AP Computer Science Principles: Explore Performance Task Handout

Performance Task: Explore Impact of

Computing Innovations

Overview
Computing innovations impact our lives in ways that require considerable study
and reflection for us to fully understand them. In this performance task, you will
explore a computing innovation of your choice. A computing innovation is an
innovation that includes a computer or program code as an integral part of its
functionality. Your close examination of this computing innovation will deepen your
understanding of computer science principles.
Please note that once this performance task has been assigned as an assessment
(rather than as practice), you are expected to complete the task with minimal
assistance from anyone. For more clarification see the Guidelines for Completing the
Through-Course Performance Tasks section.
You will be provided with a minimum of 8 hours of class time to develop, complete,
and submit the following:
A computational artifact
Written responses
Scoring guidelines and instructions for submitting your performance tasks are
available on the AP Computer Science Principles Course Home Page.
Note: Students in nontraditional classroom environments should consult a school-
based AP Coordinator for submission instructions.
When completing the Explore Impacts of Computing Innovations performance
task, you will be expected to conduct investigations on a computing innovation. A
computing innovation is an innovation that includes a computer or program code as
an integral part of its functionality.
You must ensure you have identified relevant, credible, and easily accessible
sources to support your creation of a computational artifact as well as to support
your responses to the prompts. You can search for print or nonprint sources as
part of your investigation. You can refer to a journal, Web page, or an expert that is
being quoted as part of your written response. Avoid plagiarism by acknowledging,
attributing, and/or citing sources throughout your responses.

General Requirements
This performance task requires you to select and investigate a computational
innovation to:
analyze a computing innovations impact on society, economy, or culture and explain
how this impact could be beneficial and/or harmful;

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explain how a computing innovation consumes, produces, or transforms data; and

describe how data storage, data privacy, or data security concerns are raised based
on the capabilities of the computing innovation.
You are also required to:
investigate your computing innovation using a variety of sources (e.g., print, online,
expert interviews);
provide in-text citations of at least three different sources that helped you create
your computational artifact and/or formulate your written responses;
At least two of the sources must be available online or in print; your third source
may be either online, in print, or a personal interview with an expert on the
computing innovation.
At least two of the sources must have been created after the end of the previous
academic year.
produce a computational artifact that illustrates, represents, or explains the
computing innovation's intended purpose, its function, or its effect; and
provide written responses to all the prompts in the performance task about your
computational artifact and computing innovation.

Submission Requirements
1. Computational Artifact
Your computational artifact must provide an illustration, representation, or
explanation of the computing innovations intended purpose, its function, or its
effect. The computational artifact must not simply repeat the information supplied
in the written responses and should be primarily nontextual.
Submit a video, audio, or PDF file. Use computing tools and techniques to create one
original computational artifact (a visualization, a graphic, a video, a program, or an
audio recording). Acceptable multimedia file types include .mp3, .mp4, .wmv, .avi,
.mov, .wav, .aif, or .pdf format. PDF files must not exceed three pages. Video or
audio files must not exceed 1 minute in length and must not exceed 30MB in size.
2. Written Responses
Submit one PDF file in which you respond directly to each of the prompts below.
Clearly label your responses 2a2e in order. Your responses must provide evidence
of the extensive knowledge you have developed about your chosen computing
innovation and its impact(s). Write your responses so they would be understandable
to someone who is not familiar with the computing innovation. Include citations,
as applicable, within your written responses. Your response to prompts 2a2d
combined must not exceed 700 words. The references required in 2e are not
included in the final word count.

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AP Computer Science Principles: Explore Performance Task Handout

Computational Artifact
2a. Provide information on your computing innovation and computational artifact.
w Name the computing innovation that is represented by your computational artifact.
w Describe the computing innovations intended purpose and function.
w Describe how your computational artifact illustrates, represents, or explains
the computing innovations intended purpose, its function, or its effect.
(Must not exceed 100 words)
2b. Describe your development process, explicitly identifying the computing tools
and techniques you used to create your artifact. Your description must be
detailed enough so that a person unfamiliar with those tools and techniques will
understand your process. (Must not exceed 100 words)
Computing Innovation
2c. Explain at least one beneficial effect and at least one harmful effect the
computing innovation has had, or has the potential to have, on society, economy,
or culture. (Must not exceed 250 words)
2d. Using specific details, describe:
w the data your innovation uses;
w how the innovation consumes (as input), produces (as output), and/or
transforms data; and
w at least one data storage concern, data privacy concern, or data security
concern directly related to the computing innovation.
(Must not exceed 250 words)
References
2e. Provide a list of at least three online or print sources used to create your
computational artifact and/or support your responses through in-text citation to
the prompts provided in this performance task.
w At least two of the sources must have been created after the end of the
previous academic year.
w For each online source, include the complete and permanent URL. Identify the
author, title, source, the date you retrieved the source, and, if possible, the
date the reference was written or posted.
w For each print source, include the author, title of excerpt/article and magazine
or book, page number(s), publisher, and date of publication.
w If you include an interview source, include the name of the person you
interviewed, the date on which the interview occurred, and the persons
position in the field.
w Include in-text citations for the sources you used.
w Each source must be relevant, credible, and easily accessed

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2018 Scoring Guidelines and Notes

Reporting Task Scoring Criteria Decision Rules Scoring Notes
Category
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AP Computer Science Principles

Row 1 COMP. The computational The written response can be used to aid the understanding of how the computational A computational artifact is something created by a human using a
ARTIFACT artifact: artifact illustrates, represents, or explains the computing innovations intended purpose, computer and can be, but is not limited to, a program, an image,
Using Identifies the function, or effect. an audio, a video, a presentation, or a Web page file. The
Development computing computational artifact could solve a problem, show creative
Do NOT award a point if any one of the following is true: expression, or provide a viewer with new insight or knowledge.
Processes innovation.
and Tools there is no artifact; A computing innovation is an innovation that includes a computer
AND
Provides an the artifact is not a computational artifact; or program code as an integral part of its functionality.
illustration, the innovation identified in the artifact does not match the innovation described in
representation, or the written response;
explanation of the the artifact does not identify the innovation clearly;
computing the artifact does not illustrate, represent or explain the innovations intended
innovations intended purpose, function, or effect;
purpose, function, or the artifact illustrates a feature of the innovation instead of the purpose, function,
effect. or effect; or
the written response describes the innovations intended purpose and function
without explaining how the computational artifact illustrates, represents, or
explains the intended purpose, function, or effect.
Row 2 RESPONSE States a fact about Do NOT award a point if: A computing innovation is an innovation that includes a computer
2A the correctly the identified innovation is not a computing innovation; or or program code as an integral part of its functionality.
Analyzing identified computing the written statement gives an effect (which is required for the scoring criteria in Computing innovations may be physical computing innovations
Impact of innovations intended Row 3, not Row 2). such as Google glasses or self-driving cars, non-physical computer
Computing purpose OR function. software like a cell phone app, or computing concepts such as
e-commerce or social networking which rely on physical
transactions conducted on the Internet.
Purpose means the intended goal or objective of the innovation.
Function means how the innovation works (e.g., consumes and
produces data).
Row 3 RESPONSE Identifies at least The effect does not need to be specifically identified as beneficial or harmful. An effect may be an impact, result, outcome, etc.
2C ONE effect of the
identified or The effect must be identified, but it doesnt have to be described to earn the point.
Analyzing
Impact of described computing Do NOT award a point if any one of the following is true:
Computing innovation.
the described innovation is not a computing innovation;
the response does not state an effect (The purpose or function of the computing
innovation is not the effect of the innovation.); or
the identified effect is not a result of the use of the innovation as intended (e.g., a
self-driving car is not intended to crash, therefore, its exposure to hacking is not an
effect of its intended use).
Row 4 RESPONSE Identifies a beneficial Responses that earn this point will also earn the point for Row 3. An effect may be an impact, result, outcome, etc.
2C effect of the Beneficial and/or harmful effects are contextual and interpretive;
identified or Responses should be evaluated on the rationale provided in the response not on the identification includes both the classification of the effect as
Analyzing
described computing interpretation or inference on the part of the scorer. beneficial or harmful and justification for that classification.
Impact of
Computing innovation. Do NOT award a point if any one of the following is true:
AND
the described innovation is not a computing innovation;
Identifies a harmful the response is missing the adjectives harmful or beneficial (or synonyms thereof);
effect of the the response is missing a plausible beneficial effect;
identified or
the response is missing a plausible harmful effect; or
described computing
innovation. the identified effect is not a result of the use of the innovation as intended (e.g., a
self-driving car is not intended to crash, therefore, its exposure to hacking is not an
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effect of its intended use).

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AP Computer Science Principles

Reporting Task Scoring Criteria Decision Rules Scoring Notes
Category
Row 5 RESPONSE Explains how ONE of Responses that earn the point for this row must have earned the point for Row 3. Effects need to be related to society, economy, or culture and
2C the identified effects need to be connected to a group or individuals. Examples
relates to society, Responses should be evaluated on the rationale provided in the response not on the include but are not limited to:
Analyzing
economy, or culture. interpretation or inference on the part of the scorer. The innovation and impact of social media online access
Impact of
Computing Do NOT award a point if any one of the following is true: varies in different countries and in different socioeconomic
the described innovation is not a computing innovation; or groups (EK 7.4.1A)
the explanation does not connect one of the effects to society, economy, or Mobile, wireless, and networked computing have an impact
on innovation throughout the world (EK 7.4.1B)
culture.
The global distribution of computing resources raises issues
of equity, access and power (EK 7.4.1C)
Groups and individuals are affected by the digital divide
(EK 7.4.1D)
Networks and infrastructure are supported by both
commercial and governmental initiatives (EK 7.4.1E)
Row 6 RESPONSE Identifies the data Responses should be evaluated on the rationale provided in the response not on the Data types include: integers, numbers, Booleans, text, image,
2D that the identified or interpretation or inference on the part of the scorer. video, audio, signals. Data that infer these types like
Analyzing described computing fingerprints, temperature, music, length, pictures, etc. are
Data and innovation uses allowed.
Do NOT award a point if any one of the following is true:
Information AND Data collection devices (e.g. sensors, cameras, etc.) are not data.
the described innovation is not a computing innovation;
Explains how that Large data sets include data such as transactions,
the response does not state the specific name of the data or simply says data;
data is consumed, measurements, texts, sounds, images, and videos. (EK 3.2.2A)
the response confuses or conflates the innovation with the data: response fails to
produced, OR
explain what happens to the data; or
transformed.
the response confuses the source of the data with the data.

Row 7 RESPONSE Identify one data Responses should be evaluated on the rationale provided in the response not on the
2D storage, data privacy, interpretation or inference on the part of the scorer.
Analyzing OR data security
concern related to Responses can earn this point even if they refer to the data in a general without specifically
Data and
the identified or identifying the data being used.
Information
described computing
Do NOT award a point if any one of the following is true:
innovation.
the described innovation is not a computing innovation; or
the response identifies or describes a concern that is not related to data.

Row 8 RESPONSE References, The in-text citations can be in either the artifact or the written response. In-text citations may be provided in any way that acknowledges
2E & through in-text the source:
ARTIFACT/ citation, at least 3 The in-text citations may be oral in the computational artifact. According to . . . or As written in the New York Times . . .
Finding and
Evaluating WRITTEN different sources. Parenthetical
Do NOT award a point if any one of the following is true:
Information RESPONSE Footnotes
the response contains a list of sources only, no in-text citations;
the response contains less than three in-text citations; or Numerical superscripts with corresponding footnote
there are fewer than three sources cited, even if there are three or more in-text Number system with a corresponding reference
citations.
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