CICS 298L Educational Outreach: Leadership Principles and Practice
Description
In this course, students will meet twice a week to plan set of educational events during CS Education Week, December 4-10. The Thursday meetings will overlap with 298E to allow coordination with the larger group of student volunteers.
The focus of the course will be on planning events and learning about issues related to representation in computer science education. Students will take coordinating and/or supervisory roles at the sites where they run events, so will also be expected to work on team-leadership skills.
The events will largely take place at local primary and secondary schools, with the goal of raising student awareness of computer science as a field of study and profession and increasing student confidence in their ability to participate in computer science.
This course will be graded. Credit is largely participation-based, with participation in Computer Science Education Week being a requirement (barring illness or family emergency). There will be little lecturing in class, with the focus being on discussion, training, and planning. Since effective participation is dependent on reading assigned material, students will be expected to read any such material before class. Students will submit a reflection at the end of the semester. This paper will serve as an opportunity to reflect on the experience and provide a form of feedback.
Learning Outcomes
- be able to describe the importance of this outreach
- understand several types of outreach events
- understand the challenges faced by under-represented groups trying to enter CS
- understand the range of under-represented groups
- develop team-leading and communication skills
Materials
This class will make use of the Moodle learning management system. As readings will be posted to the moodle account, it is important that students contact the instructor as soon as possible if they have any issues.
Grading
Participation (20%) Students will attend class every week and contribute productively to discussion. If the student is unable to attend class due to extenuating circumstances such as illness or a family emergency, they should contact the instructor as soon as possible. For more details on the university’s class absence policy, please see https://www.umass.edu/registrar/students/policies-and-practices/class-absence-policy
Reading Responses (10%) Students will submit online “journal” responses to the readings. Submissions will be graded on a ✓,✓+ basis. The purpose of these responses is to think critically about the material and prepare oneself for class discussion.
Event Planning Documentation (10%) Students will work in teams to submit a plan for what they will do at their site. This work will be carried out in conjunction with a representative from the site they will be working at.
Outreach Event Participation (30%) Students must attend at least one outreach event. We will collect feedback from the school and peer assessments.
- Outreach Event Attendance (20%)
- Outreach Event Feedback (10%)
Final Paper (30%) Students will submit a reflection at the end of the semester following CS Education Week. This paper will serve as an opportunity for them to reflect on their experience and a form of feedback.
Grade Scale
A 94.0 – 100
A- 90.0 – 93.9
B+ 87.0 – 89.9
B 84.0 – 86.9
B- 80.0 – 83.9
C+ 77.0 – 79.9
C 73.0 – 76.9
C- 70.0 – 72.9
D+ 67.0 – 69.9
D 64.0 – 66.9
F < 64.0
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism or other forms of cheating will not be tolerated under any circumstances. For more details on the university’s plagiarism policy, see the official guidlines: http://www.umass.edu/honesty/