Computer Science for the Liberal Arts: Reaching an Untapped Pool of Students

计算机科学（31）本项目通过为非专业学生开设计算机科学课程来解决计算机科学（CS）专业学生数量下降的问题，该课程旨在满足大学数学通识教育的要求，并提高学生对计算机科学及其在当今社会中的相关性的认识。扭转计算机科学入学人数下降的努力有很多，针对的是不同的学生群体，但这些项目往往是长期的，或者首先依赖于学生注册计算机科学课程。新课程是满足学生数学通识教育要求的一个有吸引力的选择。它给计算机科学学院提供了一个机会，展示计算机领域对学生的生活和社会至关重要。材料的开发是为了整合数学和计算机科学的概念，并纳入重要的计算机应用，影响学生的生活和整个社会。这门课程最初是为哥伦比亚大学（Columbia College）设计的，这是一所文理女子学院，学生中有大量少数族裔，主要是非洲裔美国人，允许在两个代表性不足的计算机科学群体中测试课程材料。然而，设计的课程也适用于大多数文理学院，几乎没有什么适应性。除了核心单元外，在项目期间，不同课程的附加单元也有所不同，以便为适应课程的院系提供更多选择。该项目包括重要的传播活动，以增加该项目的影响远远超出哥伦比亚学院。

Computer Science (31) This project addresses the problem of the decline in the number of computer science (CS) majors by creating a computer science course for non-majors designed to satisfy the college mathematics general education requirement and to increase students' appreciation of computer science and its relevance in today's society.Efforts to reverse the decline in enrollment in computer science are numerous and target different student populations but these programs tend to be long-term or dependent on students enrolling in CS courses in the first place. The new course is an attractive option for students to satisfy their mathematics general education requirement. It gives an opportunity to the computer science faculty to present the computing field as essential to the students' lives and to society. Materials are developed to integrate the mathematics and the computer science concepts and to incorporate significant computer applications that impact students' lives and the society at large.The course designed initially for Columbia College, a liberal arts women's college with a large minority representation of mostly African-American students allows testing the course material on two under-represented groups in computer science. However, the designed course is appropriate as well for most liberal arts colleges with little adaptation. In addition to core units, additional units vary between the different offerings of the course during the project duration to provide more choices to departments adapting the course. The project includes significant dissemination activities to increase the impact of this project well beyond Columbia College.