Just-in-Time Computer Education for the 21st Century
PKAL 2002 Summer Institute - Cluster II
June 2 - June 5, 2002

Workshop Abstract

Undergraduate computer education, including computer science, computer information science and information technology, faces three major problems as it strives to prepare students for the rapidly changing IT world:

• New curricula and accreditation guidelines being released across the discipline
• A continuing shortage of computing faculty at all levels combined with increasing undergraduate enrollments
• Rapidly changing technologies that require frequent updates to facilities.

The major focus of this workshop is to provide information about the new curricula and accreditation guidelines and to present models and strategies to implement this curricula within departments and programs, particularly in the context of rapidly changing computer technologies.

The intended audience for the workshop is department chairs, curriculum chairs, and undergraduate computing faculty. Participants will have the opportunity to hear presentations and then work in small groups to develop curricula models appropriate for two-year and four-year computing programs. They will share ideas with colleagues from a variety of types of institutions to develop solutions for coping with rapidly changing curricula demands. They will look at ways to incorporate core content with emerging new topics in order to prepare students for the IT workforce and for a paradigm of lifelong learning.

Specific issues to be addressed in this workshop include:

• Overall goals and objectives of the new curricula and accreditation guidelines with examples of different implementation models for departments and programs
• Crosscutting themes of the new curricula, such as ethics, professionalism, communication skills, and teamwork
• Innovative delivery strategies and pedagogies that leverage faculty resources and enhance student learning
• Strategies to encourage more women to study computing to prepare for IT careers

Sessions for this workshop include:

• Curriculum Call: Implications of the New CC2001
• Enhancing Active-Learning Methodologies with Digital Media
• Curriculum Call: Strategies for Implementing the New CC2001
• Encouraging Women and Minorities into Computing
• Cutting Across the Curriculum with Ethics, Writing, and Teamwork
• Best Practices for Implementing and Assessing Change

Workshop Planners

C. Dianne Martin, Workshop Leader, George Washington University
Robert Campbell, Rock Valley College
Deepak Kumar, Bryn Mawr College
J.A.N. Lee, Viriginia Polytechnic Institute
Jeffrey McConnell, Canisius College
Keith Miller, University of Illinois
Wayne Staats, Stetson University

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