Broadening Participation in Computing: Experiences of the Hour of Code in an African Country
Article No.: 18, Pages 1 - 4
Abstract
To increase participation in formal computer science education in underrepresented regions like Africa, an initiative called CSEdBotswana was launched in Botswana. To take an initial step towards this change, an "Hour of Code" (HoC) event was carried out, engaging 16 secondary schools, over 700 students, 20 teachers, and 20 facilitators. In this paper, we recount our firsthand experiences of organizing the Hour of Code event, with a focus on its impact on students’ attitudes towards programming, as well as the experiences of teachers and facilitators. The results indicate a positive impact on students’ perceived importance of programming, engagement, and learning but no significant impact on their interest in pursuing programming. The feedback from teachers and facilitators underlines the potential of Hour of Code as an educational tool, while also highlighting the requirement for more resources and teacher expertise. This research forms part of a broader study aimed at expanding participation in formal computer science education in a developing country.
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Association for Computing Machinery
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Published: 27 September 2023
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WiPSCE '23
WiPSCE '23: The 18th WiPSCE Conference on Primary and Secondary Computing Education Research
September 27 - 29, 2023
Cambridge, United Kingdom
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