service learning in introductory computer science
Academic service-learning (ASL) focuses on clearly aligning course learning objectives with community needs and has evolved into a highly effective pedagogical approach across the spectrum of disciplines and institutional types. Unfortunately, there are not many examples of its use in computer science. If service learning is incorporated into computer science, it is generally in the upper level courses where students have a larger skill set. This paper presents an academic service-learning approach in an introductory computer science course. This is important on multiple fronts. With the declining enrollments, especially among females, coupled with students' desire to make a difference in their world, we need to insert this pedagogical approach as early into the curriculum as possible. We will show an example of what can be done in an introductory course and discuss the positive effects on female enrollments.
service learning undergraduate projects gender gap in computing cs1