Using High School Student Perspectives to Develop an IoT-based CS Curriculum

Pramod Abichandani, Craig Iaboni, Prateek Shekhar

Abstract: This paper reports on the design, motivations, and preliminary development outcomes of an ongoing NSF-funded study to create an Internet of Things (IoT) based CS curriculum tailored for high school students. The curriculum adopts the 4-layer IoT model and emphasizes an immersive, hands-on pedagogy using single-board devices and the Python programming language. Prior to designing the curriculum, focus groups were conducted using Keller's ARCS model of motivation as a conceptual framework. Qualitative data analysis about student attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction revealed actionable insights used to design the curriculum. Preliminary curriculum implementation has underscored IoT's promise in engaging high school CS students and developing modern computing skills applicable to college and career pathways.