Unlocking potential through inclusive computing education
The Creative Technology Research Lab (CTRL) is an educational research lab at the University of Florida. The primary aim of the CTRL is to investigate how to meaningfully engage all learners in technology-mediated learning with a focus on K-12 computer science and computational thinking. Our research also extends to school-based outreach and advocacy.
Our Beliefs and Values
Diversity
Learner variability is the norm, not the exception. Diversity is an asset.
Accessibility
All learners deserve engaging and accessible learning opportunities.
Equity
Collaboration, advocacy, and equity drives our research forward.
The Kenneth C. Griffin CS Education for All Initiative
At CSEveryone, we want to help all teachers, regardless of what subjects they teach, find ways to bring computer science skills to all their students. Our aim is to help teachers everywhere, starting within our state, learn how to incorporate CS into their practice. We place an especially strong focus on preservice teacher education and are creating multiple pathways to prepare future educators to teach CS.
Collaborative Research: A research-practice partnership focused on creating equitable computer science opportunities for elementary students (Time4CSforAll)
Time4CSforAll aims to ensure all students have the opportunity to engage in computational thinking and skill building by bring CS into the formal education environment. Our work leverages interdisciplinary learning to provide elementary teachers with the curriculum, tools, and instructional resources they need to make integrated CS accessible, engaging, and personally relevant for all their students.
Universal Design for Learning in Computer Science (UDL4CS)
UDL4CS is a Research-Practice Partnership that brings together researchers and practitioners around the shared problem of practice to provide teachers with the tools necessary to meaningfully include students with disabilities in computer science education.
Camp Dialogs
Camp DIALOGS will provide technology-rich learning opportunities for middle school students to design and develop spoken conversational apps using computer science. Spoken conversational apps include today’s voice assistants and chatbots such as Siri, Alexa, Google Home, and many more.
CS for All: Teaching All Computational Thinking through Inclusion and Collaboration (TACTIC)
TACTIC is an NSF grant investigating ways of making computer science education accessible and engaging to elementary and middle school students with disabilities.
Learning Trajectories for Everyday Computing (LTEC-2)
LTEC-2 is a NSF grant investigating the relationship between elementary mathematics and computational thinking aligned to learning trajectories.
Collaborative Computing Observation Instrument (C-COI)
The C-COI is an observation instrument used in conjunction with video screen capture software. It allows researchers to observe videos of students’ computer screens and listen to their conversations as they engage in computer programming. With the C-COI, researchers can analyze areas such as time on task, students’ collaborative problem solving, behaviors, persistences, and help-seeking/giving behaviors.
Include Neurodiversity in Foundational and Applied Computational Thinking (INFACT)
INFACT will prepare a wide range of learners in grades 3-8, including neurodiverse learners, for successful computer science learning in high school and beyond. INFACT helps students leverage their individual talents needed for the workforce of the future.
Integrating CT Across the Curriculum
In a collaborative effort with EDC, and NYU’s Research Alliance for NYC Schools, we are studying different approaches and models for integrating computational thinking into the curriculum including professional development, administrative decision making, and instructional approaches.