National Science Foundation CPATH Grant

Revitalizing Computer Science Education Through the Science of Digital Media

Jennifer Burg, Wake Forest University, Principal Investigator
Conrad Gleber, La Salle University, Co-Principal Investigator

While computers have become indispensable in communication, social networking, creativity, business, science, academics, and research, the number of students majoring in computer science has fallen dramatically in recent years. Clearly, computer science educators are not taking advantage of the exciting and relevant nature of their discipline. This project investigates ways to make computer science curriculum more interesting and relevant to today's students by linking it to the science of digital media. The interdisciplinary nature of digital media -- with connections to the visual arts, engineering, music, scientific visualization, movies, television, and mobile media -- will be explored through workshops at seven colleges/universities throughout the United States. Representatives from business and industry and diverse academic fields will be asked to identify the knowledge and skills they would like to see in computer scientists involved with them in interdisciplinary collaborations. Over a three-year period, a proposal for college-level computer science curriculum changes will be made that reflects input from educators, industry representatives, artists, and practitioners in areas involving digital media. The resulting curriculum is intended to have a strong scientific base linked to practice in other disciplines in ways that motivate learning and take advantage of the centrality of digital media in modern-day life.

CPATH Workshops