RockStartIT: Authentic and Inclusive Interdisciplinary Software Engineering Courses

The RockStartIT initiative was specifically designed to increase the representation of girls in software engineering (SE) by providing interdisciplinary courses that connect the subject matter to their interests and passions. The program has been successful in engaging a diverse group of high school students, encouraging them to explore computer science (CS) through problem-solving in the areas of their choice. The program\u27s structure and approach have been instrumental in promoting interest in CS and increasing the understanding of the importance of using CS to solve real-world, interdisciplinary problems. The results of surveys conducted with program participants have shown that the program has been successful in providing girls with an alternative pathway into the field of computer science by building on their individual interests, which would not have been possible without the interdisciplinary approach

RockStartIT: Authentic and Inclusive Interdisciplinary Software Engineering Courses

The RockStartIT initiative was specifically designed to increase the representation of girls in software engineering (SE) by providing interdisciplinary courses that connect the subject matter to their interests and passions. The program has been successful in engaging a diverse group of high school students, encouraging them to explore computer science (CS) through problem-solving in the areas of their choice. The program\u27s structure and approach have been instrumental in promoting interest in CS and increasing the understanding of the importance of using CS to solve real-world, interdisciplinary problems. The results of surveys conducted with program participants have shown that the program has been successful in providing girls with an alternative pathway into the field of computer science by building on their individual interests, which would not have been possible without the interdisciplinary approach

Inspired Design: Using Interdisciplinarity And Biomimicry For Software Innovation

This thesis presents research and proposes a framework for increasing the breadth and depth of interdisciplinary knowledge in the field of computer science. The intent is to address an increasing problem of complexity in software and computing systems. The approach is to equip software developers and computer scientists with a contextual perspective and a set of strategies for injecting innovation and creativity into the solutions they design by leveraging knowledge and models outside the traditional realm of computer science. A review of current and historical forms of interdisciplinarity and biomimicry are presented to build that context. The strategies presented include interdisciplinary education, interdisciplinary collaboration, interdisciplinary tools, biomimetic design, and the creation of new pattern languages based on nature\u27s design solutions. Each of these strategies stems from and leads to an open exchange of knowledge across disciplinary boundaries. When taken together, the knowledge and strategies presented are intended to inspire and foster a paradigm that recognizes the value of human and natural diversity as a source of innovation

Exploring Technological Innovation towards Inclusive Education: Building Digital Games – An Interdisciplinary Challenge

AbstractPolicy on inclusion in education lacks methodological frameworks and technological resources to assist students with disabilities during their teaching-learning process. This paper proposes a strategy to join interdisciplinary areas, such as education, game design and computer science, to enable affordable educational digital games development with natural and universal interface design. We also present the intended results we expected to achieve by using this interdisciplinary approach such as an educational game development based on natural user interface using Microsoft Kinect as an interaction device

Integrating Environmental Science into Information Technology Content to Generate Student Interest

In an effort to increase female student interest in computing we applied and evaluated an interdisciplinary approach at a suburban high school in eastern Los Angeles County, California. Three classes, an IB Environmental Science class, an AP Environmental Science class, and a Computer Science were surveyed to assess attitude changes toward information technology. Results indicated gender differences between the participating classes, and differences before and after the project. Although the project did not uniformly impact the attitude of female high school students, it impacted teachers who are adjusting their teaching methods, an outcome that has a long-term positive influence

Integer Linear Programming for Sequence Problems: A general approach to reduce the problem size

Sequence problems belong to the most challenging interdisciplinary topics of the actuality. They are ubiquitous in science and daily life and occur, for example, in form of DNA sequences encoding all information of an organism, as a text (natural or formal) or in form of a computer program. Therefore, sequence problems occur in many variations in computational biology (drug development), coding theory, data compression, quantitative and computational linguistics (e.g. machine translation). In recent years appeared some proposals to formulate sequence problems like the closest string problem (CSP) and the farthest string problem (FSP) as an Integer Linear Programming Problem (ILPP). In the present talk we present a general novel approach to reduce the size of the ILPP by grouping isomorphous columns of the string matrix together. The approach is of practical use, since the solution of sequence problems is very time consuming, in particular when the sequences are long.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Toward a multidisciplinary model of context to support context-aware computing

Capturing, defining, and modeling the essence of context are challenging, compelling, and prominent issues for interdisciplinary research and discussion. The roots of its emergence lie in the inconsistencies and ambivalent definitions across and within different research specializations (e.g., philosophy, psychology, pragmatics, linguistics, computer science, and artificial intelligence). Within the area of computer science, the advent of mobile context-aware computing has stimulated broad and contrasting interpretations due to the shift from traditional static desktop computing to heterogeneous mobile environments. This transition poses many challenging, complex, and largely unanswered research issues relating to contextual interactions and usability. To address those issues, many researchers strongly encourage a multidisciplinary approach. The primary aim of this article is to review and unify theories of context within linguistics, computer science, and psychology. Summary models within each discipline are used to propose an outline and detailed multidisciplinary model of context involving (a) the differentiation of focal and contextual aspects of the user and application's world, (b) the separation of meaningful and incidental dimensions, and (c) important user and application processes. The models provide an important foundation in which complex mobile scenarios can be conceptualized and key human and social issues can be identified. The models were then applied to different applications of context-aware computing involving user communities and mobile tourist guides. The authors' future work involves developing a user-centered multidisciplinary design framework (based on their proposed models). This will be used to design a large-scale user study investigating the usability issues of a context-aware mobile computing navigation aid for visually impaired people

Connection-Oriented Computer Science Education

Computers play an important role in every area of our society and are integral in every academic discipline. Today\u27s computer science students need a background that will prepare them for the expanding range of computing opportunities. The opportunities for computer professionals are varied and increasing in diversity. However, undergraduate computer science programs tend to be narrowly focused on programming and related technical skills. Female students in particular tend to be highly interested in exploring connections between computer science and other fields. How can we leverage these observations at a liberal arts college, where interdisciplinary connections are highly desirable, and where the student population is often heavily female? We have implemented a radically different form of computer science major that fosters interdisciplinary connections. We present our curriculum here as an example of a truly liberal arts approach to computer science, one that we believe will encourage participation by a wide range of students, and particularly women

Meeting the IT Skills Crisis: An Interdisciplinary Response

The pervasiveness of computers in modern life has created a need for greater diversity in the knowledge and skills of information/technology professionals. We, as well as others, have identified an IT education gap between the technical focus of computer science degrees and the business focus of MIS concentrations. We describe a new interdisciplinary curriculum (a Bachelor of Science in Information Science) that Northeastern University has developed to fill the IT education gap. The new degree draws from computer science, business, and behavioral science, offering a balance between the technical, functional, and human dimensions of information/system analysis and design not found in other undergraduate programs. It encompasses three broad content areas: computer technology, information systems and human/organizational context. In addition, students acquire the analytical models and tools needed to approach the content areas from a conceptual perspective. An experiential learning requirement enables students to apply their classroom knowledge and skills in relevant productive work. In the future, academics and practitioners need to work together to better articulate new career paths for information/technology professionals and the appropriate educational programs to serve their needs