Transcript Using Storytelling to Make Computer Programming Attractive to Middle School Girls

Using Storytelling to Make
Computer Programming
Attractive to Middle School
Girls
Caitlin Kelleher
School of Computer Science
Carnegie Mellon University
www.alice.org
Computer Science is Everywhere
• Medicine: Identifying new potential
medications
• Science: Building robots to explore Mars
• Business: Creating new communications
networks
• Education: Teaching our children to read
one on one
• Art History: Revealing lost paintings
The Shrinking CS pool
Why do we need to motivate
girls to study CS?
1950s: Computers are powerful
calculators
2000s: Computing Technology
Part of Everyday Life
A Pragmatic Need for Diversity
• As human beings, we are best at
understanding our own needs. We
need to include a representative
sample of our population in the
design of new technologies.
• In the US, women are the largest
underrepresented group
Critical Time: Middle School
• Middle school is
the time during
which many girls
decide that math
and science is not
for them.
http://www.eric.ed.gov/resources/ericreview/vol6no2/encourage.html
“OK, so I can make the bunny
move around, but why would I
want to?”
Approach
Present programming as a
means to the end of storytelling.
Why storytelling?
• Girls can come up with a story idea.
• Stories provide a graceful introduction to a
variety of programming concepts
• Stories provide opportunities for selfexpression
• Stories can be readily appreciated by nonprogramming friends and family
Developing Storytelling Alice
Formative Evaluation:
Observe middle school
girls (and some boys)
creating stories in Alice
Design and Implement:
Improve Alice
Subjects: Formative Evaluation
• ~ 120 Girl Scouts
from within 1.5
hours of
Pittsburgh
• ~ 30 Local homeschooled kids
• ~ 60 Campers at
STEM camps
Over 18 months, ~15 iterations
Formative Evaluation:
Observe middle school
girls (and some boys)
creating stories in Alice
Design and Implement:
Improve Alice
Workshop Process
• Create a storyboard
• Complete the Storytelling Alice tutorial
• Build story in version of Storytelling Alice
3-Step Storyboarding
• DVD box description
• Setting, action, purpose for each scene.
• 6-9 drawn frames with textual descriptions
per scene.
Motivation for Programming
Constructs
• Sequences – 100%
• Subroutines (through the need for multiple
scenes) – 87%
• Methods with parameters (through
character methods) – 52%
• Loops – 48%
Making girls’ stories attainable
goals.
Multiple Scenes
Change the basic animations to
match what kids want to create
Storytelling Alice:
Generic Alice:
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Say, think
Play sound
Walk to, walk offscreen, walk
Move
Sit On, Lie on
Kneel
Fall Down
Stand Up
Straighten
Look at, look
Turn to face, Turn away from
Turn
Touch
Keep Touching
•
Move
Turn
Roll
Resize
Play Sound
Move to
Move toward, Move away from
Orient to
Turn to Face, point at
Set point of view to
Set Pose
Stand up
Move at speed, turn at speed, roll at
speed
Constrain to face, Constrain to point
at
Helping girls find story ideas.
Seeding Stories
Harold T. Wireton.crazy go nuts
Make the gallery a source of
inspiration
Nina.do ninja move
Lunch Lady.scold
1. Caricatured Characters
2. Animations that require explanation
Introducing girls to Alice through
creating stories.
Before:
After:
To open the method “bunny
shushes the phone,” click on the
edit button next to its tile.
Storytelling Alice Demo
Subjects: Summative Evaluation
• 88 Girl Scouts
from within 1.5
hours of
Pittsburgh (so
far)
Evaluating Storytelling Alice vs.
Generic
Alice
Control Group:
Experimental Group:
Tutorial
Build something to show
in Story-Alice
Tutorial
Build something to show
in Non-Story-Alice
2 hrs, 15 min
Take programming quiz and attitude survey
Try Non-Story Alice
Try Story-Alice
Choose Story or Non-Story Alice to take home
Show a world to everyone
30 min
Evaluating Story-Alice vs. Regular
Alice
Control Group:
Experimental Group:
1
Tutorial
Build something to show
in Story-Alice
Tutorial
Build something to show
in Non-Story-Alice
2 hrs, 15 min
Take programming quiz and attitude survey
Try Non-Story Alice
Try Story-Alice
Choose Story or Non-Story Alice to take home
Show a world to everyone
30 min
Layout vs. Programming
Alice Activity
Activity
Version
% Time
p-value
Scene
Layout
Storytelling
22.3%
p < 0.001
Generic
40.8%
Program
Editing
Storytelling
48.3%
Generic
34%
Running
Program
Storytelling
29.3%
Generic
25.1%
p < 0.001
p = 0.046
Generic Alice Activity
Generic Alice: Scene Layout vs. Program Editing
100
% Time - Editing Program
90
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40
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20
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0
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20
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50
60
% Tim e - Scene Layout
70
80
90
100
Storytelling Alice Activity
Storytelling Alice: Scene Layout vs. Program Editing
100
% Time - Editing Program
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
% Tim e - Scene Layout
70
80
90
100
Evaluating Story-Alice vs. Regular
Alice
Control Group:
Experimental Group:
Tutorial
Build something to show
in Story-Alice
2
Tutorial
Build something to show
in Non-Story-Alice
2 hrs, 15 min
Take programming quiz and attitude survey
Try Non-Story Alice
Try Story-Alice
Choose Story or Non-Story Alice to take home
Show a world to everyone
30 min
Storytelling doesn’t hurt learning
Story Alice
% correct on
programming quiz
62%
Non-story Alice
57%
p = 0.391
Attitudes for both groups are similar
Attitude score
Story Alice
11.8
Non-story Alice
10.9
p = 0.326
More interest in a future Alice class
Definitely Yes
Story
Probably Yes
Non-Story
Maybe no, Maybe yes
Probably Not
Definitely Not
p = 0.02
Evaluating Story-Alice vs. Regular
Alice
Control Group:
Experimental Group:
Tutorial
Build something to show
in Story-Alice
Tutorial
Build something to show
in Non-Story-Alice
2 hrs, 15 min
Take programming quiz and attitude survey
Try Non-Story Alice
3
Try Story-Alice
Choose Story or Non-Story Alice to take home
Show a world to everyone
30 min
Girls are more likely to choose the
story version
Story-Alice
% of girls who
choose their
first Alice
86% (story)
% of girls who
choose their
second
14% (non-story)
Non-Story
Alice
24% (nonstory)
73% (story)
p < 0.001
Evaluating Story-Alice vs. Regular
Alice
Control Group:
Experimental Group:
Tutorial
Build something to show
in Story-Alice
Tutorial
Build something to show
in Non-Story-Alice
2 hrs, 15 min
Take programming quiz and attitude survey
Try Non-Story Alice
Try Story-Alice
Choose Story or Non-Story Alice to take home
4
Show a world to everyone
30 min
Showing a story is appealing
2% story kids show
their non-story world
instead of their story world
34% non-story kids
show their story world
instead of their non-story
world
p < 0.001
Users of the storytelling version
show more evidence of
engagement/motivation
Story-Alice
% of girls who sneak
extra time to work on
their Alice worlds
50%
Non-Story Alice
17%
p = 0.001
The Future: Alice v3.0
• Now beginning design and development
• Will dump “real” Java and a graceful path
• Will be driven by findings about storytelling,
and will have high quality characters and
animations.
• Will be targeted (possible multiple
configurations/flavors) at everyone from 5th
grade to college freshmen.
Alice: Making it Easy (and
Fun!) to Learn to Program
Questions?
Caitlin Kelleher
www.alice.org