Project Grant 2627624

NSF FF: PLANNING: REIMAGINING CREATIVE COMPUTING WITH PEDAGOGICAL AI CODE ASSISTANCE -THIS FINDERS FOUNDRY AWARD HELPS STUDENTS BECOME MORE CONFIDENT AND THOUGHTFUL COMPUTER PROGRAMMERS. MANY STUDENTS USE AI TOOLS TO WRITE CODE, BUT THEY OFTEN ACCEPT THE RESULTS WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING HOW THE CODE WORKS OR HOW TO IMPROVE IT. THIS PROJECT WILL DESIGN A CREATIVE CODING TOOL WHERE AI ACTS AS A PARTNER, NOT A REPLACEMENT. THE TOOL WILL ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO READ, TEST, AND CHANGE AI?GENERATED CODE SO THEY BUILD REAL SKILLS. HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND FAMILIES WILL HELP DESIGN THE TOOL TO MAKE SURE IT SUPPORTS CREATIVITY, RESPONSIBILITY, AND CLEAR LEARNING GOALS. THE PLATFORM WILL HELP STUDENTS TRY NEW IDEAS, UNDERSTAND MISTAKES, AND GROW STRONGER CODING HABITS. BY GIVING STUDENTS A SAFE AND SUPPORTIVE PLACE TO EXPLORE CODING WITH AI, THE PROJECT HOPES TO PREPARE THEM FOR FUTURE CLASSES, JOBS, AND OPPORTUNITIES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE. THIS FINDERS FOUNDRY AWARD COLLABORATIVELY DESIGNS APPROACHES FOR INTEGRATING PEDAGOGICAL CODE ASSISTANCE (PCA) FEATURES INTO A CREATIVE CODING ENVIRONMENT TO SUPPORT HIGH?SCHOOL?LEVEL PROGRAMMING. TECHNICAL DESIGN ELEMENTS INCORPORATE MODEL?GROUNDED FEEDBACK, SCAFFOLDS FOR CODE INTERPRETATION, AND STRUCTURES THAT POSITION AI AS A COLLABORATIVE PARTNER RATHER THAN AN AUTOMATED ANSWER PROVIDER GUIDED BY FOCUS GROUPS WITH TEACHERS, STUDENTS, AND PARENTS; DEVELOPMENT OF EARLY PROTOTYPES; AND PRELIMINARY TESTING ACROSS TWO HIGH SCHOOL SETTINGS. THE PROJECT DOCUMENTS HOW LEARNERS INTERACT WITH AI?GENERATED SUGGESTIONS AND HOW PCA FEATURES CAN ENHANCE CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING WITHOUT DIMINISHING PROBLEM?SOLVING AGENCY. THE PROJECT RESULTS IN RESPONSIBLE?USE GUIDELINES FOR PCA IMPLEMENTATION, WIREFRAMES FOR A FULL DEVELOPMENT PROPOSAL, AND EVIDENCE?BASED INSIGHTS INTO LEARNER?AI INTERACTION PATTERNS. THE RESULTING CO-CREATED FRAMEWORK DEMONSTRATES A RESPONSIBLE, INSTRUCTIONALLY ALIGNED AI?SUPPORTED CODING ENVIRONMENTS THAT STRENGTHENS COMPUTATIONAL REASONING AND ENHANCES K12 LEARNING. THIS AWARD REFLECTS NSF'S STATUTORY MISSION AND HAS BEEN DEEMED WORTHY OF SUPPORT THROUGH EVALUATION USING THE FOUNDATION'S INTELLECTUAL MERIT AND BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERIA.- SUBAWARDS ARE PLANNED FOR THIS AWARD.