EAGER:X+CS: CS Pathways for Non CS majors

随着计算对各个领域的影响，并成为大多数学科的基本探究方式，对计算机科学(CS)的大学课程有很大的需求。这一点已经在CS专业的增长中得到了反映。根据美国计算机研究协会(Computer Research Association)编制的数据，自2006年以来的十年里，计算机科学专业的学生数量自2006年以来增加了两倍，自2011年以来翻了一番。在那之后的两年里，这一趋势一直在继续，马里兰大学巴尔的摩县分校也不例外。根据美国国家科学基金会的几个公开报告，随着计算机科学专业的增长达到顶峰，出现了一波被视为“CS X”学生的浪潮--即在计算机科学以外的学科学习，但需要大量课程作业的学生。我们的经验表明，通过让这些学生接触计算机，我们将使CS课程的参与更加多样化和广泛。我们建议为这些非计算机科学专业的学生开设计算机课程。这个项目将包括设计一系列新的课程，包括，但也超越了入门编程序列。这些课程将向不打算主修CS的学生介绍关键概念。初步工作表明，这批学生比通常参加CS课程的学生要多样化得多。该项目将侧重于创建一系列课程，更加侧重于对各个领域重要的概念，以及与扩展相关的概念(例如，可伸缩数据结构)。它还将通过个性化学习计划对定制的X CS专业进行试验。研究人员将在开发课程序列时咨询业界同行。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

With computing impacting every field, and becoming a fundamental mode of inquiry in most disciplines,there is great demand for university coursework in computer science (CS). This has been reflected in a growthin CS majors. According to the numbers compiled by the Computer Research Association, in the decade since 2006, the number of computer science majors had tripled since 2006 and doubled since 2011. The trend has continued in the two years since, and University of Maryland - Baltimore County has not been an exception. According to several National Science Foundation public presentations that as the growth in computer science majors crests, there is a building wave of what is being viewed as "CS+X" students -- students studying in a discipline other than computer science, but needing a significant body of coursework. Our experience shows that by exposing such students to computing, we will diversify and broaden the participation in CS classes. We propose to create pathways into computing for such non computer science majors.This project will involve designing a sequence of new classes including, but also beyond, theintroductory programming sequence. These classes will introduce key concepts to students who do not intend to major in CS. Preliminary work has shown that this pool of students is much more diverse than that typically take CS courses. This project will focus on creating a sequence of courses that focus more on concepts important for various domains, as well as concepts related to scaling up (e.g., scalable data structures). It will also experiment with customized "X+CS" majors through the Individualized Study program. The researchers will consult colleagues from industry as they develop the course sequence.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.