Creating a Disciplinary Commons in Computer Science Education: Final Project Report

Abstract

"The Disciplinary Commons project had two primary objectives: 1) to document and share knowledge about student success in learning on courses in Computer Science (CS) in two- and four-year institutions in Washington state, providing the basis for meaningful articulation between regional institutions, and 2) to improve the quality of teaching--and hence learning--in CS within Washington state by establishing practices for the scholarship of teaching by making it public, peer-reviewed, and amenable for future use and development by other CS educators. The mechanism for achieving these goals was through a series of monthly meetings involving ten Computer Science faculty in the Puget Sound region focused on the teaching and learning within their classrooms, with each person documenting their teaching in a course portfolio. Surveyed on completing the project, all participants agreed that the Disciplinary Commons was a good use of their time, that they would recommend a similar experience to a colleague, and that they connected to a network of people in the region who are interested in teaching. Further, participants discussed the value of the Disciplinary Commons in providing the time and structure to systematically reflect upon their teaching, to exchange concrete ideas for teaching their courses with other CS educators in the discipline, to learn skills that apply directly to course and program evaluation, and to meet colleagues at other two-year and four-year institutions so as to better help their students with the transition between institutions."