Revolutionizing Computing Across the University of Maine System

Principal Investigator: Harlan Onsrud (Computing & Info Science, UMaine)

Partners: Susan McKay (UMaine), Constance Holden (UMA), Richard Corey (UMaine), Torsten Hahmann (UMaine), Reinhard Moratz (UMaine), Silvia Nittel (UMaine), Michael Scott (UMaine), Roy Turner (UMaine); computing faculty from other UMS campuses to be invited.

Abstract: The bulk of STEM jobs in the U.S. are in computing and this proposal takes an initial step in potentially revolutionizing the approach that UMS and the nation’s universities use to teach computing to far better meet the nation’s workforce needs. We hypothesize that project-based, hands-on, team-focused problem-solving courses addressing authentic societal and science challenges incorporated throughout the computer science curriculum would attract and retain many more and a greater diversity of students including women to careers in computing. Our objective with this project is to demonstrate that such an approach verifiably attracts young people and excites them about computing.

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