theodp writes: Amazon on Wednesday announced it has lined up the support of Governors and State School Superintendents from five ‘key states’ for a pilot that aims to reimagine the Java-based Advanced Placement Computer Science A (AP CS A) course taken by high school students for college credit. By doing so, Amazon indicated it hopes to address “the diversity gaps in…
Tag: high school students
Maybe CS Class Isn’t the Best Way To Expose Most Kids To CS
Long-time Slashdot reader theodp writes: “If we want all students to learn computer science (CS for All), we have to go to where the students are,” writes University of Michigan
Grand Valley State University CS Professor Mark Guzdial. “Unfortunately, that’s not computer science class. In most US states, less than 5% of high school students take a course in computer science. “Programming…
Remembering the Golden Age of Computer User Groups
Slashdot reader #16,185 wrote regularly for the newsletter of a small-town computer users group. Now they’ve written an article for Ars Technica reminding readers that “The Homebrew Computer Club where the Apple I got its start is deservedly famous — but it’s far from tech history’s only community gathering centered on CPUs.” Throughout the 70s and into the 90s, groups around…
High school students build lockers for trip to the International Space Station
Pulling that final zipper closed on a stuffed suitcase or getting the tailgate of a packed car shut is a true feeling of victory at the start of any road trip. Sending supplies to the International Space Station—including on NASA’s SpaceX Demo-2 test flight that launched the first astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule May 30…
Students Are Failing AP Tests Because the College Boards Can’t Handle HEIC Images
Many high school students around the country completed Advanced Placement tests online last week but were unable to submit them at the end because the testing portal doesn’t support HEIC images — the default format on iOS devices and some newer Android phones. The Verge reports: For the uninitiated: AP exams require longform answers. Students can either type their response or…
College Tests Called Unfair To Homebound, Tech-Poor Students
A group of high school students sued the College Entrance Examination Board claiming its advanced placement tests are unfair to teens trapped at home by the coronavirus pandemic without adequate computers or internet connections. From a report: The board, which offers college-level curriculum for courses and exams to high school students, and Educational Testing Services, which administers the advanced placement exams,…
Google Searches For ‘Java’ Spiked During Friday’s Online AP CS Exam
Long-time Slashdot reader theodp writes: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s AP Exams — a passing score on which earns high school students college credit — are open book/open note and taken from home. So it’s no surprise that Google Trends registered a spike in searches for ‘Java’ during Friday afternoon’s AP CS A exam (more detailed exam day chart)…
Some US Students May Have to Retake Online AP Exams Due to Computer Glitch
“High school students who took Advanced Placement exams online this week may have to do it again next month because of a technical glitch,” writes CNN, sharing some of the students’ horror stories. With 45 seconds left in her exam, 11th-grader Maggie McLauchlin of Jacksonville, Florida, took a video of what appears to be a black screen as she tried to…
A.P. Exams in the Coronavirus Era: Online, and Just 15 To 45 Minutes Long
Beginning Monday, 3.4 million high school students will sit down at desks — and in cars, on bedroom floors and anywhere they can find some quiet — and take Advanced Placement exams with the hopes of proving mastery of a range of academic subjects. From a report: The tests will look much different than in years past, as the coronavirus pandemic…
Connecting With Global Learners: Meet May
May, a pharmacist from Florida, recently tried an online class through edX for the first time. One of the most surprising and exciting parts of her experience was connecting with fellow learners around the globe. “It was an amazing experience to learn alongside students from all over the world. The silver lining in COVID-19,” May said. Read on to learn more…