SEAS revamps computer science program to attract wider audience
by Byron Kho
The Summer Pennsylvanian
July 8, 2004
This fall, students from across campus will be treated to a look at the new, improved Department of Computer and Information Science at Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Science.
In an attempt to reach a wider audience, the department has tried to rethink the way that computer science will be presented to majors and non-majors alike.
"The main idea is to make it possible for all Penn students to learn programming," Engineering Associate Dean Norman Badler said.
"We want to display how [computer science] can play an interesting role in any future endeavors they might enter," he said.
Part of the reason for the change in outlook is due to student comments and course reviews, which attest to a growth in frustration among newcomers to the field.
"There is a sense of intimidation coming from the difficulty of the courses and the presence of more knowledgeable students in the class," said CIS Undergraduate Curriculum Chairman Sampath Kannan.
In order to combat these factors, the department has decided to offer credit for the Advanced Placement Computer Science (Java) test in response to more advanced high school course offerings. It will also separate its core programming class into two different sections, CSE 110 and 120/130. The first, according to Kannan, is a "gentler course, designed to be more flexible with students just starting out."
"The hope is that as they get excited when they do well [in CSE 110], they'll go into the major," CIS Chairman Fernando Pereira, said.
Though the course is only one semester, it contains the important material drawn from its two-semester sister course, and will be considered its equivalent.
"We're trying to create new entry points into computer science, so that students can decide on our major without too many unnecessary hurdles," Pereira said.
The rate of attrition is being addressed by measures aimed at retaining current majors, including reductions in pre-requisites for many courses and requirements, as well as a restructuring in the course progression.
The department is also launching a new version of CSE 101 that they hope will attract non-majors. The course, entitled "Explorations in Information Technology," is modeled after a successful class taught at the University of Washington. Its theoretical basis comes from a study by the National Research Council espousing technological literacy for the average person.
Professor Mitchell Marcus, who will be teaching the course, said the class should be educational, with real-life applications.
"We will learn to doctor pictures and build a fake Web site. One lesson is that we shouldn't believe everything that's out there," Marcus said.
The practical approach seems to work with students from other majors.
"I would be very interested in a class like that. The best classes I've had combined practice with history and theory," College senior Christine Fisher said.
She added that programming didn't scare her. "That would be exciting, learning Java and knowing you could do a lot from there."
"The changes shouldn't surprise anyone," noted Kannan. "It's normal operational procedure -- especially in a field like computer science that is rapidly evolving."
Still, the department is cautious and will be watching for feedback."These are not static decisions," Pereira said.