Integrating Empirical Methods into the Computer Science Curriculum

经验技能在计算机行业和我们的社会中扮演着越来越重要的角色。尽管如此，计算机科学课程很少关注发展实证调查技能，如形成可测试的假设、设计实验、批评其有效性、收集数据、解释结果和得出结论。这个项目的目标是：(1)为今天的计算机科学毕业生提供一套核心的经验概念和技能，(2)开发和评估资源，将这些概念和技能的展示和发展整合到整个计算机科学课程中，(3)传播我们的方法，以供其他机构采用。遵循类似于编程技能开发方式的增量方法，该项目提倡早期引入基本的经验概念和技能。一旦奠定了经验基础，具有经验成分的应用程序和实验室就可以整合到课程中，加强学生对经验方法的理解，并展示实验在计算机科学和相关学科中的效用。通过出版物和网络存储库，将鼓励其他机构的教员将这些应用程序集成到他们的课程中，并就其有效性提供反馈。该提案的跨机构性质明确旨在确保开发材料的广泛适用性（从地区大学，国立大学和国立文理学院的角度出发）。应用程序和开发的实验室将由每所学校的教师进行审查和课堂测试，然后进行外部审查和评估。

Empirical skills are playing an increasingly important role in the computing profession and our society. Despite this, computer science curricula have paid little attention to developing empirical investigative skills such as forming testable hypotheses, designing experiments, critiquing their validity, collecting data, explaining results, and drawing conclusions. The goals of this project are (1) to formalize a set of core empirical concepts and skills needed by today's computer science graduate, (2) to develop and evaluate resources for integrating the presentation and development of those concepts and skills throughout the computer science curriculum, and (3) to disseminate our approach for adoption at other institutions.Following an incremental approach similar to the way programming skills are developed, this project advocates the early introduction of fundamental empirical concepts and skills. Once an empirical foundation has been laid, applications and laboratories with empirical components may then be integrated into courses across the curriculum, reinforcing the student's understanding of empirical methods and also demonstrating the utility of experimentation in computer science and related disciplines. Via publications and a Web repository, instructors at other institutions will be encouraged to integrate these applications into their courses and provide feedback as to their effectiveness.The cross-institutional nature of this proposal is explicitly designed to ensure the broad applicability of developed materials (with perspectives taken from a regional university, a national university, and a national liberal arts college). The applications and laboratories developed will be reviewed and classroom tested by faculty at each school, followed by outside review and assessment.