TIP: Transforming Computer Science Education using 'upside down' Curriculum, Course-embedded projects, Integration with other STEM disciplines, and Peer Mentors

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The Targeted Infusion Project at Fisk University seeks to transform computer science teaching through an innovative computer science curriculum and pedagogical techniques that will create awareness, interest and success in computer science, ultimately contributing to the workforce needs of the U.S. A central feature of this project is to turn the computer science curriculum "upside down", so that students will use the latest computer science tools and techniques to develop real-life and relevant products in their introductory courses. This is in contrast to the traditional curriculum, where exciting features are introduced in sophomore or junior years, which is often too late to retain students in the major. Project objectives are to: introduce computational thinking in computer science courses for non-majors; introduce appealing tools in introductory courses for computer science majors, and foster their use in course-embedded projects; integrate computing into targeted mathematics and physics cognate courses in the computer science major pathway; and utilize peer mentoring to foster deeper learning of computer science in targeted computer science, mathematics, and physics courses.The involvement of computer science faculty in addition to mathematics and physics faculty in efforts to transform the computer science curriculum at Fisk University suggests that project impact will extend across multiple disciplines. The project will broaden the participation of currently underrepresented individuals in the computer science and computational workforce. Furthermore, faculty development, mentor training, and the enhancement of pedagogical techniques will promote sustained and continuous improvements of the computer science curriculum and its integration with other relevant disciplines. Project activities include broad dissemination efforts to increase public computer science literacy.