Engaging computer science in traditional education: the ECSITE project

Engaging Computer Science in Traditional Education (ECSITE, pronounced “excite”) is a 5-year program that began in 2009 to bring computer science into traditional K-12 classrooms. Rather than seeking to draw students into computing courses, we bring computing into the courses that students are already taking. To date, these have included art, biology, health education, mathematics, and social studies courses as well as a Native American focus program. Middle school and high school students are introduced to computational thinking and computer science concepts including algorithms, graph theory, and simulations in interdisciplinary contexts, mirroring the ways in which computing technologies are utilized in research and industry. Teachers report that students increase their understanding and perception of computer science, and that participating K-12 teachers increase their knowledge about computing and will continue to include the computational curriculum after their involvement with ECSITE.