About Power On!
Power On! is a graphic novel by researchers Jean J. Ryoo and Jane Margolis that “follows a diverse group of teenage friends as they discover that computing can be fun, creative, and empowering.” Educators in NYC public schools have created lesson plans to use with Power On! in their classrooms. These lessons are designed to support students’ engagement with computer science and their sense of identity and belonging in the field, and to encourage them to discuss and consider issues of equity, ethics, and social responsibility in computing.
About Our Study
As an extension of the Research Alliance’s ongoing evaluation of the CS4All initiative, we are collaborating with UCLA’s CS Equity Project to understand the use and outcomes of Power On! in NYC public schools. The study includes classroom observations of Power On! lessons being implemented and interviews with both teachers and students about their experiences with the novel. Through these data, we aim to understand the challenges and benefits of using the novel in CS instruction, the extent to which the graphic novel encourages productive engagement and conversation around issues of equity, and students’ reactions to the book and lessons.
This study is supported by a grant from UCLA's Center X - Computer Science Equity Project and the National Science Foundation Award #2030935: Centering Minoritized High School Students' Perspectives from Introductory Computer Science through 12th Grade and Beyond.
