Workshop on
Broadening Participation in Computing
through Robotics and K-12 Education
(BPC-ERK12)

call for participation

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overview
This workshop is motivated to by the desire bring K-12 teachers together with academic researchers who are uniting robotics and education with the long term goal of broadening participation in computing and engineering fields. The NSF's BPC program, launched in 2005, has engaged a large number of universities in the US working individually or in consortia, many of whom are interacting with local school systems and incorporating robotics in K-12 activities and curricula.

This workshop aims to tap into the community of world-class robotics researchers with an interest in K-12 education. Local teachers will be invited to participate in the workshop, by observing, engaging in discussions and contributing their own experiences. A poster session will be included in which all speakers and attendees are encouraged to present.

The objectives are to establish a forum for sharing experiences, ideas and learning outcomes amongst members of this broad community. Assessment is a key theme, as school systems struggle to keep up with national and state standards while at the same time keep students motivated. Interdisciplinary, hands-on topics such as robotics have been shown to provide environments for learning that not only engage students but also offer applied settings for teachers to demonstrate transfer of skills and concepts from abstract textbook ideas to context-based problem-solving.

topics of interest
We invite submissions that describe and/or demonstrate any of the following, in relation to the use of robotics in K-12 formal or informal educational settings:

• Robotics in K-12 education
• Evaluation and assessment
• Curriculum standards
• Practical lessons learned
• Broadening participation in computing
• Broadening participation in engineering
• Bridging K-12 to undergraduate education
• Interdisciplinary use of robotics in K-12 education
• expanded to include: Robotics in Undergraduate education

submission requirements
All submissions must be written in English and must include: title, author(s) name(s), affiliation(s), mailing and electronic addresses, and telephone and fax numbers. Papers should be no longer than 8 pages.

Prospective authors should email a PDF version of their paper to:
Elizabeth Sklar (sklar @ sci.brooklyn.cuny.edu)
extended to: FEBRUARY 15, 2008.

important dates

EXTENDED TO FEB 15	Deadline for paper submission
EXTENDED TO MAR 10	Notification of Acceptance
EXTENDED TO APR 1	Submission of Camera-ready papers
May 19 or 20	BPC-ERK12 Workshop

questions?
For further information, please contact:
Prof Elizabeth Sklar
Dept of Computer and Information Science
Brooklyn College, City University of New York
sklar @ sci.brooklyn.cuny.edu