Learner-Centered Instruction Promotes Student Success: Northface University Prepares Its Computer Science Students for the Workplace with Real-World Projects (2005)

AS WORK MOVED FROM FARMS TO factories in the Industrial Age of the early 1900s, there were significant changes made throughout all aspects of society, even in education. The one-room schoolhouse was replaced over time with an assembly-line model where students moved from teacher to teacher and room to room (Reigeluth and Garfinkle 1994). Efficiency was king. Now, many educational scholars and economists argue that, once more, our society has undergone massive changes, shifting from an Industrial Age to an Information Age (Reich 1991; Reigeluth and Garfinkle 1994). Survival in today's economy requires workers who have strong critical-thinking, interpersonal and foundational skills (SCANS 1991). Our educational system is continuing to search for ways to effectively respond to the changing needs of today's global economy. Increasingly, project-based learning is used as an instructional approach to prepare students to succeed in today's dynamic workplaces. Project-Based Learning Overview In project-based learning, instruction and learning both occur within the context of a challenging project. Just as workers would encounter complicated tasks in the workplace, in a project-based learning environment, student teams are presented with complex problems that focus and act as catalysts for what they need to learn (Thomas 2000). The project, which could entail multiple problems, stimulates the learning process and gives it context. Typically, projects extend over time to act as interactive vehicles to help students acquire new, necessary knowledge and skill sets (Thomas 2000). Rather than working on a small project for a week, projects build upon each other and can carry over from semester to semester as they facilitate the learning process. Few industries are as demanding and dynamic as information technology (IT). Yet traditional U.S. computer science programs often fail to produce the quality and quantity of IT professionals necessary for the marketplace (Datz 2004; National Science Foundation 2003).A survey of the curricular and instructional approaches of several top U.S. computer science programs found that most curricula were outdated and taught in a decontextualized lecture-lab fashion. Communications with IT employers found that it takes anywhere from six to 18 months to train new computer science graduates to work productively on development teams, regardless of where they graduated. CTOs and CIOs are in dire need of employees who can communicate well, think critically and collaborate with people from diverse backgrounds (U.S. Commerce Department 2003). Employers recognize that these soft or skills are just as important as technical skills in the IT industry (Datz 2004). In 2001, Northface University (NU) was established to address the skills gap that existed between computer science education and industry needs. Its market-driven curriculum, coupled with a project-based learning environment, prepares students to enter the IT workplace as productive software developers from the first day of employment. NU enrolled its first cohort of students in early 2004, and by the middle of this month will have close to 200 fulltime, on-site students working toward graduation with a bachelor's in computer science (BSCS). NU, partnering with IBM, Microsoft and several large employers of IT professionals, offers an accelerated program (a BSCS degree in 28 months) with students in the classroom from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., five days a week. However, students do not just shuffle from classroom to classroom listening to lecture after lecture. Instead, students learn and are assessed in complex project environments with an innovative instructional approach that allows them to develop both strong technical skills, as well as the critical value skills related to effective interpersonal and collaborative communication. The Northface Instructional Approach NU provides a unique educational program designed to better prepare students to make real contributions in entry-level positions. …