Generating Interest in Computer Science through Middle- School Android Summer Camps

We conducted a week-long summer camp to promote interest in computer science among middle-school students. The camp primarily used self-paced video tutorials to teach programming concepts using the App Inventor for Android programming environment. Based on strong interest from students and parents as well as positive survey feedback, we conclude that the camp was very successful. We have made the camp resources, including 36 video tutorials, freely available at http://artsci.drake.edu/mathcs/appcamp, and they may be used in future camps at any institution. INTRODUCTION Many STEM disciplines like biology and mathematics are introduced to students in structured courses throughout their middle school and high school careers. Students begin to develop interests in these areas early on through regular coursework. On the other hand, areas like computer science are not typically covered in such a systematic way, so encouraging interest at an early age in the field is more challenging. However, some approaches, like intensive summer camps, have track records for fostering increased interest in computing [1]. In an effort to help attract students to computing and combat the negative stereotype that computing is “nerdy” and unattractive [3, 9], we used the recent mobile app trend as a hook for a computer programming summer camp for 7th and 8th graders. The use of Initial Learning Environments (ILEs) such as Alice [2], Scratch [13], Lego Mindstorms NXT [5], and Greenfoot [4] have provided a graphical, drag-and-drop “blocks-based” or “syntax-free” programming environment to facilitate the algorithmic thinking needed for computing while removing the syntax that can make programming daunting for newcomers. Programs are constructed by connecting up compatible blocks that represent programming constructs and fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Our camp used App Inventor for Android [15], a relatively new ILE, that allows for the creation of Android apps in a beginner-friendly environment like those that have made other ILEs attractive. Developing apps for smartphones is a particularly attractive method to introduce computing to middle schoolers, particularly to females and minorities [12]. A 2010 survey found that 33% of Americans ages 15-24 own a smartphone. Females account for 55% of smartphone users in the US ages 15-24. Among the 15-24 year old US smartphone users, 83% are considered an “advanced data user”, using smartphones beyond calls and text messages. Mobile device ownership is amongst the highest in minority groups: 45% among Asians, Hispanics, and Pacific Islanders, and 33% among African Americans [11]. Utilization of mobile devices is also becoming prevalent inside the classroom as teachers are adopting mobile technology for pedagogical reasons [6, 7, 8]. Thus, students come to the camp already familiar with the technology and can immediately see the utility in designing their own programs. In the rest of the paper, we present an overview of the camp, an analysis of the data we collected, a reflection on lessons learned from running the camp, and we finish with conclusions and an invitation to other institutions to use/extend our materials. CAMP OVERVIEW Our camp was targeted at incoming 7th and 8th graders. While we feel confident that camp content is accessible to even younger students (say, as young as 5th grade), our limited experience with elementary-school classroom management led us to stick with students with longer attention spans and higher maturity levels. We also kept our first camp relatively small (twelve students) to allow for more individual attention. Recruiting students To recruit campers, an email was sent to area middle school principals asking them to forward the camp information to teachers and/or parents. The “App Camp“ idea was extremely attractive to parents and students. The camp filled in 24 hours. Without any further advertising, 45 students had expressed interest and were put on a waiting list. A private grant (Iowa Space Grant Consortium) for STEM education provided us with an appropriate summer stipend to develop the content and administer the camp. A registration fee of $60 per student paid for lunches at the college cafeteria and a t-shirt we had developed by a graphic design student. We felt that a modest registration fee was appropriate to ensure that students registered in the camp were committed and would not simply reserve a spot but not attend. Camp Materials App Inventor was used in another camp taught by Krishnendu Roy at Valdosta State University [14]. Roy used both App Inventor and Lego Mindstorm NXT, and a portion of the App Inventor content was delivered with five video tutorials. Our camp expands on this idea with a much larger focus on both App Inventor and video-delivered content. Prior to the camp, we developed 36 five to ten minute instructional videos that can be downloaded via iTunesU. Each video explains an element of App Inventor and walks through the process of developing an app. The example apps built on work from the official App Inventor tutorials [10] and one exercise from the Valdosta State camp [14] as well as original apps developed specifically for our camp. Students watched the videos at their workstations (with headphones for audio) in a self-paced manner. Sequences of videos are followed by exercises that allow students to work on their own using skills introduced in the videos. Students spent the last camp day developing a completely original app. This means of content delivery was very successful. It relieved us from having to perform live demonstrations and let the students work at their own pace. Students could revisit elements of the videos that did not make sense upon the initial viewing. Additionally, students could pause the video walkthrough and work alongside the demonstration or watch the video to completion and work on the exercise on their own. Another advantage of having the content delivered via iTunesU is that all students who were not able to attend the camp could watch the content from home. The camp URL containing links to the videos and links to the image files is http://artsci.drake.edu/mathcs/appcamp. Day Activity Name Number of 5-10 minute segments Concept/Skill Developed 1 Hello World