Developing a Studio Model Computer Curriculum for First-Year Undergraduate Students (original) (raw)

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings

Abstract

This paper describes what was learned while implementing a reinvented undergraduate computer technology curriculum during the first two years of its rollout. The paper includes the activities of the freshman cohorts of computer students who were the first to experience the curriculum redesign. Perhaps the biggest paradigm shift in the new curriculum was the adoption of the studio model of instruction. Borrowed from other traditions such as art and architecture, the studio provides a hands-on approach to learning that is ideal for computing students; particularly for the large percentage of students who attend our school while already working full time or returning from military service. The first years of using a new approach to teaching always have unique challenges. The computer faculty made decisions about what was important to address in the first year of the curriculum, and what projects to use to keep students engaged in and excited about the field of computing. Since the studio model radically departs from the single instructor classroom lecture model, multiple professors were utilized in the same freshman studio course, each bringing in their own unique areas of expertise. Along with the studio model, electronic portfolios were implemented for the assessment of student learning, as a benchmark that students must pass to advance to the upper-class courses, and for professional presentation to potential employers and clients. The benefits and challenges that were experienced during the first two years of using freshman studios will be discussed as well as what was learned from our assessment efforts.

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