Computer Science Receives a Reboot / Colleges Are Using New Ways to Change Trend As Students Leave F

Jun 01, 03:20 AM

Current Headlines: The lesson plan was called "Artificial Unintelligence," but it was written more like a comic book than a syllabus for a serious computer science class.

"Singing, dancing and drawing polygons may be nifty, but any self- respecting evil roboticist needs a few more tricks in the repertoire if they are going to take over the world," read the day's instructions to a dozen or so Georgia Tech robotics students.

They had spent the past few months teaching their personal "Scribbler" robots to draw shapes and chirp on command. Now they were being asked to navigate a daunting obstacle course of Girl Scout cookie boxes scattered over a grid.

The course is aimed at reigniting interest in computer science among undergraduates. Educators at Georgia Tech and elsewhere are turning to innovative programs like the Scribbler to draw more students to the field and reverse the tide of those leaving it.

More than a dozen universities have adopted "media computation" programs, a sort of alternate introduction to computer science with a New Media vibe. The classes, which have been launched at Virginia Tech, teach basic engineering using digital art, digital music and the Web.

The number of new computer science majors has steadily declined since 2000, falling from close to 16,000 students to only 7,798 last fall, according to the Computing Research Association.

The association says about 1 percent of incoming freshmen have indicated computer science as a probable major, a 70 percent drop from the rate in 2000.

At Georgia Tech, computing professor Tucker Balch says the brain drain is partly the fault of what he calls the "prime number" syndrome - the traditional way of teaching computer science by asking students to write programs that spit out prime numbers, the Fibonacci sequence or other mathematical series.

It's proved a sound way to educate students dead-set on joining the ranks of computer programmers, but it's also probably scared away more than a few.

Although the Scribbler is one of several methods to lure more students to the field, its popularity has been surprising. About 30 schools have expressed interest in the course, said Deepak Kumar, chairman of Bryn Mawr College's computer science department.

"It's fresh and new and engaging," he said.

Balch is happy to agree.

"It beats prime numbers."

IMPACT

As interest in computer science drops in the U.S., India and China are offering cheap labor and a skilled work force.

(c) 2007 Richmond Times - Dispatch. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.