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Repositioning CS

This presentation explores the repositioning of computer science education to increase diversity and promote creativity. It discusses the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and the need to attract and retain new individuals in the field. The speaker shares personal experiences and highlights the impact of games and art on their educational journey. The presentation also addresses challenges and opportunities, such as the need for resources, community engagement, and the perception of computer science as a discipline.

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Repositioning CS

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  1. Repositioning CS Increasing Diversity and Creativity in Computer Science Education.

  2. Why I’m Here • John Nordlinger (MSR) • Kim Pallister (MS WGGT) • Chris Butcher (Bungie) • Casey Muratori (MollyRocket)

  3. Why I’m Here • John Nordlinger (MSR) • Kim Pallister (MS WGGT) • Chris Butcher (Bungie) • Casey Muratori (MollyRocket) Passionate About Games!

  4. What I Do • PhD in CS @ Northwestern University • Robotics • Art & Technology • AI and Games • Thesis: Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment

  5. Also… • GDC, IGDA, etc. • Study Games & Game Development • Teach Game Design and Tuning • Conduct Academic Outreach

  6. Goals • Confront technical problems • Consider the design perspective • Facilitate interdisciplinary dialog • Diversity, diversity, diversity

  7. Making Another Me • Exposure • K-8, 9-12 • Undergraduate • Graduate • Connections • New Directions

  8. Repositioning CS • A foundation for procedural thinking • Extended via interdisciplinary work • Applied to real-world problems • Attract (and keep) new folks

  9. The Wonder Years

  10. 1984 • Dad: Nuclear Engineer, TQM • Mom: Historian, Basket Weaver • Brother: Music, Sports • Me: Cosmos and Cartoons

  11. Mac Gyver & Indiana Jones • Tinkering • Making new stuff • Taking apart stuff • Exploring • Climbing things • Getting lost • Archeology

  12. Games! • ATARI • NES/SNES • SNES • M.U.L.E

  13. Games! • ATARI • NES/SNES • SNES • M.U.L.E Property of: Your Brother!

  14. “Gifted” • Separate course, once a week • Stories with holes, brain teasers • Computer Typing Game • Early Mac • Limited exposure • No notion of programming

  15. Skidmore Summers • Make Stuff! • Use Computers to draw! • Again, limited access • Focus on “special” or “gifted” kids • Never tied to programming or math

  16. Night and Day • Science • In school • Fixed • About them • Art • Outside • Flexible • About me!

  17. The Life of the Mind

  18. 7-12: Ugh! • Aptitude in math and science • Increased focus on humanities and extracurriculars (yearbook, literature) • Decreased overall enthusiasm

  19. Camp Saves the Day (Again) • Homerton College, Cambridge UK • Poetry and Creative Writing • Fine Art and Photography • William Blake • Computers! • Art vs. Liberal Arts

  20. Programming as a Liberal Art • Bill Sterner & Don Crabb • Aristotle, Turing, Turkle, Tversky • Ecologies and Architecture • Creating new artifacts

  21. Choose Your Own Adventure • General Studies in the Humanities • Film • Fine Art • Oral/Historical Narrative • Women’s Studies • Computer Programming • Focus: Storytelling and memory

  22. No CS Major • Take classes • Seek mentors • Experiment This worked pretty well!

  23. Lab Work • AI • Stories as memory (CBR) • Context/Remindings • Opportunism/Learning • Games • Graduate Studies?

  24. Connections

  25. Grad School? • Women in CS • Should I take the plunge? • Ellen Spertus • Math Lovers Only!

  26. Grad School? • Women in CS • Should I take the plunge? • Ellen Spertus • Math Lovers Only! I AM STUBBORN.

  27. Grad School! • Day: Basics • Traditional CS curriculum • Individual assignments • Night: Projects • KR and IR systems • Pair-wise, often • Architecture and Interface Design • Games

  28. Grad School II • New School • New Group • New Areas • Narrative Intelligence • Game Studies • Game AI

  29. New Community • Opportunities to volunteer • Explore new ideas • Learn from each other • Make better games

  30. New Resources • Indie Game Jam • Experimental Gameplay Workshop • Game Design Workshop

  31. Familiar Challenges • IGDA • Education Committee • WomenDev • Student Mentoring

  32. Theory and Practice • Working with people • Towards a common goal • Using procedural knowledge to communicate about hard problems • Improving the community as a whole

  33. However • Publishing? • Funding? • Long-term value?

  34. Repositioning CS

  35. Enrollment • Why is it falling? • How to people think about CS? • What can we do about it?

  36. Why CS? • Accessible? • Expressive? • Useful? • Enjoyable? • Profitable?

  37. CS as a Discipline • Credibility, Specialization & Focus • Common Languages & Styles

  38. CS as a Discipline • Credibility, Specialization & Focus • Common Languages & Styles • Boundaries and Inertia • Stereotypes • Dark room, screen full of code

  39. CS as a Tool • Expertise is awesome but…. • Teach tools first • Polish & craft later • Start early • Stories with holes • Scientific method • Expand view of machines • Highlight procedural thinking

  40. Expression and Impact • Project Choice • Art Class, Camp, etc. • What does your work say about you? • What you have to show it? • Real world applications?

  41. Support • Trailblazing is nice • Bridges may be better • Journals and conferences • Web sites, mailing lists and student groups • Travel and internship programs

  42. Integration • Core values

  43. Integration • Core values • Community

  44. Integration • Core values • Community • Projects

  45. Integration • Core values • Community • Projects • Assess Problems • Share Knowledge • Create Solutions

  46. Game Curriculums • Digipen • CMU • MIT • USC • IT Copenhagen • Others

  47. Other Areas • Robotics • Biology • Chemistry • Environmental Science • Economics and Business • Design and Innovations Research…

  48. What about… • Film • Fine Art • Music • Theatre and Performance • Gender and Cultural Studies • Critical Theory

  49. Animate Arts • Bauhaus model • Scheme-based tools • Demystify procedural thinking • Reinforce creative drives …Service-oriented approach

  50. Inspiration • New contributors • Cross-pollination • Long-term relationships • Groundbreaking work

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