EAGER:X+CS: CS Pathways for Non CS majors

University Of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

With computing impacting every field, and becoming a fundamental mode of inquiry in most disciplines, there is great demand for university coursework in computer science (CS). This has been reflected in a growth in CS majors. According to the numbers compiled by the Computer Research Association, in the decade since 2006, the number of computer science majors had tripled since 2006 and doubled since 2011. The trend has continued in the two years since, and University of Maryland - Baltimore County has not been an exception. According to several National Science Foundation public presentations that as the growth in computer science majors crests, there is a building wave of what is being viewed as "CS+X" students -- students studying in a discipline other than computer science, but needing a significant body of coursework. Our experience shows that by exposing such students to computing, we will diversify and broaden the participation in CS classes. We propose to create pathways into computing for such non computer science majors. This project will involve designing a sequence of new classes including, but also beyond, the introductory programming sequence. These classes will introduce key concepts to students who do not intend to major in CS. Preliminary work has shown that this pool of students is much more diverse than that typically take CS courses. This project will focus on creating a sequence of courses that focus more on concepts important for various domains, as well as concepts related to scaling up (e.g., scalable data structures). It will also experiment with customized "X+CS" majors through the Individualized Study program. The researchers will consult colleagues from industry as they develop the course sequence. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.