How did you get into computing?

I remember being in elementary school in the early 80s, and the math book had a coding activity at the end of each chapter. We did little activities in coding and flowcharts, so computing was always part of math to me.

I came to Morgan State University as an undergraduate in 1990. There was no CS major but it was offered as a concentration in math. As a successful engineering major, I got good internships and enjoyed the program, but I switched my major to math because I feel that I came from a background with every opportunity available to me, but I cared about how to broaden participation and create opportunities for others. If you do math correctly, you should have the foundation to get into engineering, computing, and other STEM areas.

Before accepting a position at Mogan, I spent 20 years in k-12 education as a teacher and administrator. I could see how much it makes sense that you have to be deliberate about providing experiences for all students, and develop a work ethic. There is a stereotype that to be in STEM you have to be a genius… that it all has to come easily to you. That’s not true. Failure may be part of your learning process, but if you’re interested and you persist you can succeed.

What are some things you have done with computing at Morgan State in the Education program?

We started with our first MCCE grant 5 years ago. As a professor in both the Math and Education departments, I saw the need to make connections. People work in silos and computing is part of many different areas.  There is a big issue of equity. The kids in the middle of the curve and upper end have opportunities, but not all students have a chance to be exposed to computing. It’s important to  me to do things that are sustainable, that will last when the grants run out. The first grant was to develop a computational thinking unit in math that has been exposed future teachers to computing for 5 years now. Were able to go into the schools and work directly with elementary educators. We use robots as well as computing activities.

The new grant will take it a step farther. Using preservice teachers to work with a sponsoring teacher at a school to run a coding club. We are targeting Baltimore city schools near the Morgan campus, and we are not only targeting the brightest students. There are areas in STEM and computing that are not very deep but are ideal for exposing students so they will like the ideas and choose to build on them. Everyone needs experience. It’s an issue of social justice. Students in poverty, students of color, anyone who is being left out needs to know they can make a difference. Students should be producers and not just consumers of tech.

Do the University students you teach now have an equivalent experience of CS and coding to what you did?

Absolutely not. When they took CS out of math, there was no more connection to coding that all students were exposed to. There is an emphasis on critical thinking in math, but that is pretty abstract. It’s worth having discussions about what is important and what is not. Unless a teacher takes the initiative, exposure to computing does not happen and there’s no support. Often there is a track for gifted students, but the opportunities are often not there for the average or struggling students.

I want to set up a structure where it’s easy to plug in computing activities that don’t compete with the requirements, but add to the learning.