CPATH-1: Health Computing: Integrating Computational Thinking into Health Science Education

传统上，每当有重大的计算需求时，计算机科学、计算机工程或信息科学专业就会调整其教学内容，通过向这些计算专业的学生介绍更多的背景知识来适应这些领域的需求。然而，当计算挑战同时来自所有领域时，这种解决方案将不可持续。另一种更可持续的解决方案是将以计算思维为中心的训练扩展到所有其他领域。这就是我们团队的建议。更具体地说，这个团队将以一种名为？健康计算?。对于健康科学以及除计算机科学、计算机工程或信息科学以外的许多领域的学生来说，核心计算机科学课程很难。他们也很难理解计算机科学课程和他们特定领域的核心课程的相关性。然而，所有美国人的数字化？健康记录和生物医学技术的进步要求健康科学专业的学生在计算技术、方法和工具方面接受更高级的培训，以便在未来的职业生涯中具有全球竞争力。在这个项目中，团队将开发一系列与健康科学高度相关的计算机和信息科学课程，并安排一系列活动（如高中外展、暑期实习、教师发展、多学科合作），向更广泛的受众展示以计算思维为中心的课程材料和教学策略。该项目计划为研究生和本科生提供教学机会。此外，该项目将通过匹兹堡大学健康与康复科学学院的商业合作伙伴为参与的学生提供暑期实习机会。这将允许学生在课堂之外应用他们的知识和技能。该项目中提出的高中外展计划将与匹兹堡大学工程学院提供的计划相结合，该学院在招收STEM项目中代表性不足的学生方面有着悠久的成功历史。该项目将向其他健康科学学校和研究所介绍拟议的教学策略和课程材料，因为它们将适用和转移到许多其他领域。

Traditionally, whenever there are significant computational requirements, computer science, computer engineering, or information science programs will adjust their teaching contents to fit the needs from those fields by introducing more background knowledge to the students in these computational programs. However, this solution will not be sustainable when the computational challenges are from all the fields at the same time. One alternative and more sustainable solution is to expand computational thinking centered training into all other fields. This is what this team is proposing. More specifically, this team will integrate computational thinking into health science education in an approach named ?Health Computing?. For students in health sciences and many fields other than computer science, computer engineering, or information science, core computer science courses are difficult. It is also difficult for them to understand the relevance of computer science courses and the core courses in their specific fields. However, the digitalization of all Americans? health records and the progress made in biomedical technologies require health science students to have more advanced training in computing technologies, methods, and tools in order to be globally competitive in their future career. In this proposed project, the team will develop a series of computer and information science courses which are highly relevant to health sciences and arrange a number of activities (such as high school outreach, summer internship, faculty development, multidisciplinary collaboration) to expose the computational thinking centered course materials and teaching strategies to a wider audience.The project plans to provide teaching opportunities to the graduate and undergraduate students as well. In addition, this project will provide summer internship opportunities to the participating students through the business partners of School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at University of Pittsburgh. This will allow the students to apply their knowledge and skills beyond the classroom. The high school outreach program proposed in this project will be combined with the one offered by the School of Engineering at University of Pittsburgh, which has a long successful history of recruiting underrepresented students in STEM programs. This project will introduce the proposed teaching strategy and course materials to other health science schools and institutes since they will be applicable and transferable in many other fields.