A Preliminary Analysis of Indiana Schools’ Implementation of Virtual Instruction and CS Education in the 2020-2021 School Year

Two datasets, published by the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) related to Indiana schools’ implementation of virtual education and computer science (CS) instruction during the 2020-2021 school year, were analyzed. This research aims to explore schools’ virtual instructional practices during the unprecedented educational disruptions and understand the preparedness and execution of CS curricula. With quantitative and qualitative approaches, we first evaluated the percentages of different instructional modes, school districts’ implementation of virtual instruction, their support for students, successes and barriers schools experienced, as well as their future plans regarding virtual learning. Findings indicate that hybrid and virtual instruction were prevalent, with disparities in technology access and instructional quality, and schools shared barriers related to technology resources, teacher preparedness, and student engagement. In addition, this study reveals the unequal implementation of CS education, particularly in lower grade levels, underscoring the need for more dedicated resources and teacher support. These insights may help inform future educational strategies for multi-modality instruction and enhance the integration of CS education in K-12 curricula. Keywords: virtual instruction, computer science education, Indiana schools, technology access, teacher support.