From MWCSWiki

UNDER COSTRUCTION, PLEASE SEE THIS POST IN RESERVE COPY

NEW COURSE PROPOSAL CPSC 270 Special Topics in Computer Science

Course History: Has this course been taught as a "Topics" or "Experimental Course"? If so, list previous title and number. No. Our department is interested in creating experimental courses at an introductory level. This new course will allow faculty to offer experimental courses which do not require previous computer programming experience.

When was the course taught and what were the enrollments in all previous offerings?

This course has not been offered at UMW.

Catalog Description Department/discipline and proposed number. CPSC 270

Catalog description Lecture or seminar class dealing with a topic accessible without prior programming experience. Course offerings might include topics such as Web Design, and Gaming: Principles and Design. May be repeated for credit with a change in topic.

Prerequisites None

Number of credits proposed 3 credits

Relevance and Importance of the course:

To department/discipline offerings:

What is the reason for this course proposal (i.e., how does it relate to other courses in the department's curriculum)?

This course will be similar in nature to CPSC 370 and CPSC 470, but will facilitate experimental topics courses at the introductory level. While the prerequisites for each CPSC 370 course are set individually, the current catalog states that CPSC 370 courses will be “lecture or seminar class dealing with a topic accessible after completing Computer Science II- Data Structures”. The CPSC 470 catalog description does not explicitly state the assumptions for prerequisite experience, but typically CPSC 470 courses carry a prerequisite of a 300-level CPSC course. We feel that there are a variety of interesting courses which we would like to offer which do not require the same background that a CPSC 370 or CPSC 470 course assumes. The new CPSC 270 course will allow us to offer experimental courses at an introductory level.

If this course is approved, which course(s), if any, would be deleted from your current offerings? None

This course will (select one) not count in the major

• be required for the major. • be an elective in the major. • not count in the major.

To the Curriculum of the College: How is this course related to courses in other departments? This course will allow students to explore the expanding field of computer science in a more breadth-first direction without first gaining significant programming experience.

Why is the proposing department the appropriate one to offer the course? To teach the course, one must understand mathematics and computer science problem solving techniques. In the department, we have the practical and educational background that is required to teach this course.

Resource requirements: Does the library have the materials needed to support the course (provide a list of materials needed for the course that the library does not have on hand)? The library contains sufficient materials to support the course.

Will this course require staff time from departments other than your own (AudioVisual, Library, etc.)? No.

Does the College have the faculty to teach the course (who, and how will these affect their current teaching duties)? Yes. The members of the Department of Computer Science are all qualified to offer this course. The course will be offered ?????

What equipment, facilities, etc. not currently on hand will the college need to acquire and how and from where will you obtain these resources? None

Effective date - indicate the first time the department plans to offer this course Fall 2007 Each proposal must be signed by the department chair and dated. NAME ____________________________________________ Signature_________________________________ date___________________________

Syllabus

This course is intended to rotate topic. The attached syllabus represents an example of one appropriate course topic. The topics course will follow the senate approved rule “that a [topics] course may be taught no more than three times before it is approved by the Curriculum Committee [as a regular course]”.