Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Exploring Different Modalities For Learning Computer Programming, Maxwell Brickner

Maxwell Brickner

The Open World Microorganism, Stephen Thompson

Stephen Thompson

Guest Editors' Introduction: Research On Equity And Sustained Participation In Engineering, Computing, And Technology, Tiffany Barnes, Jamie Payton, George K. Thiruvathukal, Kristy Elizabeth Boyer, Jeff Forbes

George K. Thiruvathukal

The guest editors introduce best papers on broadening participation in computing from the RESPECT'15 conference. The five articles presented here are part one of a two-part series representing research on broadening participation in computing at all levels of education: from K-12 schools through graduate school, with a focus on diversity with regard to gender, race, and ethnicity.

The Need For Research In Broadening Participation, Tiffany Barnes, George K. Thiruvathukal

George K. Thiruvathukal

Underrepresentation in computing is a global problem, marked by a disturbing lack of access to computing resources and education among people underrepresented by race, ethnicity, gender, income, disability, and sexual-orientation status. It is urgent that we address this divide between those with and without the knowledge to create computational artifacts or even basic functional literacy. Important alliances for broadening participation (BP) are catalyzing efforts to engage more people in computing, but they are not enough. We need solid research as well.

Mapping The Organizational Relations Within Physical Security’S Body Of Knowledge: A Management Heuristic Of Sound Theory And Best Practice, Richard Coole, David J. Brooks

David J Brooks Dr.

Security Science education at university levels is still in its infancy, with little agreement towards knowledge, curriculum and competency. Therefore, it is essential that educators draw on relevant literature highlighting means of efficient and effective knowledge transfer for tertiary students within the Security Science domain. Such knowledge transfer will reduce the gap between academic knowledge (explicit) and professional competency (tacit knowledge). This paper presents phase one of a multiphase study. A qualitative “systems based knowledge structure” of security domain categories has been conceptually mapped as a domain heuristic. The heuristic drew on research highlighting that experts have both richer depths …

Mapping The Organizational Relations Within Physical Security’S Body Of Knowledge: A Management Heuristic Of Sound Theory And Best Practice, Richard Coole, David J. Brooks

David J Brooks Dr.

Security Science education at university levels is still in its infancy, with little agreement towards knowledge, curriculum and competency. Therefore, it is essential that educators draw on relevant literature highlighting means of efficient and effective knowledge transfer for tertiary students within the Security Science domain. Such knowledge transfer will reduce the gap between academic knowledge (explicit) and professional competency (tacit knowledge). This paper presents phase one of a multiphase study. A qualitative “systems based knowledge structure” of security domain categories has been conceptually mapped as a domain heuristic. The heuristic drew on research highlighting that experts have both richer depths …

Introduction To Computer Science In C#, Andrew Harrington, George Thiruvathukal

George K. Thiruvathukal

Drs. Harrington and Thiruvathukal created a living textbook to introduce computer science and programming principles (using the C# language from Microsoft, read C-sharp, as in music) to computer science at Loyola University Chicago (and beyond). This book is a work in progress but has been used since AY 2012 to teach COMP 170 at Loyola University Chicago.

Tournament-Based Teaching, Shannon Christopher Boesch, Sandra Boesch

Chris BOESCH

Over the past two years we have collaborated to develop a process and set of online games to enable additional feedback to both students and instructors in a classroom setting. We have named the resulting process Tournament-based Teaching due to the extensive use of tournament-based feedback for groups and individuals throughout course delivery. Tournament-based Teaching enables individualized and peer-based learning in a classroom setting and provides additional motivation for students to prepare for classroom sessions. It also provides feedback to instructors, which can be leveraged to provide better schedule classroom sessions.

Adaptive Gameplay For Programming Practice, Chris Boesch, Sandra Boesch

Chris BOESCH

Over the past four years, we have collaborated to develop a set of online games to enable users to practice software languages in a self-directed manner and as part of a class. Recently we introduced a new adaptive difficulty feature that enables players to self-regulate the difficulty of the games they are playing to practice. These new features also provide additional information to further adapt the problem content to better meet the needs of the users.

Case Study On Using A Programming Practice Tool For Evaluating University Applicants, Shannon Christopher Boesch, Kevin Steppe

Chris BOESCH

We used a programming practice tool to test basic programming skills of prospective students. A live competition was used to test those skills. Students who did well were asked for further interviews. Most students had no prior background and reported learning the basics of two programming languages within two weeks of self-study.

Using Scala Strategically Across The Undergraduate Curriculum, Mark Lewis, Konstantin Läufer, George Thiruvathukal

George K. Thiruvathukal

Various hybrid-paradigm languages, designed to balance compile-time error detection, conciseness, and performance, have emerged. Scala, e.g., is interoperable with Java and has become an early leader in adoption, especially in the start-up and open-source spaces. Workshop participants experience Scala’s value as a teaching language in the CS curriculum through four lecture-lab modules: In CS1, the read-eval-print loop and simple, uniform syntax aid programming in the small. In CS2, higher-order methods allow concise, efficient manipulation of collections. Advanced topics include domain-specific languages, concurrency, web apps/services, and mobile apps. Laptop recommended with Scala installed.

The Education Issue, George Thiruvathukal

George K. Thiruvathukal

This article is focused on computing education for the 21st Century and how a renewed focus on education is needed to ensure that our discipline remains vibrant and relevant to all students, regardless of whether they are CS majors or not. After all, many graduates end up in a computer science-related job (e.g. information technology, programming, networking/security, etc.) The article specifically focuses on education-related articles that have appeared within the last year or so in the IEEE Computer Society.

Utilization Of E-Learning Tools, Virtual Machines, & Open Source Software To Enhance Graduate Systems Engineering Programs, Maurice Dawson, Darrell Burrell, William Emanuel

Maurice Dawson

This paper is a report on the findings of a study conducted on a graduate systems engineering course at an urban university in a group learning environment. The course, IEGR 501 Introduction to Advanced Systems Engineering, was a sixteen week course which took students with backgrounds in Industrial Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering and prepared them to understand the systems engineering subject matter more. As the future of education becomes more and more virtual it becomes essential that universities take full advantage of the available tools at their disposal.

Computational Thinking (Ct): On Weaving It In, Paul Curzon, Joan Peckham, Harriet G. Taylor, Amber Settle, Eric Roberts

Amber Settle

Report Of The Commission To Assess The Threat To The United States From Emp Attack: Critical National Infrastructures, William R. Graham

George H Baker

The physical and social fabric of the United States is sustained by a system of systems; a complex and dynamic network of interlocking and interdependent infrastructures (“critical national infrastructures”) whose harmonious functioning enables the myriad actions, transactions, and information flow that undergird the orderly conduct of civil society in this country. The vulnerability of these frastructures to threats — deliberate, accidental, and acts of nature — is the focus of greatly heightened concern in the current era, a process accelerated by the events of 9/11 and recent hurricanes, including Katrina and Rita. This report presents the results of the Commission’s …