Finding Appropriate Scope -- Building on Strengths
Apparently common viewpoint at small colleges:
Identify project, curriculum, research program, methodology from large
school
Consider how to cut back
Pitfalls with this viewpoint
Strengths of large and small schools often different
Stereotypical large universities: many faculty, many students, multiple sections of
courses, many course offerings, many labs, much equipment, teaching
assistants to help grading/teaching/labs, research assistants for project
assistance
Stereotypical small colleges: close student-faculty interactions, small classes,
coordination of content among courses, low administrivia,
potential for undergraduate involvement in faculty projects
Strengths for one school may be challenges for others
Approach of watering down curricula, content, pedagogy, staffing tends to
undermine quality
ignore strengths
Alternative approach
Build up, based on strengths
Example: Model Curricula of the Liberal Arts Computer Science Consortium
Based on strengths of liberal arts, not on relaxing requirements
Not a mandate to be applied uniformly, but a vision of one legitimate approach
Gibbs/Tucker: CACM, December 1986
Walker/Schneider: CACM, December 1996
2003 in development: Special session proposed for SIGCSE 2004
created September 2, 2003 last revised October 22, 2003
