Frequently Asked Questions
What is Computer Science?
Computer science is the study of computers and what they can do. Computer science focuses specifically on the theory, design, development, and application of software and software systems.
Why is it important?
Computer science education in Indiana is important because it is a fast-growing field that helps students develop the computational thinking, problem solving, and creative skills that are necessary for today's society. By 2020, there will be 1.4 million computing jobs available in the United States. However, there will only be 400,000 computer science students graduating in 2020. It is our job as educators to provide our students with the information they need to be successful in a digital society.
What does it mean to have equity in Computer Science?
Women and students of color are underrepresented in the Computer Science field. In high school, Computer Science has one of the worst gender diversity across all courses with only 22% of participants being female. Students of color only make up 13% of those students taking Computer Science. In 2017, Indiana had 1,343 students taking an AP Computer Science exam. Only 20% of test takers were female, 107 test takers were Hispanic or Latino, 44 test takers were African American, and only 1 test taker was American Indian or Alaska Native. The number of females and underrepresented minorities in computer science education is extremely low. To achieve equity in Computer Science, we need to recruit more women and students of color to participate in Computer Science courses.
Source: https://code.org/diversity
Why CS for all students?
Every students presents a different set of experiences and perspectives to solving problems. Having a diverse group of students studying computer science will allow for a variety of viewpoints so that we can solve more diverse problems.
How are in-state teachers prepared to teach Computer Science courses?
Indiana computer science teachers are provided with multiple options for professional development to help them prepare to teach computer science courses. Check out our professional development page to learn more about opportunities for Indiana educators.