For Google Staff
Best Parts of CAPE
Students
Teachers +1
Students enjoyed spending time with and learning from the CAPE faculty. Students expressed that the faculty were laid-back, fun, and knowledgeable.
The teachers here are really great- they are funny. They make learning [computer science] really interesting; They have new ways of getting you interested in [computer science] and showing you the idea.
—Student interview
[Faculty] are fun- we get along pretty well. I feel like they are really close to me as teachers and friends. I know a lot about them now. Just by talking to them through lunch and breakfast, sitting with them, I've learned a lot about them and we have fun.
—Student interview
A strength is that there's a small class and more teachers to help us.
—Focus group
We only had a few days for each language but in those few days they taught us as much as they could…it seemed like it was really their goal that we knew what we were doing with that language. They really took pride in teaching us.
—Focus group
Overall, it's a really good experience to have because we are learning a lot of different things….Here there is a relaxed environment and in school you are in desks and you can't do anything…at school you're just not relaxed and maybe the teacher would drill you on homework and all that stuff and a lot of times, even if you really like something, maybe a teacher or homework can make you dislike that certain thing and here we really like computer science a lot and if we learned it in school maybe some of us wouldn't have liked it as much.
—Focus group
…First off, the teachers are really nice and it's fun how open and into it they are and they create different things...and they magically calm us all down. Like, at high school everyone laughs and you have someone yelling, shut your mouth but here it's different and they have different ways…and they'll talk to you at lunch…that kind of stuff.
—Student interview
They [Faculty] encourage creativity a lot. Sometimes in class if you ask a ridiculous question your teacher will look at you. But here they want you to ask creative questions.
—Focus group
Like working on your own you can come up with your own ideas; you don't have to follow a teacher and do exactly what the teacher is doing so everyone's product is a bit different.
—Focus group
They are helpful. They start out teaching us but encourage us to learn on our own and they encourage us to try new things. When we finish a tutorial. They teach us to add to it; to be creative and they teach us not to be afraid to fail at something.
—Student interview
They [Faculty] teach us very well and teach us things that lead up to harder and harder things in a very effective way. When we ask questions, they don't just five us the answer, they help us get there.
—Student interview
They try to get us motivated and… to trying to do the different stations that they put online and they make it seem like we can do anything, even if we have trouble with starting the programs, they're gonna help us if we have difficulty. They make it fun- they explain it in a fun way and they show us a lot of examples and stuff.
—Student interview
Empowering Instruction
Students felt empowered by the CAPE experience. They appreciated being able to make choices in their learning and felt independent. They felt comfortable trying new things and taking risks.
I think another good thing that makes CAPE unique is the way they teach you. It's one of the few places that doesn't sit you down at the computer and overload you with notes. It gets you involved and it's really fun and it's not all that common. Even their teaching style is pretty unique because they don't actually teach a whole lot. They get you started and then they just give you a computer and tell you to explore it…
—Focus group
I think it's pretty smart of them because they are almost like tricking us into learning by ourselves. By not like teaching us…they let us explore, come up with our own questions, and then they are always there to answer any questions we have so we are getting the same if not better learning out of it but on our own account.
—Focus group
It's really informal- they're not like regular teachers. Like, I don't even know their last names.
—Focus group
We get to +1 stuff- they give us an idea and we can just take it and run with it for a while. It lets us be more original.
—Focus group
I'm surprised at how easily some of the stuff came to me. I was really scared coming in thinking ‘oh my God, am I even going to pass'…but it seems like if you don't get it right away it's not the end of the world. It's not like, you are going to have a test tomorrow and you need to get this…So now I'm happy and excited to go [to CAPE] instead of scared like I'm not going to get it.
—Focus group
The speaker had a really interesting presentation and I like the way they are able to bring people from other companies – and someone to show us other ways to use the technology and not just some person to talk about software stuff that we can't understand.
—Focus group
It's really exciting. We learn a bunch of new things that I've never tried. I got to do all these experiments and create my own apps. I learned how to write a code for the first time and when you accomplish stuff like that you feel like ‘Yea! I did something!'
—Student interview
At the beginning, we were making our own apps and I was scared I guess because I was scared to try new things but then when you get used to it, it turns out to be really fun and it just clicks and you understand it easily.
—Student interview
When we are creating apps, I'm thinking hey – this is kind of fun; I could get used to this; I could do this daily, and when we are writing program; when we are finally getting it to work, it's like yeah…I can do this too…it's easy.
—Student interview
Sometimes they [Faculty] make mistakes too and they embrace it. Whereas other people would say, Ughh…I messed up again. They think of different ways to find a solution instead of just giving up.
—Student interview
So I learned that in the end, even though you don't what you are trying to accomplish with the product you still came up with something in three hours that was really good.
—Student interview
It's good that they make things open-ended. It's really important. Especially with the kinds of things they are trying to teach, it's crucial.
—Focus group
Kids like me
Students felt liked by other participants. Students also felt they had many things in common with the others, most notably that participants were smart and motivated.
Yeah and the other part too is that the people here really want to be here…and they are grateful for it and they're not all pouty and taking away from the class.
—Focus group
…it's also nice to have other really smart nerdy-ish kids…you don't have to think – oh no…I might have to do all the work.
—Focus group
Everyone here has a common interest in computers and also they are very nice and there aren't cliques like at my schools…there is severe clique-i-ness that either you are in or you are out. Here you can hang out with one group of boys one day and a group of girls the next day and they wouldn't mind at all.
—Student interview
Yeah…it's weird how we all just get along.
—Focus group
The best part honestly- I felt there were some really amazing kids in the program and it was abundantly clear that they didn't have the comp sci background, but they really flourished this year and they took to the challenge and they were able to do it.
—Faculty interview
…it's also really nice to have other really smart nerdy-ish kids [others agree]. You don't have to think – oh no – I might have to do all the work [others agree]. And it's nice to know people who are into the same things too.
—Focus group
I was surprised with the people. I thought they would all be smart, but not know how to use computers. There's a good mix of kids – all really friendly and welcoming. We all got along really well while working on a project. That was really great.
—Student interview
Computer science IQ ↑
Student knowledge of computer science increased as a result of their participation in CAPE. Students also felt much more capable in computer science tasks such as coding and programming and expanded their understandings of the many applications of computer science.
I've learned so much about programming. I didn't know I would be so interested in CS and now I am. I feel like a genius because I am making my own code.
—Student interview
I think my knowledge in coding has gone from 0-60 I guess. I don't really know how I'll use it in the future other than free time, but I'd love to try to apply it to something.
—Student interview
I was surprised by how much each kid learned and how every single kid learned it. I figured that even with top eighth graders, we would get one or two who this would be hard for them. They can be really good students, but they can still struggle, but everyone was getting it.
—Faculty interview
I like the way they are able to bring people from other companies…and someone to show us other ways to use the technology and not just some person to talk about software stuff we can't understand.
—Focus group
When we are creating Apps, I'm thinking hey...this is kind of fun; I could get used to this; I could do this daily. And when we are writing program; when we are finally getting it to work, it's like yeah…I can do this too…it's easy.
—Student interview
I had done some very basic things but I was completely lost about code itself. Before I thought it was going to be extremely hard and that I wasn't going to be able to do it but now that I actually see it and understand it, I feel that I can do much more now.
—Faculty interview
What it's really taught me is the thinking you need - like how to do your algorithm first – planning – they said that ten minutes of planning saves ten hours of debugging. Planning and thinking through your algorithm and the value of commenting so that people can read your code…
—Faculty interview
I thought computers were not so easy to understand, and now I can understand some things about the computer- and now I can figure stuff out and help in my house instead of being like I don't know and have to go to Best Buy and ask.
—Interview
…You could really see how they had grown too in terms of their ability to not only solve the problems but to sort of zoom out and talk about what they struggled with and why and even if they didn't get to the point exactly where they had hoped they could still talk about the successes they had and I think …that's pretty heady stuff for a 14 year old to be able to do and I think that was a pretty good demonstration of what CAPE was about and how they had grown.
—Faculty interview
A lot of the CS unplugged stuff, it's computer concepts using paper. I mean, the concepts really help me think in a different way. For one example, you have intersections and you place ice cream trucks. Every intersection has one ice cream truck one intersection away. And you have to do it in the least number of trucks. It was really interesting because it was hard to think about the problem at first.
—Interview
It's great because before I hadn't been exposed to all of these programming languages and what it's really taught me is the think you need – like how to debug, how to do your algorithm first – planning – they said that ten minutes of planning saves ten hours of debugging. Planning and thinking through your algorithm and the value of commenting so that people can read your code and that stuff because my code tends to be pretty blocky and bleh.
—Student interview
I really enjoyed watching the kids and working with kids who get an idea, figure something out and then they run with it. Then all of the sudden they become these light bulbs of imagination and innovation and thoughtfulness.
—Faculty interview
CAPE Culture
Students enjoyed the innovative and vibrant culture of the CAPE experience. They felt that the experience was fun and interactive.
It wasn't programming really that surprised me- it was the spirit- everyone's easy to get along with. And we have special events like the Olympic teams. The field trips are most likely my favorite part. I thought I would be in the room the whole day. Getting out and walking and seeing new places is great.
—Student interview
Yesterday we went on a field trip to Ideo and the Stanford design school. I really liked that trip= Ideo designs toys and medical devices- this was really cool. We went to YouTube- one of the most famous company and I use their website like every day. It was fun to visit that company that created that website. We also went to the computer history museum near hear which was also very interesting- we heard a talk from their CEO. I had been there before but it was way more interesting cause we heard from the CEO.
—Student interview
Google is a company but they use it as an adjective…Googly…it's responsible; it's you care about things; you have real interests and I think that's what CAPE is really based off of and I think that's why Google chose to do this program because they want to pass on the knowledge and really feel like they can make a difference.
—Focus group
I really also loved going to placed like IDEO and Stanford because it's the kind of stuff that I do a lot and it's kind of cool to see oh, maybe I want to intern there and if they have intern opportunities and even Google has intern opportunities and we can see them on a daily basis so that is inspiring to see maybe I can be an intern.
—Focus group
I like the way Google set up our room to make it not a classroom setting, but more open, experimental setting.
—Focus group
Surprising…I guess it's how Google is run. I thought it would be all work and it wouldn't be any fun and you wouldn't get to play…everyone here is really relaxed when they work and I was expecting people in suits running around.
—Student interview