I. ASCRC General Education Form
Group
GROUP III SYMBOLIC SYSTEMS
Dept/Program
COMPUTER SCIENCE
Course #
Course Title
Prerequisite
131, 132
FUNDAMENTALS OF COMPUTER SCIENCE I AND II
COMPUTER
Credits
3, 3
PROGRAMMING
EXPERIENCE
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Please type / print name Signature
Date
Instructor
Phone / Email
Michael O’Conner
x2217
michael.oconner@umontana.edu
Program Chair
Alden Wright
Dean
Gerald Fetz
III. Description and purpose of the course: General Education courses must be introductory
and foundational. They must emphasize breadth, context, and connectedness; and relate course
content to students’ future lives: See Preamble:
http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/gened/GEPreamble_final.htm
An introduction to the field of Computer Science, focusing on the object-oriented programming
language Java, Software Engineering principles, and fundamental knowledge about computers,
as preparation for using computers to accomplish tasks, and for acquiring the more advanced
knowledge required for a career in the Computer Science field.
IV. Criteria: Briefly explain how this course meets the criteria for the group. See:
http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/ASCRCx/Adocuments/GE_Criteria5-1-08.htm
Criteria 1:
1) A computer program is a model of a realworld system, devised by the program
rigorously present a mapping between a realworld system and a human abstraction of the
developer, and expressed in the symbols and
system
symbol manipulations of a programming
language.
2) Analysis, reasoning, and creative thinking
Criteria 2:
applies analysis, reasoning and creative
are indispensable in devising how to use the
thinking in the understanding and manipulation symbol manipulations of a programming
of symbolic codes
language (sequence, selection, repetition,
data abstraction, and procedural abstraction)
to model a real-world system.
Criteria 3:
3) The program is the complete expression
apply creative thinking using the symbolic
of the model of the real-world system.
system in order to solve problems and
Alternate methods of communication,
communicate ideas
perception, and expression of the program
(such as a flowchart, UML diagram, or
method call tree) focus on the correctness of
particular aspects of the model.
V. Student Learning Goals: Briefly explain how this course will meet the applicable learning
goals. See: http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/ASCRCx/Adocuments/GE_Criteria5-1-08.htm
Learning Goal 1
1) Upon completion of the course,
Upon completion of this perspective students students will be able to create a new
will be able to demonstrate an understanding program and modify/extend an existing
of the symbols and the transformations of the program
system
2) Upon completion of the course,
Learning Goal 2
Upon completion of this perspective students students will be able to create alternate
representations of the program and
will be able to relay and interpret
create programs from alternate
information in terms of the given symbolic
system
representations
Learning Goal 3
3) Upon completion of the course,
Upon completion of this perspective students students will be able to specialize (i.e.
will be able to apply creative thinking using
modify and extend) the symbolic system
the symbolic system in order to solve
to solve new problems
problems and communicate ideas
VII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form. ⇓ The syllabus
should clearly describe how the above criteria are satisfied. For assistance on syllabus
preparation see: http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/syllabus.html
*Please note: As an instructor of a general education course, you will be expected to provide
sample assessment items and corresponding responses to the Assessment Advisory Committee.