A National INCLUDES Alliance Effort to Integrate Problem-Solving Skills into Computer Science Curriculum

This Innovative Practice Work-In-Progress paper elucidates the approach of the NSF-funded CAHSI INCLUDES Alliance for creating change in students’ competencies by an effort across eight institutions to support the delivery of one-and two-credit hour courses for three levels of problem solving in Computer Science: general problem solving, computational thinking in problem solving, and algorithmic thinking in problem solving. The courses were developed to address industry’s need for improved problem-solving skills, incorporating consistent, deep collaboration with Google technical staff The first of its kind for CAHSI, the problem-solving courses are fewer credit hours than typical courses in order to fit within a traditional curriculum. The intent is to instill complementary problem-solving, computational thinking skills, and logical reasoning needed to succeed in computer science, and make this content available across different student populations at various stages in their academic pathways. Advanced problem solving prepares students for competitive interviews. The courses create opportunities to learn across academic levels, and create new student communities, mentorship opportunities, and social connections to support retention. The paper reports on the course design, student reflection, assessment and evaluation, and an ethnographic study of the courses.