CPATH-1: Health Computing: Integrating Computational Thinking into Health Science Education

University Of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA

Investigators

Abstract

Traditionally, whenever there are significant computational requirements, computer science, computer engineering, or information science programs will adjust their teaching contents to fit the needs from those fields by introducing more background knowledge to the students in these computational programs. However, this solution will not be sustainable when the computational challenges are from all the fields at the same time. One alternative and more sustainable solution is to expand computational thinking centered training into all other fields. This is what this team is proposing. More specifically, this team will integrate computational thinking into health science education in an approach named ?Health Computing?. For students in health sciences and many fields other than computer science, computer engineering, or information science, core computer science courses are difficult. It is also difficult for them to understand the relevance of computer science courses and the core courses in their specific fields. However, the digitalization of all Americans? health records and the progress made in biomedical technologies require health science students to have more advanced training in computing technologies, methods, and tools in order to be globally competitive in their future career. In this proposed project, the team will develop a series of computer and information science courses which are highly relevant to health sciences and arrange a number of activities (such as high school outreach, summer internship, faculty development, multidisciplinary collaboration) to expose the computational thinking centered course materials and teaching strategies to a wider audience. The project plans to provide teaching opportunities to the graduate and undergraduate students as well. In addition, this project will provide summer internship opportunities to the participating students through the business partners of School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at University of Pittsburgh. This will allow the students to apply their knowledge and skills beyond the classroom. The high school outreach program proposed in this project will be combined with the one offered by the School of Engineering at University of Pittsburgh, which has a long successful history of recruiting underrepresented students in STEM programs. This project will introduce the proposed teaching strategy and course materials to other health science schools and institutes since they will be applicable and transferable in many other fields.