipated or future needs can help designers to determine what difficulties targeted participants meet and what project will meet the participants’ needs. Interviews, questionnaires, and  will be used to data collection

Phase II (Collecting data):

The interviews and questionnaires will be sent out in a district with different schools. The designers plan to interview 30 interviews from at least three schools. The designer will spend three days in each school for interviews and questionnaires.

Interview Questions

1.    How long have you taught CS for elementary students?

2.     What resources do you use to help to overcome teaching challenges? How well do the resources work for you?

3.     Does anything get in your way while doing your job?

4.     What changes do you want to see?

5.     Are there any things/issues that impact your teaching debugging for kids?

6.     If you could change one thing about your teaching cs, what would it be?

7.     How do you learn about bring cs into elementary education and CT integrations that affect your job?

Questionnaires

1.     Do you feel you are preparing students adequately to learn debugging?

a.     Yes B. No C. Maybe

2.     Would you like further training on debugging?]

a.     Yes B. No C. Maybe

3.     Rank from highest to lowest the question format you would like more training (1 – most training desired, 4 – lowest training desired) (click and drag the item into the desired order)

*debugging basic knowledge

*debugging history

*debugging strategies

*debugging teaching pedagogy

4.     If offered the training, what would best work with your schedule?

a.     face-to-face class

b.     online training at your own pace

c.     online training at a scheduled time

5.     What would you like to take away most from this course if offered?

Phase III(Analyzing data):

Designers needs to analyze interview data and questionnaires. The designers will count participants’ answers for different needs. Since designers used the ranking in questionnaires, the answers for participants’ needs also will be counted.

Phase IV (Compiling a Final Report):

The final report several problems for this project. Firstly, elementary teachers tried to teach debugging strategies to students. However, they lack academic knowledge related to debugging. Secondly, elementary teachers have few resources in teaching debugging strategies for students, especially for elementary students. Thirdly, most of teachers prefer online training due to COVID situations. Thus, the project needs a great quality to facilitate and assist this difficult time.

 Goal Analysis

The goal of this ID project is aimed to provide great professional development related to debugging teaching for elementary teachers. Through need assessment, designers find the instructional project is conductible and practical. After conducting Morrison et al. (2019)’s six steps of goal analysis, which includes identifying an aim, set goals, refine goals, rank goals, refine goal again, and make a final ranking, designers set goals of this project:

1.     Equip teachers’ knowledge related to debugging

2.     Create a platform for teachers to discuss and support each other’s work

3.     Create a simulated environment for teachers to practice learning content

4.     Provide evaluation systems for designers and users to improve the project

5.     Provide opportunities for learners and instructors to communicate

Learner Analysis and Context Analysis

Outline the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that learners need to bring to the instructional process.

1.     Knowledge

a.     Learners need to be pre-services or in-services teachers in elementary school

b.     Learners need to be familiar with elementary teaching philosophy

2.     Attitude

a.     Learners are willing to accept new knowledge

b.     Learners are active participants in the professional development

c.     Learners are willing to try to discuss and work collaboratively with peers

3.     Skills

a.     Learners need to master basic computer skills, such as browsing websites, corporate with basic software’s

b.     Learners are able to understand English

Describe student attitudes, motivation, background, abilities, learning styles, and group characteristics.

         Students need to communicate with instructors in time if they meet problems and active participants in the learning process, such as replying to peers in time and provide feedback with a positive attitude. Students are able to self-learning under the instruction. Students’ backgrounds should be in-service or pre-service teachers with elementary backgrounds. The time designer set for this class will allow one week for submitting assignments and provide feedback to peers. The designers also hope students critically think about the learning process and provide feedback, which can be used for further improvement. The accessibility will be considered for students with disabilities, which enable them to learn better from this product.

Describe the physical, social, and resource elements of the learning site. Much of this information could have been gathered during the need assessment phase.

         Based on the COVID situation, designers should understand most of the work learners need to finish at home. The learning materials and materials should be accessible for learners to use. Instructors or designers need to prepare resources to be downloadable for learners. If it is necessary, designers need to provide packages for learners to use and download in case of internet issues.

Task Analysis

         To clarify the instructional procedures, I used teaching debugging history as an example. Each module will be repeatable with similar tasks.

1.     Open the home page and find a module related to debugging history

2.     Assess the overview of debugging history module

3.     There are three subparts listed on the overview page

a.     Instructional lecture related to debugging history, a summary of assignments listed and without link

b.     Discussion post for debugging history module

c.     Finish reflections on instructional materials

4.     A final project will be divided into parts for teachers to finish in case they don’t have time at the final of the professional development

 References

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. J., Morrison, J. R., & Kalman, H. K. (2019). Designing effective instruction. John Wiley & Sons.