Board 71: The Computer Science Professionals Hatchery

Amit Jain; Noah Salzman; Donald Winiecki

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Conference: 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Tampa, Florida
Publication Date: June 15, 2019
Start Date: June 15, 2019
End Date: June 19, 2019
Conference Session: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Tagged Topic: NSF Grantees Poster Session
Page Count: 5
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--32414
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/32414
Download Count: 337

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Paper Authors

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Amit Jain Boise State University

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Amit Jain is the Chair of the Computer Science Department at Boise State University. He was the lead for the IDoCode project that helped to embed high quality computer science in Idaho high schools. The IDoCode project was funded by a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation. He serves on the statewide Governor's working group that has developed Computer Science standards for Idaho K-12 schools. He is also the lead on the CS Professionals Hatchery project, a $2 million dollar project funded by the National Science Foundation to serve as an exemplar on how to revolutionize the undergraduate CS experience. He has received over $6 million in grants and awards over the last five years from various state-level and national-level organizations as well as from industry. Previously, he has also served as the Chief Scientist for Balihoo, a local startup in Boise, Idaho. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Central Florida and a B.Tech. in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi.

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Noah Salzman Boise State University

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Noah Salzman is an Assistant Professor at Boise State University, where he is a member of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and IDoTeach, a pre-service STEM teacher preparation program. His work focuses on the transition from pre-college to university engineering programs, how exposure to engineering prior to matriculation affects the experiences of engineering students, and engineering in the K-12 classroom. He has worked as a high school science, mathematics, and engineering and technology teacher, as well as several years of electrical and mechanical engineering design experience as a practicing engineer. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Swarthmore College, his Master's of Education degree from the University of Massachusetts, and a Master's of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Doctorate in Engineering Education from Purdue University.

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Donald Winiecki Boise State University

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Don Winiecki, Ed.D., Ph.D. is the `Professor of Ethics & Morality in Professional Practice` in the Boise State University, College of Engineering. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in `Foundational Values` and `Professional Ethics` in the Computer Science Department and Organizational Performance & Workplace Learning Department in the Boise State University College of Engineering. His research focuses on the attributes of technology and technology-in-use as a reflection on, and an influence on social morals and social ethics.

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Abstract

As a recipient of a National Science Foundation Revolutionizing Engineering and Computer Science Departments (RED) grant, the Computer Science Department at The University is building a (omitted for review). The (omitted for review) integrates ethics and social justice in agile 1-credit ‘Courses’ to blend social and technical essentials that promotes a more inclusive culture, prepare students to work effectively on software development teams, and be advocates for cultural and institutional change in their future careers.

We have developed and offered over four semesters, six 1-credit ‘Courses’ that address a variety of professional and technical topics including foundational values in computer science, navigating computer systems, version control systems, agile development, an introduction to database systems, and technical interviewing. The foundational values course helps students develop a framework for understanding issues of ethics and social justice in computer science, and students have the multiple opportunities to utilize this framework in future technically focused hatchery units and several traditional courses that are part of the required curriculum.

A core focus of this involves accounting for and approaching an understanding of the experiences of women and members of underrepresented minority groups in computer science and those affected by the use of computer science products in society. Once this is accomplished it then becomes possible to guide students in identifying sustainable processes for addressing the lack of inclusion and social justice.

Preliminary results suggest that many students orient to current societal norms, and have difficulty independently identifying loss of inclusivity and social justice. However, interventions we have developed provide students with tools and skills to identify and address these biases in the classroom and in near-transfer settings. We are using multiple methods of documenting and exploring the effects of these changes, including surveys, interviews with students and faculty, and social network analysis. Next steps on the project will involve exploring and implementing ways to build and sustain inclusive community through increasing collaboration among students in different years in the curriculum. Overall, this project illustrates the benefits of developing a curriculum that is both able to quickly respond to industry needs and current issues of bias in computer science, preparing students who are better prepared for industry, ethical practitioners, and capable of becoming advocates for inclusivity.

Citation
Format

Jain, A., & Salzman, N., & Winiecki, D. (2019, June), Board 71: The Computer Science Professionals Hatchery Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida. 10.18260/1-2--32414

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - 

As a recipient of a National Science Foundation Revolutionizing Engineering and Computer Science Departments (RED) grant, the Computer Science Department at The University is building a (omitted for review). The (omitted for review) integrates ethics and social justice in agile 1-credit ‘Courses’ to blend social and technical essentials that promotes a more inclusive culture, prepare students to work effectively on software development teams, and be advocates for cultural and institutional change in their future careers. 

We have developed and offered over four semesters, six 1-credit ‘Courses’ that address a variety of professional and technical topics including foundational values in computer science, navigating computer systems, version control systems, agile development, an introduction to database systems, and technical interviewing. The foundational values course helps students develop a framework for understanding issues of ethics and social justice in computer science, and students have the multiple opportunities to utilize this framework in future technically focused hatchery units and several traditional courses that are part of the required curriculum. 

A core focus of this involves accounting for and approaching an understanding of the experiences of women and members of underrepresented minority groups in computer science and those affected by the use of computer science products in society. Once this is accomplished it then becomes possible to guide students in identifying sustainable processes for addressing the lack of inclusion and social justice. 

Preliminary results suggest that many students orient to current societal norms, and have difficulty independently identifying loss of inclusivity and social justice. However, interventions we have developed provide students with tools and skills to identify and address these biases in the classroom and in near-transfer settings. We are using multiple methods of documenting and exploring the effects of these changes, including surveys, interviews with students and faculty, and social network analysis. Next steps on the project will involve exploring and implementing ways to build and sustain inclusive community through increasing collaboration among students in different years in the curriculum. Overall, this project illustrates the benefits of developing a curriculum that is both able to quickly respond to industry needs and current issues of bias in computer science, preparing students who are better prepared for industry, ethical practitioners, and capable of becoming advocates for inclusivity.


AU  - Amit Jain
AU  - Noah Salzman
AU  - Donald Winiecki
CY  - Tampa, Florida
DA  - 2019/06/15
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Board 71: The Computer Science Professionals Hatchery
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/32414
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--32414
ER  -