Computational Art

Abstract

Introducing computer science to high school students in a creative context, and fitting such a course into an overly packed high school curriculum, is a challenge. This paper describes a fruitful collaboration to create and teach an alternative introductory computing curriculum for high school students targeted at introducing students to computing via an artistic context. This curriculum allows students to be introduced to computing in a highly interest based context, attracting diverse student body participation (25% female students in the first offering and 38% female students in the present 2015-16 offering). This curriculum also fulfills student's fine art course requirement making it more readily accessible to a wide audience to `try out' CS while making progress on their academic goals. This curriculum has been used as a successful introduction to computing at the Santa Barbara High School CS Academy in the 2014-2015 school year and is currently being offered again this year. In this paper, we present the curriculum and evaluation of this initial offering.