Winds of change: toward systemic improvement of a computer science program

Abstract

Computer science programs at small, liberal arts universities often have difficulty with effectively managing change, and attracting and retaining top students and faculty. They also sometimes struggle to provide a relevant and appealing curriculum while maintaining an appropriate level of academic rigor. This paper presents a restructuring of our department and computer science degree program, identifies several key areas of our curriculum which needed attention, outlines our improvement areas, and proposes a self-assessment strategy for gauging the effectiveness of the program changes over time.