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Benefits of using socially-relevant projects in computer science and engineering education

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Jennifer BraswellAuthors Info & Claims

ACM SIGCSE Bulletin, Volume 36, Issue 1

Pages 482 - 486

https://doi.org/10.1145/1028174.971463

Published: 01 March 2004 Publication History

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Abstract

In an attempt to bridge a local technology gap, potentially provide software to health care organizations serving the needs of handicapped clients in the Western NY area, and provide innovative and interesting projects for our capstone design classes, the Computer Science and Engineering department at the University at Buffalo (SUNY) began soliciting projects from local organizations in need. The projects have been integrated into required senior-level undergraduate courses. The practical benefits of project experience on student education, and the benefits of providing useful software to the target organizations, were anticipated, but the experiences have proven to be much more. Students have responded with intensity and philanthropy. The clients have participated in the classroom experience as both recipients and teachers. The program has rescued students at academic risk, and the school is enjoying an enhanced reputation in the community. This paper explores positive and cautionary issues regarding the effort.

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Index Terms

Benefits of using socially-relevant projects in computer science and engineering education
1. Social and professional topics
  1. Professional topics
    1. Computing education
      1. Computing education programs
        Computer science education

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Information

Published In

ACM SIGCSE Bulletin Volume 36, Issue 1

March 2004

501 pages

ISSN:0097-8418

DOI:10.1145/1028174

Issue’s Table of Contents

SIGCSE '04: Proceedings of the 35th SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education
March 2004
544 pages
ISBN:1581137982
DOI:10.1145/971300
Conference Chairs:
Dan Joyce
Villanova University
,
Deborah Knox
The College of New Jersey
,
Program Chairs:
Wanda Dann
Ithaca College
,
Tom Naps
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 01 March 2004

Published in SIGCSE Volume 36, Issue 1

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Cited By

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Robledo Yamamoto FBarker LVoida A(2023)CISing Up Service Learning: A Systematic Review of Service Learning Experiences in Computer and Information ScienceACM Transactions on Computing Education10.1145/361077623:3(1-56)Online publication date: 12-Sep-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3610776
Crews HBarnes TPollock JFisk SPayton JMcKlin TRorrer AHarred RCateté V(2022)Investigating Impacts of STARS Program Components on Persistence in Computing for Black and White College Students2022 Conference on Research in Equitable and Sustained Participation in Engineering, Computing, and Technology (RESPECT)10.1109/RESPECT55273.2022.00013(23-30)Online publication date: 23-May-2022
https://doi.org/10.1109/RESPECT55273.2022.00013
Estell JCoffman-Wolph SSieg JMusser MSherriff MMerkle LCutter PMonge ASheard J(2021)Supporting Pharmaceutical Healthcare OutreachProceedings of the 52nd ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education10.1145/3408877.3432470(376-382)Online publication date: 3-Mar-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3408877.3432470
Brown BBoda PRibay KWilsey MPerez G(2021)A technological bridge to equity: how VR designed through culturally relevant principles impact students appreciation of scienceLearning, Media and Technology10.1080/17439884.2021.194842746:4(564-584)Online publication date: 2-Jul-2021
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Dugan R(2011)A survey of computer science capstone course literatureComputer Science Education10.1080/08993408.2011.60611821:3(201-267)Online publication date: Sep-2011
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