Earlier in February of the 2024-25 school year, Director of STEAM and Upper School Science Teacher Cathie Bischoff presented her original dissertation research at the Eastern Educational Research Association (EERA) Conference in Hilton Head, South Carolina. 

Her presentation highlighted findings from her three-year doctoral study as part of her Ed.D. program in Educational Leadership at Fairfield University.

Dr. Bischoff’s research examined how intentional curricular redesigns and course requirements at a Pre-K through 12 independent school like RCDS can influence female-identifying students’ enrollment and perceptions of advanced-level Computer Science Courses. RCDS requires one trimester of Computer Science in Middle School and one semester in Upper School. Students are also given more voice and choice in their programming assignments. Lastly, RCDS offers a variety of introductory courses, such as Computational Biology and Explorations in Creative Computing, to connect a variety of student interests.

Drawing on enrollment data, surveys, and student focus groups at RCDS, Dr. Bischoff found that making Computer Science courses more inclusive, interdisciplinary, and project-based increased female participation in key courses such as AP Computer Science Principles and Advanced Topics 2: Coding for a Cause—in some cases, female enrollment exceeded national averages.

Redesigning elements of Computer Science offerings to include more real-world problem-solving helped boost the sense of belonging, confidence, and interest in female-identifying students. Sample projects include creating Braille campus signage and writing programs for protein identification in DNA sequences. Notably, the change in students’ perception of encouragement to pursue Computer Science had a significant impact.

"For students in my study, hands-on, project-based learning made coding more meaningful and accessible, especially for those who valued interdisciplinary work.​​ Encouragement from families and teachers also emerged as one of the most powerful motivators for pursuing Computer Science beyond introductory levels. "
—Cathie Bischoff, Director of STEAM; Upper School Science Teacher

Dr. Bischoff’s presentation sparked meaningful discussion with fellow educators to help schools broaden and nurture the next generation of computer science innovators.