Comments for Computer Science @ CofC http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog Commentary from Students & Faculty Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:24:30 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 Comment on Research Experience for Undergraduates by Chris Starr http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/2009/11/research-experience-for-undergraduates/comment-page-1/#comment-101 Chris Starr Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:24:30 +0000 http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/?p=108#comment-101 A funded research experience for undergraduates (REU) is like an internship for students who want to see what being in a graduate research lab would be like. Think, solve, create, meet great people and have fun. Oh yea... and get paid. Graduate schools offer the REUs to help you understand what graduate school would be like, and to try to recruit you into their programs. Federal agencies are interested in producing well-trained computer scientists with graduate degrees. Search for and select multiple opportunities. Apply for more than one. Use your advisor for a letter of reference if needed. Also check for undergraduate, summer, research opportunities sponsored by the Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense and other places as well. A funded research experience for undergraduates (REU) is like an internship for students who want to see what being in a graduate research lab would be like. Think, solve, create, meet great people and have fun. Oh yea… and get paid.

Graduate schools offer the REUs to help you understand what graduate school would be like, and to try to recruit you into their programs. Federal agencies are interested in producing well-trained computer scientists with graduate degrees.

Search for and select multiple opportunities. Apply for more than one. Use your advisor for a letter of reference if needed. Also check for undergraduate, summer, research opportunities sponsored by the Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense and other places as well.

]]> Comment on AP Computer Science by Chris Starr http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/2009/06/ap-computer-science/comment-page-1/#comment-46 Chris Starr Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:13:39 +0000 http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/?p=78#comment-46 Agreed. I'm looking forward to the new APCS curriculum. In the mean time in SC, we will continue to work on new ways to engage middle and high school students in computing to increase the number of students who will consider taking the AP course(s). Under State Superintendent of Education, Jim Rex, we have a path forward for substantive change for South Carolina. I'm excited about the possibilities. People are starting to get it. Computing is fundamental. Agreed. I’m looking forward to the new APCS curriculum. In the mean time in SC, we will continue to work on new ways to engage middle and high school students in computing to increase the number of students who will consider taking the AP course(s). Under State Superintendent of Education, Jim Rex, we have a path forward for substantive change for South Carolina. I’m excited about the possibilities.

People are starting to get it. Computing is fundamental.

]]> Comment on Pecha Kucha Three by starrc@cs.cofc.edu http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/2009/06/pecha-kucha-three/comment-page-1/#comment-43 starrc@cs.cofc.edu Wed, 10 Jun 2009 20:32:54 +0000 http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/?p=71#comment-43 The #pkchs (Pecha Kucha Charleston) in May was the third pk in chs, thus making Charleston and official PK city (www.pechakucha.org). If you believe you are a creative software professional (graphics, AI, algorithms, web, HCI, film, communication, social networks, and so on) or researcher then you should join in. Charleston needs you to help transform Charleston into a better place for working professionals in the creative industries. The pkchs #4 will be in September 2009. The #pkchs (Pecha Kucha Charleston) in May was the third pk in chs, thus making Charleston and official PK city (www.pechakucha.org). If you believe you are a creative software professional (graphics, AI, algorithms, web, HCI, film, communication, social networks, and so on) or researcher then you should join in. Charleston needs you to help transform Charleston into a better place for working professionals in the creative industries. The pkchs #4 will be in September 2009.

]]> Comment on AP Computer Science by Mark Guzdial http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/2009/06/ap-computer-science/comment-page-1/#comment-40 Mark Guzdial Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:40:15 +0000 http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/?p=78#comment-40 Hi Chris! I don't think we're actually disagreeing. My blog post argued that the APCS isn't impacting the decline in undergraduate enrollment. I agree that the current APCS doesn't do much to broaden participation in computing. The new APCS that is in development is being designed to broaden participation in computing. More teachers + a new APCS may have the kind of impact that we'd like to see. Mark Hi Chris! I don’t think we’re actually disagreeing. My blog post argued that the APCS isn’t impacting the decline in undergraduate enrollment. I agree that the current APCS doesn’t do much to broaden participation in computing. The new APCS that is in development is being designed to broaden participation in computing. More teachers + a new APCS may have the kind of impact that we’d like to see.
Mark

]]> Comment on Let’s be truly open. by Chris Starr http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/2009/04/lets-be-truly-open/comment-page-1/#comment-27 Chris Starr Tue, 21 Apr 2009 02:22:58 +0000 http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/?p=67#comment-27 This is one of the best posts because it made me think harder. Thank you. Let's see... Having a few lectures or a few courses online is a great marketing idea and maybe a great service to humanity too. Thus I agree. The CS faculty should make its mark! Now for a segue because I’d rather go meta, a natural inclination for a computer scientist, and consider for a moment the effect of extreme proliferation of online courseware. What if all courses for a computer science program were online and free for access? Let’s don’t stop there, what if all programs at all universities were online and even in Spanish too? Then what would that mean? What would happen to society (putting aside arguments related to IP and just desserts)? Would everyone get a college education? Would there eventually be so many people holding bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in computer science, art, history and the like that there would be no cooks, firemen or day laborers? Would society crumble under its on intellectual weight? <!-- pause Pi seconds to take my tongue out of my cheek --> I’m not worried. We cannot even get 50% of the high school students in SC to finish a diploma, even with required attendance. Let’s assume, however, that college-bound students are different. Maybe they would prefer to stay at home and be self-taught using the online courseware. Free. Why not? After seeing a few CS lectures from Stanford, I too believe that CS@CofC faculty are equally prepared to deliver engaging online lectures, maybe even more so. What I don't see, at least in the Stanford CS recordings that I’ve viewed, are professors who call their undergraduate students by name during class. I don't see them in their offices working with students on a project, debugging a problem, or even asking about how the family is doing. I did not see undergraduates engaged in research projects or building a resume with a faculty mentor for an internship application. I do not see computer science and faculty members playing together on a soccer team or in a wind ensemble. Where was the SciFi movie club, the ACM meeting, and the chats in the hallway or at lunch together? <strong>College is more than lectures. Much more (and I know you know that – remember this is meta). The tapestry of academic life weaves the interactions of many people together in engaging ways; ways that cannot yet be captured and streamed. With the Internet the facts come easily, but it takes an academic village to forge the stories of an educated mind.<strong> Great idea to make a mark for CS@CofC using iTunes/YouTube. But maybe we are already making that mark. I am proud to have you as a Discovery Informatics student at the College of Charleston. Stanford should be so fortunate. Reference A sample lecture on which I base some of my comments: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi6L9lfbyyQ This is one of the best posts because it made me think harder. Thank you.

Let’s see…

Having a few lectures or a few courses online is a great marketing idea and maybe a great service to humanity too. Thus I agree. The CS faculty should make its mark!

Now for a segue because I’d rather go meta, a natural inclination for a computer scientist, and consider for a moment the effect of extreme proliferation of online courseware.

What if all courses for a computer science program were online and free for access? Let’s don’t stop there, what if all programs at all universities were online and even in Spanish too? Then what would that mean? What would happen to society (putting aside arguments related to IP and just desserts)?

Would everyone get a college education? Would there eventually be so many people holding bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in computer science, art, history and the like that there would be no cooks, firemen or day laborers? Would society crumble under its on intellectual weight?

I’m not worried. We cannot even get 50% of the high school students in SC to finish a diploma, even with required attendance. Let’s assume, however, that college-bound students are different. Maybe they would prefer to stay at home and be self-taught using the online courseware. Free. Why not?

After seeing a few CS lectures from Stanford, I too believe that CS@CofC faculty are equally prepared to deliver engaging online lectures, maybe even more so. What I don’t see, at least in the Stanford CS recordings that I’ve viewed, are professors who call their undergraduate students by name during class. I don’t see them in their offices working with students on a project, debugging a problem, or even asking about how the family is doing. I did not see undergraduates engaged in research projects or building a resume with a faculty mentor for an internship application. I do not see computer science and faculty members playing together on a soccer team or in a wind ensemble. Where was the SciFi movie club, the ACM meeting, and the chats in the hallway or at lunch together?

College is more than lectures. Much more (and I know you know that – remember this is meta). The tapestry of academic life weaves the interactions of many people together in engaging ways; ways that cannot yet be captured and streamed. With the Internet the facts come easily, but it takes an academic village to forge the stories of an educated mind.

Great idea to make a mark for CS@CofC using iTunes/YouTube. But maybe we are already making that mark.

I am proud to have you as a Discovery Informatics student at the College of Charleston. Stanford should be so fortunate.

Reference
A sample lecture on which I base some of my comments: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi6L9lfbyyQ

]]> Comment on Let’s be truly open. by Aspen Olmsted http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/2009/04/lets-be-truly-open/comment-page-1/#comment-23 Aspen Olmsted Sun, 12 Apr 2009 19:41:24 +0000 http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/?p=67#comment-23 Sounds like COFC needs a course in open source. You are confusing free as in beer where open source means free as in speech. If you want to free as in beer then you may want to volunteer yourself in the future instead of others Sounds like COFC needs a course in open source. You are confusing free as in beer where open source means free as in speech.

If you want to free as in beer then you may want to volunteer yourself in the future instead of others

]]> Comment on Let’s be truly open. by septork@cs.cofc.edu http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/2009/04/lets-be-truly-open/comment-page-1/#comment-16 septork@cs.cofc.edu Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:09:41 +0000 http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/?p=67#comment-16 There will be an online course offered this summer, though it isn't a broadcast. Great thoughts though - very interesting about the free courses! Nice challenge, Brian. There will be an online course offered this summer, though it isn’t a broadcast.

Great thoughts though – very interesting about the free courses! Nice challenge, Brian.

]]> Comment on Let’s be truly open. by mccauleyc@cs.cofc.edu http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/2009/04/lets-be-truly-open/comment-page-1/#comment-15 mccauleyc@cs.cofc.edu Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:09:27 +0000 http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/?p=67#comment-15 One of the classrooms is set up for high definition videoconferencing and local recording to DVD only. There's currently no provision for upload to any online service. (though the DVD could certainly be ripped and converted at a later time for use on iTunes U, etc.) One of the classrooms is set up for high definition videoconferencing and local recording to DVD only. There’s currently no provision for upload to any online service. (though the DVD could certainly be ripped and converted at a later time for use on iTunes U, etc.)

]]> Comment on Let’s be truly open. by Addison Ingle http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/2009/04/lets-be-truly-open/comment-page-1/#comment-14 Addison Ingle Fri, 03 Apr 2009 22:51:10 +0000 http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/?p=67#comment-14 Great post. As part of your idea, isn't one of the CS classrooms already set up for a remote broadcast, or at least high quality video recording for upload to youtube or itunes? Why not offer regular classes online? Web-CT or its successor can handle that now. How better to advertise the quality of learning in the department? Great post. As part of your idea, isn’t one of the CS classrooms already set up for a remote broadcast, or at least high quality video recording for upload to youtube or itunes? Why not offer regular classes online? Web-CT or its successor can handle that now.

How better to advertise the quality of learning in the department?

]]> Comment on In the year 2020… by Chris Starr http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/2009/03/in-the-year-2020/comment-page-1/#comment-10 Chris Starr Sun, 29 Mar 2009 01:20:42 +0000 http://www.cs.cofc.edu/blog/?p=49#comment-10 2020 Computer Science as a discipline has been recognized the world over for its ability to creatively tackle social and political challenges as well as those in science and engineering. In addition, and perhaps harder to envision now, all students entering the College of Charleston clammer to get into the course of highest demand - The Art of Thinking Computationally and Red Flying Cars. 90% are smart enough to know that this course opens the mind using software as the most powerful expressive medium. The other 10% have to take the course as a GenEd requirement. But that's OK, they choose to major in biology anyway. :) 2020
Computer Science as a discipline has been recognized the world over for its ability to creatively tackle social and political challenges as well as those in science and engineering.

In addition, and perhaps harder to envision now, all students entering the College of Charleston clammer to get into the course of highest demand – The Art of Thinking Computationally and Red Flying Cars. 90% are smart enough to know that this course opens the mind using software as the most powerful expressive medium. The other 10% have to take the course as a GenEd requirement. But that’s OK, they choose to major in biology anyway. :)

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