This project addresses the need to include underrepresented persons in the technological workforce, focusing on students in the New Jersey City University (NJCU) Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) who plan to major in computer science. It adapts constructivist educational principles to develop an integrated learning environment for these students that supplements an existing pre-freshman summer program.
The project develops curricula and materials for two courses: a basic Introduction to Computer Science, and Mathematics for Computer Science. These courses are closely linked and emphasize the connections between specific mathematics skills and particular computer science problems. The courses are enriched with journal writing and online collaborative learning to build students' metacognitive skills to monitor their learning. The integrated, interdisciplinary nature of this project with its emphasis on developing metacognitive skills will enhance the effectiveness of the students as lifelong learners.
