Computational Thinking Ahead
Learn how the Computational Thinking Institute will continue to grow students and itself!
New Skill Area Development & Industry Partners
Just as computer science and technology continue to grow, so does the Computational Thinking Institute's mission. Current efforts are underway to collaborate with major technology industry partners to help ensure what is measured by the Computational Thinking Assessment is well aligned with the skills needed in the careers of tomorrow. As examples, the Computational Thinking Institute is currently investigating potential skill area development with respect to cybersecurity and the Internet of Things.
Younger Audiences & Questions Taxonomy
Today, the Computational Thinking Assessment is designed mainly for an audience of early middle school to pre-college high school students, in part due to the assessment's reading level. However, as computer science education can begin at a much younger age, the Computational Thinking Institute is also investigating assessment means for younger students and is working towards developing a taxonomy of the kinds of computation thinking questions that are well-suited for elementary students.
On-Line Tools For One Planet
The Institute's creation was inspired by U.S. President Obama's call in the launch of the CS4All initiative to make an impact in computer science education in not just the US but the world. To do its part in meeting this challenge, the Computational Thinking Institute is aiming to launch next year a new on-line assessment platform that will make it easy for people in K-12 educational programs in schools and extra curricular activities throughout the world to benefit from its low-stress, advancement tracking assessments and achievement recognitions
The Creation of the Institute
The Computational Thinking Assessment was developed under the leadership of Dr. David R. Schneider who has been one of the highest student rated faculty at both Columbia and Cornell University and he has received multiple recognitions from the Obama White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) for his STEM education work. The assessment’s creation was in fact based upon meeting an unanswered need identified in part by the OSTP’s CSforAll initiative, which Dr. Schneider was a part of the kick-off for. The assessment additionally draws from the work of the Computer Science Teachers Association, the Next Generation Science Standards, the Computer Science and Principles of Computer Science Advance Placement Exams, and the curriculum of over 80 introductory college computer science courses as well as numerous K-12 computer science programs.
Independent of the Computational Thinking Institute, Prof. David Schneider serves as the Director of MEng Studies for Systems Engineering at Cornell University. One of Prof. Schneider's most notable educational outreach efforts here was his role in the creation of the field of Computational Sustainability, an honor the National Science Foundation awards only once every 10 years. Prof. Schneider focused on the broader impacts / educational outreach efforts and this work included developing means of teaching middle school students algorithm concepts that were typically taught to senior undergraduate students. An equally notable outreach efforts was founding and creating the Cornell Cup USA presented by Intel embedded systems competition which received numerous national recognitions and industry sponsorships. More about Prof. David Schneider can be found on the Cornell University Systems Engineering website linked below: