PROPOSAL TO MOVE CGS2100/CGS2060 TO A WEB BASED FORMAT ONLY

Dr. David A. Gaitros

THE PROBLEM

Interest in Computer Science is growing More diverse degree programs Large enrollment in both introductory and

advanced classes Growing interest in area specific courses

mobile program gaming security/cryptography etc.

Increase demand for our faculty With a shrinking budget and faculty:

Bottom Line: We must use the faculty more affectively.

Problems with current Computer Literacy Large lecture halls at reasonable times are highly

sought after commodities Lectures are time consuming and not necessary Very low attendance in lecture Low Student Evaluations for faculty Class perceived as “trivial” by students Attempts to use the discussion boards failed Having both web based classroom based sections

complicate the semester’s activity Not enough classrooms or faculty to get rid of Web Based

classes Must have Separate Blackboard sites for both Essentially the same course Too much material for in-class students Not enough material for web-based students Web based students don’t do the readings

Problems with Computer Literacy (cont.) Cannot give up Computer literacy because

Reduction in number of students would drastically reduce overall FTE statistics.

Loss of funding from the College (OPS) Perhaps even the loss of a faculty member

Could result in an increase teaching load for ALL faculty Loss of 24+ Graduate Students Giving up CGS2100 and CGS2060 would give PIC and

Scientific Computing a reason to exist, funding and more graduate students

SOLUTION

Migrate CGS2100/CGS2060 to Web Based Format only No Lectures/ No Classes scheduled Most day-to-day semester activities handled by

Graduate Assistants/Mentors Open to all on-Campus students

Wider student population More flexible schedule Athletic Department and College of Business has

requested this Potential for increasing our FTE without

increasing workload

HOW?

Three things are missing to make this a completely Web-Based course: Weekly quizzes that complete cover the reading

material (forces students to study) Most books have a question bank/answers for reading

material A weekly study guide that directs the students

on their required activities Better quality Video Tutorials that cover the skills

assignments.

ORGANIZATION

Divide Course organization and administration among faculty (mostly non-tenured) Divide the 1.0 FTE among the faculty Prevents administration from increasing teaching

loads Allows us to use our faculty more efficiently and

effectively. Use more experienced graduate assistants to:

Manage the Help Desk Manage and monitor Graders Manage Testing and Test Reservation System Answer student questions Monitor discussion boards

CGS2100/CGS2060 SAMPLE FACULTY ACTIVITIES AND DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITIES

(50%) Course Coordinators Course Syllabus, Agenda, Study Guide Syllabus Quiz Blackboard Sites creation and maintenance 1st Day Attendance, Drop/Add, Announcements TA Administration and Assignments Final Grades

(25%) Course Study Materials Test Center coordination (All Test Centers) Test Reservation System Weekly Quizzes Tests

(25%) Assignment Preparation Assignments (both 2100/2060) Assignment Examples for TAs Grading Rubric Video Tutorials

CGS2100/CGS2060 TA ACTIVIES Set up Test Reservation System

Answer questions on Test Reservations Communicate with Testing Center Add/update/delete users

Help Desk Organization Assignment TAs to Help Desk Monitor sessions and manage schedule

Grading Supervision Assign Grading Ranges Monitor Progress/Quality Control

Set up and manage Discussion boards Post Issues/Answer questions (All help desk Individuals)

BENEFITS

Most faculty activities involved with the course are preparatory and occur before semester. Once accomplished, material need only be

updated each semester Less work for 25% - 33% which is usually

considered a full 3 hour course. Increase or decrease in student population

does not affect faculty workload…just the number of TAs needed.

DISCUSSION