St. Johns River State College gets grant to enhance computer science and informa
Source: Etienne
St. Johns River State College recently received a $196,367 grant from the National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education program for use increasing the practical knowledge, critical thinking skills and work-readiness of computer science and information technology students.
The “Enhancing Critical Reasoning in Computer Education” grant is intended to support enhancements to the college’s computer education curriculum, and ultimately help meet the demand for highly trained technicians in the computer science and information technology fields in Northeast Florida.
“Through the project, students will develop excellent technical skills, cultivate critical reasoning and creative abilities to be prepared to innovate, adapt and thrive in the competitive and evolving computer science and IT industry,” said Anna Lebesch, executive director of the college’s Orange Park campus, and vice president for Workforce Development.
The project will draw from successful problem-based learning programs in engineering and computer education to integrate additional critical thinking and hands-on learning with the strong technical aspects of the college’s current computer science and IT curriculum.
St. Johns River State College offers 11 college credit certificates and four associate degrees in networking, programming, information technology and internet services. The project is designed to enhance the skills of more than 200 students per year who are enrolled in the college’s foundational and higher level courses. The participation, retention and success of women enrolled in the computer science and information technology programs are also expected to increase as a result incorporating problem-based learning into these programs, college officials said.
John Etienne, the college’s director of Computer Education, said in addition to the St. Johns River State’s foundational introductory classes being revised to teach key technical and critical thinking processes, critical thinking and problem-solving learning outcomes will be mapped and integrated into the higher-level courses.
Etienne also said the revised curriculum will include solicitations and inputs from industry leaders and advisers in the community to identify novel solutions for current, real-life technical challenges that they face in day-to-day technical operations.
To benefit from the technical expertise of all computer science and information technology fields, the college’s entire computer science and information technology faculty will be involved in the program design and implementation.
“This will ensure that new pedagogies are implemented across the entire curriculum,” Etienne said.
Industry leaders and community advisrrs will work with the faculty to ensure the curriculum meets the evolving needs of the industry. Tutors from college’s academic support centers also will participate in the training so they can assist students needing extra help in the new problem-based learning curriculum.
Pre- and post-test assessments will be used to evaluate the gains in the critical thinking component of the program. An independent evaluator will provide an annual summative and formative review. The curriculum development project will also be widely available for use and adoption by other computer science and information technology training programs.
The three-year grant period for the project began July 1 and will conclude June 30, 2019. Etienne is the principal investigator, and the co-principal investigator is Walter Lara.
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