PROPOSAL TO MOVE CGS2100/CGS2060
TO A WEB BASED FORMAT ONLY
Dr. David A. Gaitros
THE PROBLEM
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Interest in Computer Science is growing

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More diverse degree programs
Large enrollment in both introductory and advanced
classes
Growing interest in area specific courses
mobile program
 gaming
 security/cryptography
 etc.

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Increase demand for our faculty
With a shrinking budget and faculty:
Bottom Line: We must use the faculty more
affectively.

Problems with current Computer Literacy
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Large lecture halls at reasonable times are highly sought
after commodities
Lectures are time consuming and not necessary
Very low attendance in lecture
Low Student Evaluations for faculty
Class perceived as “trivial” by students
Attempts to use the discussion boards failed
Having both web based classroom based sections complicate
the semester’s activity
Not enough classrooms or faculty to get rid of Web Based classes
 Must have Separate Blackboard sites for both
 Essentially the same course
 Too much material for in-class students
 Not enough material for web-based students
 Web based students don’t do the readings

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Problems with Computer Literacy (cont.)

Cannot give up Computer literacy because
Reduction in number of students would drastically reduce overall
FTE statistics.
 Loss of funding from the College (OPS)
 Perhaps even the loss of a faculty member
 Could result in an increase teaching load for ALL faculty
 Loss of 24+ Graduate Students
 Giving up CGS2100 and CGS2060 would give PIC and Scientific
Computing a reason to exist, funding and more graduate students

SOLUTION

Migrate CGS2100/CGS2060 to Web Based
Format only
No Lectures/ No Classes scheduled
 Most day-to-day semester activities handled by
Graduate Assistants/Mentors
 Open to all on-Campus students

Wider student population
 More flexible schedule
 Athletic Department and College of Business has requested
this

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Potential for increasing our FTE without increasing
workload
HOW?

Three things are missing to make this a
completely Web-Based course:

Weekly quizzes that complete cover the reading
material (forces students to study)

Most books have a question bank/answers for reading
material
A weekly study guide that directs the students on
their required activities
 Better quality Video Tutorials that cover the skills
assignments.

ORGANIZATION

Divide Course organization and administration
among faculty (mostly non-tenured)
Divide the 1.0 FTE among the faculty
 Prevents administration from increasing teaching
loads
 Allows us to use our faculty more efficiently and
effectively.
 Use more experienced graduate assistants to:

Manage the Help Desk
 Manage and monitor Graders
 Manage Testing and Test Reservation System
 Answer student questions
 Monitor discussion boards

CGS2100/CGS2060 SAMPLE FACULTY ACTIVITIES
AND DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITIES

(50%) Course Coordinators
 Course Syllabus, Agenda, Study Guide
Syllabus Quiz
Blackboard Sites creation and maintenance
 1st Day Attendance, Drop/Add, Announcements
 TA Administration and Assignments
 Final Grades
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(25%) Course Study Materials
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Test Center coordination (All Test Centers)
Test Reservation System
Weekly Quizzes
Tests
(25%) Assignment Preparation
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Assignments (both 2100/2060)
Assignment Examples for TAs
Grading Rubric
Video Tutorials
CGS2100/CGS2060 TA ACTIVIES
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Set up Test Reservation System
 Answer questions on Test Reservations
 Communicate with Testing Center
 Add/update/delete users
Help Desk Organization
 Assignment TAs to Help Desk
 Monitor sessions and manage schedule
Grading Supervision
 Assign Grading Ranges
 Monitor Progress/Quality Control
Set up and manage Discussion boards

Post Issues/Answer questions (All help desk Individuals)
BENEFITS

Most faculty activities involved with the course
are preparatory and occur before semester.

Once accomplished, material need only be updated
each semester
Less work for 25% - 33% which is usually
considered a full 3 hour course.
 Increase or decrease in student population does
not affect faculty workload…just the number of
TAs needed.

DISCUSSION