Integrating Grading for Equity Practices into Project-Based Computer Science Curriculum

Three key forces are shaping the modern Computer Science (CS) curriculum: (1) new topics/courses are squeezing out existing ones; (2) a focus on "big picture" and interdisciplinary aspects of CS is leading to curricula in which the traditional core courses + electives model is being superseded by a more flexible approach based on tracks/threads; and (3) project-based courses are increasingly relying on a notion of just-in-time teaching in which particular skills are not bundled into a particular course, but are covered at a point when they are needed for particular project work. The undergraduate programming language curriculum is feeling the pressure of these forces. Core courses on programming languages and compilers are being changed to electives, relegated to a software/systems track, or phased out altogether. Particular programming languages and programming language concepts are being taught in a more piecemeal fashion on an as-needed basis. Unfortunately, these changes make it increasingly likely that CS majors can graduate without being exposed to certain "big ideas" of programming languages. Programming languages (along with many other subdisciplines of CS) contains ideas that every well-educated computer scientist needs to know and which are relevant to a wide variety of projects/careers. In a CS curriculum based on tracks and projects, how can we ensure that vital intellectual components are not lost in the shuffle? One way to think about this problem is to view the CS curriculum as a collection of aspects that can be combined in different arrangements to produce various projects/courses. In this paper, we consider the benefits and challenges of an aspect-oriented view of the CS curriculum, particularly in regard to programming language concepts.

the University of Amsterdam, May 20-31, 1974.This Tract collects the lecture notes of five of the courses given.The sixth course, given by Dr. R. Kowalski on Predicate Logic as a Programming Language in Artificial Intelligence, is scheduled to appear elsewhere.We are very grateful to the Netherlands Organization for the Advancement of Pure Research (Z.W.O.)

In today's technological market, job candidates must possess technical and communication skills to acquire a desired position. Computer science programs, for the most part, provide the technological training, but are inconsistent in teaching students all the necessary communication skills. In many computer science curricula faculty members realizing the importance of improving writing ability have incorporated writing intensive courses. However, many computer science curricula neglect oral communication, largely because of the amount of class time needed to make presentations. Several gaps exist between computer science curricula and business world reality. Computer science curricula must teach students to listen and express themselves clearly, since getting the maximum utilization of an information resource requires contact with the user community. This is not to say that educators have ignored industry requests. The emerging trend in computer science curricula is to stress written and oral communication skills. This article discusses the importance of incorporating speaking intensive courses into computer science programs. In addition, this article reviews two courses that have included speeches and presentations. Finally it presents a new way to grade oral communication.

The Computing Curricula 2001 (CC 2001) computer science volume [1] is the first professional society curriculum model for computer science to include elements of discrete mathematics as part of the core of computer science. In the roughly eight years between the release of that curriculum and SIGCSE 2010, computer science education in general has evolved in many ways, and the CC 2001 recommendations have played an influential role in that evolution. This panel reviews developments in integrating discrete mathematics into the computer science curriculum since CC 2001, how those developments have been influenced by the centrality of discrete math in the CC 2001 core, and how the role of math in computer science curricula may continue to develop in the future. The panel will address both the influence CC 2001’s discrete math recommendation has had on curricular changes to computer science courses, and what changes have taken place in the discrete math courses themselves. The panel format will consist of… ˜ A 5 minute introduction by the moderator ˜ 10 minute presentations by each panelist, each describing a specific development with which that panelist has been involved, discussing its relationship to CC 2001, and outlining what it bodes for the future ˜ 30 minutes for discussion between the audience and panel. Suggested topics for discussion include (in addition, of course, to anything that the audience wishes to introduce) the role of mathematics in computer science, whether math’s actual place in computer science curricula has changed since the publication of CC 2001, and if so how. A questionnaire handed out to audience members as they enter the panel session will help them start thinking about these issues.

In today's world, it is critical that our students get exposure to security education as part of their Computer Science (CS) curriculum. The lack of security consciousness in digital workforce is costing businesses, government, and citizens severely every year. A significant reason behind this problem stems from the fact that the majority of higher education institutions do not have adequate resources to educate CS students in information assurance (IA) and security. While security is not required in the current CS curriculum, IA has been designated as a knowledge area in the proposed ACM/IEEE-CS CS Curricula 2013. Also, the absence of security topics in core CS subject matters not only leaves students security oblivious, but also prevents higher education institutions from applying for National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education Programs (CAE/IAE) accreditation, which provides access to government scholarships and grants. In this session, we will discuss challenges CS faculty face in integrating security topics in traditional CS courses and call attention to existing government funded supports that faculty can leverage in doing so. To share ideas and resources, we hope to bring together security educators who are active in this field with a community of CS educators who may not have any background in teaching security but recognize the need for it and are interested in teaching security topics as part of their regular course curriculum.

The UC Berkeley CS Kickstart initiative represents a novel approach in addressing the underrepresentation of women in the tech industry. This paper evaluates the efficacy of its one-week intensive curriculum in computer science, particularly focusing on first-year female-identifying university students. The 2023 program cohort witnessed the introduction of a dual-track system, accommodating both beginners and students with prior experience. This study emphasizes the findings from enhanced survey methods and involved detailed pre-program and post-program assessments that gauged the initiative's success in imparting foundational knowledge and fostering enthusiasm in computer science. The findings reveal that such targeted, short-term educational programs significantly contribute to advancing diversity and inclusion in computer science education. The results suggest that early intervention at the university level can play a pivotal role in shaping a more diverse future in the tech landscape.

A Subcommittee on Small College Programs, was appointed by the Committee on Curriculum in Computer Science, of the Association for Computing Machinery in 1969. This group was charged with responsibility of making recommendations for the development of programs in computer science in smaller colleges and universities.The report will consider course structure, to be offered with the constraints of limited faculty, and with a wide variety of objectives. Outlines of the key courses will be included, as well as recommendations for independent study courses.Another significant factor involved in these considerations, is the relationship of computer science to the computer center, and to the college as a whole. In particular, the service nature of the department and the center, and the development of meaningful computer use within the schools will be considered.Finally, recommendations will be given regarding faculty acquisition and development.

This session will continue efforts by the ACM and Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) to create a comprehensive body of resources to support the implementation of a national K-12 computer science curriculum. The ACM K-12 Computer Science Curriculum Committee, with input from the Computer Science educational community, published a Model Curriculum [1] in 2003. The Model suggests a 4-level curriculum. Level-1 topics, primarily for the K-8 years, closely follow the well-defined ISTE Standards. Level-2 topics are suggested for all students in grades 9 or 10 and are comprised of introductory computer science content. Level-3 topics focus on analysis and design with emphasis on the scientific and engineering aspects of computer science. AP Computer Science and special topics courses comprise Level-4. This special session will focus on the learning objectives and activities for Level 2 of the K-12 Computer Science Model curriculum. Attendees will be invited to provide critical feedback that will help move the curriculum project forward.

Given the simple fact that mathematics forms the foundation of computing, mathematics must play a meaningful role in the computer science program. This meaningful role, however, must be substantially less, in content, than a second major. We must avoid the extreme of little or no mathematics in the curriculum. We must, at the same time, avoid the excess of too much mathematics. The need for restraint becomes most obvious when we recognize that the ideal liberal arts program should be approximately one-third for a major, one-third for a broad “liberal arts” component, and one-third for free electives. A curriculum including all of the mathematics suggested in “Curriculum-68”, all of the computer science now needed by an individual wishing to devote his or her post-baccalaureate life to computing, and a minimal number of necessary cognates from other disciplines, would strain the traditional concept of the conventional four-year liberal arts degree. Thus, the only alternatives to moderation in the mathematics component are moderation in the major itself (unthinkable), extension of the curriculum to five or more years, and/or conversion of the curriculum to a professional degree, i.e., an engineering degree.

The ACM Subcommittee on Small College Programs of the Committee on Curriculum in Computer Science (C 3 S) was appointed in 1969 to consider the unique problems of small colleges and universities, and to make recommendations regarding computer science programs at such schools. This report, authorized by both the subcommittee and C 3 S, supplies a set of recommendations for courses and necessary resources. Implementation problems are discussed, specifically within the constraints of limited faculty and for the purposes of satisfying a wide variety of objectives. Detailed descriptions of four courses are given; suggestions are made for more advanced work; and an extensive library list is included.

In this paper, we present our efforts at incorporating aspects of systems security and software security into the two-course senior capstone project sequence (Software Engineering and Senior Project courses) in the undergraduate Computer Science curriculum at Jackson State University. In this regard, we discuss: (i) the development of course modules and lab projects on security that were respectively taught and assigned to the students in the two capstone project course sequence, and (ii) the incorporation of aspects of systems and software security in the capstone projects that were conducted by our students during the academic year 2010-11. To further assist students on their capstone projects, we developed and offered two new elective courses on Systems and Software Security and Advanced Information Security in conjunction with the two capstone project courses during the Fall and Spring semesters as well as incorporated a network security module, lab projects and reading assignment to a regular Computer Networks course. We disseminate all of our course modules, lecture materials and lab project descriptions through an actively maintained website. Our approach could be adopted as a model for incorporating security in the software systems design and development courses in a computer science or software engineering curriculum.

The recent introduction of a radically updated national secondary school curriculum in computer science (CS) and information technology (IT) has left many New Zealand high school teachers unprepared and anxious. At Otago Polytechnic, we are currently implementing a programme of supported teacher development that joins tertiary teachers, tertiary students and secondary teachers in collaboratively addressing problems of content knowledge, teaching methods and curricular materials. Our aim is to establish a long-term working partnership that will serve to enrich secondary education and strengthen the diversity and preparedness of incoming tertiary students.

One issue which is not often stressed, or even addressed, in Computer Science Curriculums is that of problem solving. Since problem solving is an essential activity in the construction of programs as well as other computer science pursuits, the omission of any formal instruction in this area is a serious matter. An instructional methodology is proposed for enhancing the problem solving abilities of students enrolled in introductory computer science courses. In particular, a paradigm is proposed to guide the student in his problem solving endeavors. Several examples of problems that were used for the purpose of increasing the students' problem-solving abilities are given.

article Free Access Share on Current trends in computer science curriculum: a survey of four-year programs Authors: Sukhen Dey View Profile , Lawrence R. Mand Sukhen Dey and Lawrence R. Mand, Computer Science Department, Indiana University Southeast, New Albany Sukhen Dey and Lawrence R. Mand, Computer Science Department, Indiana University Southeast, New AlbanyView Profile Authors Info & Claims ACM SIGCSE BulletinVolume 24Issue 1March 1992 pp 9–14https://doi.org/10.1145/135250.134513Online:01 March 1992Publication History 6citation529DownloadsMetricsTotal Citations6Total Downloads529Last 12 Months3Last 6 weeks1 Get Citation AlertsNew Citation Alert added!This alert has been successfully added and will be sent to:You will be notified whenever a record that you have chosen has been cited.To manage your alert preferences, click on the button below.Manage my AlertsNew Citation Alert!Please log in to your account Save to BinderSave to BinderCreate a New BinderNameCancelCreateExport CitationPublisher SiteeReaderPDF

There has been much debate in the past few years about the appropriate mathematics requirements for an undergraduate computer science major. The discussion has focused primarily on two issues: (1) the underlying mathematical content of computer science courses and (2) the content of mathematics courses which would serve as appropriate cognate requirements for computer science major programs. While this discussion has been helpful, it has been too narrowly focused--it has not started from an understanding of the relationship between the disciplines of mathematics and computer science, but rather has sought to identify mathematical prerequisites that computer science majors need in order to take existing computer science courses. This paper is a small step in seeking to apply an understanding of the relationship between the disciplines of mathematics and computer science to the undergraduate computer science curriculum.