Broadening student enthusiasm for computer science with a great insights course
Marie Ellen Desjardins, Michael L. Littman · 2010
We describe the "Great Insights in Computer Science" courses that are taught at Rutgers and UMBC. These courses were designed independently, but have in common a broad, engaging introduction to computing for non-majors. Both courses include a programming component to help the students gain an intuition for computational concepts, but neither is primarily programming focused. We present data to show that these courses attract a diverse group of students; are rated positively; and increase students' understanding of, and attitudes towards, computing and computational issues.