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Engagement in Practice: The Development of and Lessons Learned from a Community-Focused App Development Course

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Conference

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Columbus, Ohio

Publication Date

June 24, 2017

Start Date

June 24, 2017

End Date

June 28, 2017

Conference Session

Community Engagement Division Technical Session 5

Tagged Division

Community Engagement Division

Tagged Topic

Diversity

Page Count

8

DOI

10.18260/1-2--28239

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/28239

Download Count

675

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Paper Authors

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Jessica N. Jones University of Florida

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Jessica N. Jones is a Ph.D. student at the University of Florida studying Human Centered Computing in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering. She received her B.S. in Computer Science from Hampton University in 2011 and her Master’s Degree in Computer Science from Clemson University in 2014. Her research interests include educational technologies, robotics and natural interaction.

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Tiffanie R. Smith University of Florida

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Tiffanie R. Smith is a Ph.D. student at the University of Florida studying Human Centered Computing in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering. She received her B.S. in Computer Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University in 2013. Her research interests include educational technologies, culturally relevant education, and broadening minority participation in STEM.

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Naja A. Mack University of Florida

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Naja A. Mack is is a Ph.D. student at the University of Florida studying Human Centered Computing in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering. She received her B.S. in Computer Engineering from Claflin University in 2010 and her Master’s Degree in Computer Science from Clemson University in 2013. Her research interests include educational technologies and natural language processing.

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Imani Sherman University of Florida

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Juan E. Gilbert University of Florida

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Juan E. Gilbert is the Andrew Banks Family Preeminence Endowed Professor & Chairman of the Computer & Information Science & Engineering Department in the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering at the University of Florida where he leads the Human-Experience Research Lab.

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Abstract

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, between 2014 and 2024, the job market for software developers will grow by 17%. As the number of jobs for those with development skills grows, the potential pool of applicants remains inadequate. Although many entry-level software developer positions require a Bachelor’s degree, the shortage of workers has encouraged employers to consider hiring and training those with Associate’s Degrees, certifications and those who have completed coding and software development boot camps. This paper, submitted as an Engagement in Practice Paper to the Community Engagement Division, describes one such boot camp. In the paper, we describe the partnership development, design and outcome of a 12-week community based iOS app development course taught in a partnership between the Computer Science department at a research institution, a state sponsored workforce development program, and a local technology training company. It details the generalized struggles and successes of the students, the lessons learned, and a second curriculum and class structure based on those findings. Finally, the article presents unanswered questions about community based development courses and the next steps in the University/community partnership.

Jones, J. N., & Smith, T. R., & Mack, N. A., & Sherman, I., & Gilbert, J. E. (2017, June), Engagement in Practice: The Development of and Lessons Learned from a Community-Focused App Development Course Paper presented at 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Columbus, Ohio. 10.18260/1-2--28239

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