NERC/ASU
Partnership

The Neurodiversity Education Research Center and Arizona State University are partnering on a National Science Foundation-funded project. This Research Practice Partnership (RPP) explores computer science education as it intersects with disability and the arts. Working with embodied technologies and constructivist pedagogy, we strive to build rich, inclusive computational learning experiences for all students. The partnership extends beyond the university and school settings to include parents, community members, and industry leaders.

Our research consists of three parts:

1

Co-designing curriculum ​

Experienced teachers of neurodivergent middle school students (what we call Teacher Fellows) will work alongside experts in computer science, media studies, and the arts to design computer science-informed curricula. Central to this work is the building, playing, and performing of wearable digital musical instruments.

2

Piloting curriculum ​​

Partner schools will work alongside Teacher Fellows and the ASU research team to implement and collect data on the co-designed curriculum.

3

TEL Shows

Telematic Embodied Learning Shows serve as the capstone project of each semester. The Shows are performances, loosely defined, in which students and other participants perform their built instruments.​​