Math and Science
Computer Science (CSCI)
Jonathan Traugott
3/13/2011
In Year One CSCI identified two rocks for Program Review: 1) “Student Success and 2) “Expand and Grow”
We’ve has some success in addressing both issues. We’ve also learned that it’s a long haul and we need to ride the budgetary ups and downs to make our way forward. When we started this process enrollments in CSCI were abysmal. Students were reluctant to major in Computer Science following a prolonged slump after the dot com bust. Student interest is on the upswing now and we’ve been able to reenergize the program on multiple fronts:
1) Updated our courses to incorporate tools for online learning such as MyItLab (CSCI 8) , MyCodeMate and
MyProgrammingLab (CSCI 14) and Goal (CSCI 19A).
2) Introduced a new course (CSCI 6: Programming for Visual Thinkers).
3) Explored Reading Apprenticeship as a way to get students more involved with their own learning process.
4) Sponsored a thriving student Computer Science and Engineering club.
5) Updated CSCI 7 to use replace JavaScript with Python for learning programming.
6) Added a prerequisite to CSCI 14 to improve success rates.
7) Articulated our data structures course, CSCI 20, to CS 61B at UC Berkeley.
8) Updated course outlines for CSCI 15 and CSCI 20.
9) Incorporated student learning assistants into our on campus and online courses. This benefits the students in the course and the assistants themselves, who reinforce their knowledge by helping to teach it.
During the past three years enrollments have steadily improved: CSCI 7, CSCI 8 and CSCI 14 are typically full before the first day of class and other courses have similar increases. Unfortunately, limited FTEF prevents us from expanding our course offerings. There are good ideas afloat for new programs game design, smart phone programming and/or computer security. Demand exists for training in all these areas but budgetary realities limit our ability to launch such endeavors. A certificate program in one of these areas would only require the addition of one more course.
Some faculty have introduced Reading Apprenticeship ‘talking-to-the-text’ labs in CSCI-7, which has at least assured that most of the students have the text by the third or fourth week of the semester. It’s too early to tell the results, but we think student comprehension is improved from last semester’s dismal 27% success rate in the

course.
CSCI 7 faculty have been giving regular pop quizzes (which can be over any of the material up to the previous lecture) in an attempt to get the students to actually study on a regular basis. The results of this are mixed, with some students giving up on the class entirely, and some finally getting the material, sometimes after several quizzes on the same material.
We made the decision to place priority on the transfer series of classes (CSCI 14, 15 and 20) due to the expected college wide budgetary cutbacks. Each course’s enrollment depends on the number of successful students from a previous course (i.e. CSCI 20 depends on CSCI 15 which in turn depends on CSCI 14). A small pool of students from CSCI 14 means few students to CSCI 15 and 20). We strive to improve the success rates of this transfer series by requiring a mathematics prerequisite or successful completion on CSCI 7. Enforcing a prerequisite hopefully allows a better prepared student who has a higher chance of success. It also “weeds” out students who are not serious about this discipline making space for the more dedicated students. CSCI 8 continues to serve those students who need this course as a prerequisite for other degrees although most CSCI 8 students have no intention of majoring in computer sciences.
We implemented mathematics requirement or the successful completion of CSCI 7 to create a pool of better prepared students.
Improving student success continues to be a challenge. We see this most in CSCI 14 where many students are simply unprepared for the level of abstraction and logic required by such a course. Starting in Fall 2011 students will need either Math 55 or CSCI 7 as a prerequisite for CSCI 14. We are confident that the new prerequisite will help student success but also concerned that enrollments may drop initially, as some students are blocked from registering. To maintain a viable program we must offer a minimum of two sections of CSCI 14 per semester. We ask the college for your support to maintain four sections of CSCI 14 for academic year 2011-12, even if there is a temporary drop in enrollments due to this new prerequisite.
A large fraction of students are under prepared in mathematical skills let alone personal discipline and such “soft skills” as analytical or logical problem solving which reduces the pool of students interested in computer sciences.
Against the backdrop of budgetary cuts may mean cutbacks in this program due to decreased enrollments which in turn cuts more classes leading to further enrollments declines.
A large number of our students cannot read for comprehension (they can form the words, but do not grasp what’s important) and their mathematics skills are very weak. The best are as good as ever, but the normal skill levels are much lower than ten years ago. Since we are not equipped to teach reading and algebra in Computer Science courses, we’ve been forced to look for a math prerequisite to the transfer computer programming sequence (CSCI-
14, 15, 20, 21).
Computers in 3906 are aging and hardware and software problems have become an impediment to productive lab sessions. Fortunately, an upgrade scheduled for summer 2011 and we will have new hardware with Windows 7 and required academic software installed for the start of fall semester.
In a period of declining Computer Science enrollments we agreed to split the Computer Science Laboratory (room
3906) in order that one side be used by the Mathematics department for Math Lab. As CSCI enrollments increase and the Math Lab moves to Building 100, we expect the entire room (3906A and 3906B) will revert to a dedicated space for Computer Science instruction.
We look forward to opportunities for faculty to retrain in new technologies such as game design, smartphone programming or computer security. Offering a certificate program in one or more of these areas would provide vocational training for occasional students and enhance academic preparation for transfer students. For example,
CSCI 6 and one additional course in game programming might form the core of a certificate in computer game

design.
There is great potential for growth but we are hampered by limited FTEF. Hopefully these budget constraints will eventually lift. There is a surge in demand for training in computer technology and we would like nothing better than to meet that demand.
Some faculty believe that all students (particularly high school students) should be assessed for mathematics and
English skills prior to enrollment at Chabot College, and all students requiring remedial work should be required to take appropriate mathematics and English courses every semester until their remediation is complete and they are performing at college level. Skipping even one semester before starting mathematics (and slightly less so
English) can mean students fail or drop out of their first semester, and often means they spend even longer “in the pipeline” trying to get through Chabot. This is because the sequential nature of mathematics courses means they cannot be “short-cut”, and to complete the sequence may take three years or more. So, skipping even one semester before taking mathematics can force students to take another semester at the end of their Chabot experience in order to complete the mathematics requirements for transfer in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.
Implementation and enforcement of prerequisites should weed out less serious students making space for more serious and dedicated students allowing affected course pace and subject content to be presented at a faster pace instead of moving at the pace of the slowest students as encountered currently.