This proposal centers around the notion that computing has evolved into an inter- and intra-disciplinary field of intertwined concepts that pervade society. The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and other schools in the University System of Georgia have defined and adopted a number of specialized degrees and contextualized computing courses. Last Fall, Georgia Tech extended this approach to create the Threads model includes a process for creating curricular change, an infrastructure for advising, and software to support administrators, advisors, educators and students. In parallel, Brooklyn College of the City University of New York (BC-CUNY) has developed several context-based approaches to computing education with a focus on introductory courses and the high school to college continuum, as well as created two new interdisciplinary masters degrees. The team proposes to create an alliance that validates and extends the Threads model. The proposed work encompasses a methodical approach to understanding the process of defining broad, flexible paths through a computing curriculum, and to measuring and analyzing the outcomes of this process when applied to a variety of departments and interest groups. At the heart of this process is an emphasis on context-based instruction and targeted advising that helps students crystalize career paths and realize the short- and long-term relevance of their coursework. The project explores crucial research questions that arise out of adapting and applying Threads, and evaluating the effects on students, faculty and administrators through quantitative and qualitative studies. Under the work proposed here, they will measure the impact of Georgia Tech?s implementation of the Threads model and the supporting advising mechanisms; extend and adapt Threads to a broad range of computing departments; facilitate its adoption at such departments; and evaluate its efficacy under a variety of conditions. The goal is a validated, widely deployed and broadly-evaluated model of curricular reform that is applicable to small and large departments, students with a range of backgrounds and abilities, and faculty with a range of interests. The combination of diverse experiences brought together by the project team promises to produce results with the potential to serve as national models for both computing and other STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) disciplines.
This is a collaborative project in which Southern Polytechnic State University participated and contributed primarily in the following two areas: (1) We studied the Threads curriculum model proposed and practiced in Georgia Tech in the past five years. We found out that Threads curriculum represents a tremendous departure from how people think about curricula in computing. The Threads model does not follow the old way of monolithic core curriculum plus a number of elective courses for students to choose. Instead, it provides a contextualized education for computing students, who can obtain a bachelor’s degree in computing by combining two "threads" of core computing areas. It helps to address the common challenges such as fluctuating enrollments, the imperative to integrate fast-paced computing innovations into engineering and technologies, and the need of a diverse, agile engineering workforce with computing knowledge essential to US leadership in the global innovation enterprise. However, this significant curriculum change also brings in many academic as well as administrative challenges and consequences for computing schools, especially small schools with a small number of faculty and limited resources. (2) After analyzing the educational objectives and program outcomes of our own School of Computing and Software Engineering, we developed five Threads-based certificate programs, namely, (a) Security; (b) eDevices; (c) ISC (Intelligent and Scientific Computing); (d) HIT (Health Information Technology); and (e) Gaming. Each Thread consists of 4 – 5 courses in one computing area. Students will receive a Threads-based certification on completion of these Threads requirements.
