A multinational, multi-institutional study of assessment of programming skills of first-year CS students

In computer science, an expected outcome of a student's education is programming skill. This working group investigated the programming competency students have as they complete their first one or two courses in computer science. In order to explore options for assessing students, the working group developed a trial assessment of whether students can program. The underlying goal of this work was to initiate dialog in the Computer Science community on how to develop these types of assessments. Several universities participated in our trial assessment and the disappointing results suggest that many students do not know how to program at the conclusion of their introductory courses. For a combined sample of 216 students from four universities, the average score was 22.89 out of 110 points on the general evaluation criteria developed for this study. From this trial assessment we developed a framework of expectations for first-year courses and suggestions for further work to develop more comprehensive assessments

General Education Subcommittee Minutes, February 17, 2009

Course Approval Syllabus Approval Other Business CIL Exam Subcommittee Input on Integrating Information Literacy into Breadth Courses BLS Exception for Computer Science Majors in the Bioinformatics Emphasis Place for Interdisciplinary Courses in General Education AAC&U LEAP Essential Learning Outcomes and USU Citizen Scholar Objectives Next Meetin

Technological Literacy in K–12 Teacher Preparation: A Review of Course Requirements at Accredited Education Institutions

The goal of this study was to determine to what extent, technological literacy courses were required in K-12 teacher education. The study was limited to initial teacher education programs that are accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and Teacher Education Accreditation Council. Out of 697 accredited programs in the United States, a random sample of 248 programs was created. A document review of the appropriate course catalogs for initial teacher preparation was conducted. The document review identified general education requirements and options for technological literacy courses, as well as requirements and options for these courses for the education majors included in the study. Finally, the study looked at differences between the K-12 education majors of elementary education, English, social studies, mathematics, and science concerning technological literacy course requirements. For this study, technological literacy was defined using the International Technology Education Association\u27s Standards for Technological Literacy as the ability to use, manage, assess, and understand technology (ITEA, 2000/2002/2007, p. 9). This definition of literacy is broader than the technology literacy associated with computer use and instructional technology as well as courses limited to the history or philosophy of technology. A general conclusion is that there is very little exposure to technological literacy courses for prospective K-12 teachers. This may be due in part to the confusion between instructional technology literacy and technological literacy. Though 1/3 of the sample provided opportunities for technological literacy courses in general education, only four institutions required these courses. Thirty-two of the 248 institutions had requirements for technological literacy courses in teacher education programs. These requirements were primarily limited to elementary education and secondary science education majors. The study found that the requirement for technological literacy courses that focused on technology education instructional methods had large increases for elementary majors compared to earlier studies

Nanotechnology courses for general education

Interdisciplinary faculty from Physics, Biology and Electrical and Computer Engineering, (ECE) have created a sequence of three stand-alone 300-level general education lecture courses in nanotechnology with one supporting laboratory course, with the support of National Science Foundation funding through the nanotechnology Undergraduate Education initiative. These three lecture courses can be taken by non-majors as science courses for General Education credit and are tailored to support interaction between STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and non-STEM students, who will take them together. The ECE and Biology courses have each run once and course feedback and analyses are summarized here

Digital Preservation Education in iSchools

This poster investigates digital preservation education in the iSchool caucus. The project identifies core concepts addressed in digital preservation coursework in iSchools and identifies possible areas for curriculum development. Digital preservation education at the graduate level is critical. To ensure long-term access and use of digital materials, information professionals must have a working knowledge of digital curation, which emphasizes a lifecycle approach to digital preservation [1]. Unfortunately, the topic of digital preservation education is not prominent in literature about digital curation. Only a handful of case studies and recommendations have been published regarding digital preservation education within information science, library science, and computer science graduate programs. Instead, much of the work on digital preservation education is contained in more general studies on educating digital librarians or electronic records managers. To understand how to better design curricula that engages central issues of digital curation at the graduate level, an investigation of the current state of digital preservation education is warranted. Coursework devoted solely to digital preservation is essential for graduate students in information-centric disciplines. The necessity for devoted coursework is due to the complex and multifaceted nature of the topic. Unfortunately, a 2006 study found that very few library or information science schools offered courses specifically on the topic of digital preservation. Furthermore, an extremely small percentage of students in library or information science programs had exposure to the critical aspects of digital preservation during their coursework [2]. Digital preservation education can and should be studied in iSchools. The core mission of the iSchool movement is to connect people, information, and technology [3]. Digital curation supports this mission by enabling the continued maintenance of digital information resources throughout their lifecycle, allowing them to be rendered and re-used in the long-term. It is an interdisciplinary process that hinges on expertise from many different fields, including computer science, information and library science, informatics, management, and education. Furthermore, iSchools are a natural home for digital library education [4] and there are significant overlaps between digital library education and digital curation education [5]. It follows that iSchools are an excellent venue for research on the topic of digital preservation education. This project examines digital preservation courses in iSchools over the past five years (2005-2009). Course descriptions and syllabi are examined in order to develop a definition of current practices in digital preservation education. Based on this definition, areas for future developments in digital preservation curricula are identified. Course catalogs from the 26 iSchools have been analyzed to determine whether or not schools offer classes specifically on the topic of digital preservation. Of the 26 iSchools, 9 schools offer degrees in information science and in library science, 6 award degrees in information science but not in library science, and 5 award degrees in library science and not information science. The remaining 6 schools offer a variety of degrees, including computer science, information management, and information technology. These categories will be useful in determining what types of iSchools, if any, are leaders in digital preservation education. All of the schools that have been examined to date offer course catalogs and course descriptions on the open web. Many of the course syllabi are also available online. The course must contain the phrase ???Digital Preservation??? in its title or course description in order to be included. One-shot sessions and classes that deal with a subset of digital preservation, such as classes on digital libraries, are not considered. Course themes and assignments are compared to the DigCCurr Matrix of Digital Curation Knowledge and Competencies. This six-dimensional matrix from the University of North Carolina DigCCurr project defines and organizes materials to be covered in digital curation coursework [6]. This analysis will identify current strengths and potential areas for further development in digital preservation education. The study will also address the question of where current digital preservation course materials fit within the larger scope of digital curation knowledge and competencies

Technological Literacy Courses in Pre-Service Teacher Education

The goal of this study was to determine to what extent technological literacy courses were required in K-12 teacher education. A documents review of the appropriate course catalogs for initial teacher preparation was conducted. The documents review identified general education requirements and options for technological literacy courses, as well as requirements and options for these courses for English, social studies, mathematics, and science education majors. For this study, technological literacy was defined as the ability to use, manage, assess, and understand technology (ITEA, 2000/2002/2007, p. 9). This definition of literacy is broader than technology literacy associated with computer use and instructional technology, as well as courses limited to the history or philosophy of technology. A finding from this study is that there is very little exposure to technological literacy courses for prospective K-12 teachers. This may be due in part to the confusion between instructional technology literacy and technological literacy

Delineating requirements, responsibilities, and expectations of current business education teachers

Background: A state-of-the-art literature review was conducted to gain current insights into teaching requirements for primary/kindergarten through twelfth grade business education teachers. Purpose: The purpose of this exploratory study was to describe the major teaching responsibilities for business education teachers as communicated through job postings with an emphasis on the increasing subjects within Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Method: Using a state-of-the-art literature review, data were analyzed using two websites that aggregate and post teaching jobs nationally. Categories were established to describe the teaching qualifications, responsibilities, and expectations of future business teachers which included broad versus specific job requirements, states that were hiring, preferred degree attainment, school type, business education subjects, and part-time versus full-time jobs. Discussion: There were limited job postings that were specific to the field of business education and more of a trend towards broad teaching responsibilities. More full-time jobs were requested than part-time jobs. Conclusion: Analyzed data also suggested which business education and S.T.E.M. courses were in-demand as communicated through job postings. Some in-demand courses included general business, Marketing, and Information Technology. Other in-demand courses categorized as STEM courses were Computer Science and Programming

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, November 3, 2005

General Education Change to PF grade Department of Agricultural Systems Technology and Education Prerequisite Change Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences Change Multiple List Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences New Course Change Multiple List School of Accountancy Delete Course Department of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education Credit Hour Change Department of Family, Consumer, and Human Development New Course Delete Course Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation Delete Course Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Credit Hour Change Title Change, Course Description Change Delete Course Department of Psychology Delete Course Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering University Studies Request Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Multiple List Change Department of English New Course Prerequisite Change Department of History New Course University Studies Request Interior Design Program New Course Department of Political Science New Course, New Prefix New Course Department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology New Course Department of Theatre Arts Prerequisite Change Course Number Change Department of Biology Change Multiple List Department of Computer Science Prerequisite Change Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change Other Suspending the enrollment in the Culinary Arts/Food Service Management Emphasis General Studies Major (BA or BS) Degree Establishing an interdisciplinary Undergraduate Minor in Latin American Studies Changing the name of Management Accounting Specialization in the Master of Accounting to Finance Prerequisites for Computer Science courses New PhD in Geology Curriculum Subcommittee Handbook draf

Cybersecurity, Technology, and Society: Developing an Interdisciplinary, Open, General Education Cybersecurity Course

This paper describes an interdisciplinary effort involving faculty from five different disciplines who came together to develop an interdisciplinary, open, general education cybersecurity course. The course, Cybersecurity, Technology, and Society, brings together ideas from interdisciplinary studies, information technology, engineering, business, computer science, criminal justice, and philosophy to provide students an interdisciplinary introduction to cybersecurity. We provide an overview of the rationale for the course, the process the authors went through developing the course, a summary of the course modules, details about the open education resources used as readings, and the types of assignments included in the class. We conclude by offering recommendations for others developing similar courses