Philip A Sands – phil@msu.edu
EDUCATION
Ph.D. in Educational Psychology and Educational Technology (2021). Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.
Post-Baccalaureate Teacher’s Certification (2006, August). Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI
B.S.E. in Computer Engineering. (2001, December). University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Professor of Instruction. (2021-Present). Michigan State University.
Design and deliver instruction for introductory computer science courses. Contribute to academic research focusing on computer science for K-12 classrooms. Collaborate with university outreach and engagement staff on projects aimed at supporting broadening participation in computer science.
Graduate Research Assistant. (2016-2021). Michigan State University.
Contributed to academic research focusing on computer science and computational thinking for K-12 classrooms. Produced reports on research for grantees. Designed and delivered professional developments based on recent developments from lab research. Collected and analyzed quantitative and qualitative data from lab research projects.
K-12 Outreach Coordinator for Computer Science. (2013 – 2020). Purdue University.
Collaborate with Purdue University faculty and staff on grant proposals and research projects. Deliver professional development training for K-12 educators. Promote computer science in Indiana communities and schools. Assist department in matters relating to recruitment and retention of marginalized groups in computer science.
Secondary Math and Computer Science Teacher. (2008 – 2013). Plymouth-Canton Community Schools.
Developed curriculum for entire sequence of computer science courses, including the AP Computer Science offering. Started technology club for women, promoting academic achievement through after school IT activities. Achieved a 100% passing rate for AP Computer Science students, and a 92% passing rate for AP Statistics students on College Board examinations. Provided mentoring for new teachers and introduced peer observation program.
Secondary Math Teacher. (2006 – 2008). Prince George’s County Public Schools.
Developed AP approved Statistics curriculum for first-time offering of class. Achieved an 89% passing rate for 9th graders during first year of instruction (64% school average; 45% county average). Planned and led Algebra team meetings for a group of 11 instructors. Trained colleagues in new grading system and the use of Edusoft software to analyze results of standardized testing.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
My research interests include computer science education, motivation in computer science, and issues of broadening participation. Specifically, I am interested the application of motivational theory in computer science classrooms to benefit marginalized students in computing.
PUBLICATIONS (PEER-REVIEWED)
Sands, P., & Capobianco, B. (under review). The Impact of Mentoring on Computing Identity for Women in Computer Science
Sands, P., Yadav, A., Moudgalya, S., & Zamansky, M. (under review). Teacher Beliefs about CT Integration in K-5 Curriculum.
Bouck, E.C., Sands, P., Long, H., & Yadav, A. (2021). Preparing special education preservice teachers to teach computational thinking and computer science. Teacher Education and Special Education, 44(3), 221-238. doi: 10.1177/0888406421992376
Archer, A., Sederberg, D., Kondapaneni, G., & Sands, P. (2020). The search for exoplanets: A capstone project in service learning and outreach. The Physics Teacher, 58(5), 356-358. doi: 10.1119/1.5145536
Sands, P., & Capobianco, B. (2019). Cascaded mentoring for gender inclusion in computer science. Susan Bulkeley Butler Center for Leadership Excellence and ADVANCE Working Paper Series. 1(2), 16-25. Retrieved from https://www.purdue.edu/butler/working-paper-series/docs/Working-Paper-Series_Fall-2018-Issue.pdf
Sands, P. (2019). Addressing cognitive load in the computer science classroom. ACM Inroads, 10(1), 44-51. doi: 10.1145/3210577
Gretter, S., Yadav, A., Sands, P., & Hambrusch, S. (2019). Equitable learning environments in K-12 computing: Teachers’ views on barriers to diversity. ACM Transactions on Computing Education, 19(3), 24:1-16. doi: 10.1145/3282939.
Yadav, A., Gretter, S., Hambrusch, S., & Sands, P. (2016). Expanding computer science education in schools: understanding teacher experiences and challenges. Computer Science Education, 4, 235-254. doi: 10.1080/08993408.2016.1257418
BOOK CHAPTERS
Yadav, A., Sands, P., Good, J., & Lishinski, A. (2018). Computer science and computational thinking in the curriculum: Research and practice. In. J. Voogt & G. Knezek (Eds.). The International Handbook of Information Technology in Primary and Secondary Education.
Sands, P., Yadav, A., & Good, J. (2018). Computational thinking in K-12: In-service teacher perceptions of computational thinking. In M. S Khine. (Ed.). Research Highlights in Computational Thinking.
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS (PEER-REVIEWED)
Moudgalya, S., Yadav, A., Sands, P., Vogel, S., & Zamansky, M. (2021). Teacher views on computational thinking as a pathway to computer science. In Proceedings of the 2021 Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education Conference (ITiCSE ‘21). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 262-268. doi: 10.1145/3430665.3456334
Yadav, A., Lishinski, A., & Sands, P. (2021). Self-efficacy profiles for computer science teachers. In Proceedings of the 2021 ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE ’21). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 302-308. doi: 10.1145/3408877.3432441
Sands, P., Yadav, A. (2020). Self-regulation for high school learners in a MOOC computer science course. In Proceedings of the 2020 ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE ’20). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 845-851. doi: 10.1145/3328778.3366818
Mehta, S., Good, J., Sands, P., Yadav, A., Gretter, S. & Levenhagen-Seeley, J. (2018). Impact of after-school learning programs on high school girls’ confidence and interest in computing. In E. Langran & J. Borup (Eds.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 372-378). Washington, D.C., United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/182551/
Yadav, A., Berges, M., Sands, P., & Good, J. (2016). Measuring computer science pedagogical content knowledge: An exploratory analysis of teaching vignettes to measure teacher knowledge. In Proceedings of the 11th Workshop in Primary and Secondary Computing Education (WiPSCE ’16). ACM, Münster, Germany, 92-95. doi: 10.1145/2978249.2978264
Lishinski, A., Good, J., Sands, P., Yadav, A. (2016). Methodological rigor and theoretical foundations of CS education research. In Proceedings of the 2016 ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research (ICER ’16). ACM, New York, NY, USA, 161-169. doi: 10.1145/2960310.2960328
PRESENTATIONS (SELECTED)
Sands, P., Moudgalya, S. (2021, April). Teacher views on computational thinking as a pathway to computer science. Session presented at the American Education Research Association Conference.
Sands, P., & Yadav, A. (2020, March). Self-regulation for high school learners in a MOOC computer science course. Session presented at the Association for Computing Machinery: Special Interest Group Computer Science Education (SIGCSE) Conference, Portland, OR.
Sands, P. (2018, February). Teaching Programming with a Block-Based Language. Session presented at the Hoosier Association for Science Teachers, Inc. (HASTI) Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
Sands, P., & Nern, S. (2018, February). Integrating 4th Grade Science and Computer Science. Session presented at the Hoosier Association for Science Teachers, Inc. (HASTI) Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
Sands, P. (2017, November). Online AP Computer Science A Teacher Cohort. Session presented at the Indiana Business Educators Association Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
Alano, J., Podell, K., & Sands, P. (2017, November). Teaching Computer Science Courses – Tips, Tricks, and Tidbits. Session presented at the Indiana Business Educators Association conference, Indianapolis, IN.
Walker, W.S., III, Bayley, W., Sands, P. (2017, January). Integrated STEM Lessons for High School: Strategies and Lessons Learned. Session presented at the Indiana STEM School Summit, West Lafayette, IN.
Sands, P. (2016, July). Building a Computer Science Community of Practice for the Indiana CSTA Chapter. Session presented at the Purdue Computer Science Teacher Workshop, West Lafayette, IN.
Sands, P. (2015, November). Teaching Sort Algorithms in AP Computer Science A. Session presented at the Indiana Business Educators Association conference, Indianapolis, IN.
Yadav A., Gretter, S., Sands, P., Hambrusch, S., Korb, T., & Qian, Y. (2015, July). From Online Professional Development to Classroom Pedagogy: Working at the Nexus of Research. Paper presented at annual meeting of Computer Science Teachers Association, Grapevine, TX.
Sands, P. (2015, July). Using Google Charts and JavaScript to Engage High School Engineering Students. Session presented at the Purdue EPICS workshop, West Lafayette, IN.
Sands, P. (2015, May). Computational Thinking for All. Session presented at Valparaiso Scratch Day conference, Valparaiso, IN.
Sands, P. (2014, November). Implementing the new AP CS A Labs. Session presented at the Indiana Business Educators Association conference, Indianapolis, IN.
Sands, P. (2014, November). How to Recruit Diverse Students to your Computer Science Classroom. Session presented at the Indiana Business Educators Association conference, Indianapolis, IN.
Alano, J., Hagen, D., Sands, P. (2014, November). Teaching Computer Science Courses at the High School Level-Tips, Tricks, and Tidbits. Session presented at the Indiana Business Educators Association conference, Indianapolis, IN.
Sands, P. (2014, July). Using App Inventor to Engage High School Engineering Students. Session presented at the Purdue EPICS workshop, West Lafayette, IN.
Walker, W. S., III, Sands, P. (2013, October). Investigating the Common Core Standards for Mathematical Practices. Session presented at the Annual Conference of the Indiana Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Indianapolis, IN.
Sands, P. (2013, October). Using App Inventor and Apps Clubs to Attract Computer Science Students. Session presented at the October meeting of the Indiana Hoosier Heartland Computer Science Teachers Association, Fishers, IN.
GRANTS RECEIVED (SELECTED)
CS 180 HS: An Online Advanced Placement Computer Science Course for High School Students. (2016). PI: Sands, P., Laura and John Arnold Foundation, $55,000.
Building Computer Science Communities of Practice. (2016). PI: Sands, P., State Farm Insurance Systems Priority School Grant, $20,000.
Content Thematic Units for Integrated STEM Education. (2014 – 2016). PI: Shepardson, D.P. Co-PI: Bayley, W.G., Sands, P., Smith, S. C., & Walker, W.S. Indiana Department of Education Mathematics and Science Partnership Program, $250,000 (total project).
Encouraging the Participation of Women in Computer Science through Mentoring and After-school Organizations. (2014 – 2016). PI: Sands, P., State Farm Insurance Systems Priority School Grant, $16,250.
NAO Robot for K-12 Outreach. (2014 – 2016). PI: Sands, P., State Farm Insurance Systems Priority School Grant, $21,199.
Purdue University Adventures in Computer Science Summer Camp for high school and middle school students. (2014). PI: Sands, P., State Farm Insurance Systems Priority School Grant, $12,500.
REVIEWER
Journal:
- Association of Computing Machinery – Transactions on Computing Education
- Journal of Women and Minorities in Science Education
Conference:
- Computer Science Teachers Association Annual Conference (2015, 2016)