Computer Science

New Projects Course Brings Technology to the Community, continued

First offered in spring 2001, the course initially drew 10 students, including five who are pursuing non-technical degrees on campus and seven women. "That's a remarkable distribution," says Jessup, whose mathematics-based computer science courses generally draw only technical majors and many more men than women.

Perhaps even more remarkable was the community workshop, held in the third week of the semester, which brought together dozens of people from the non-profit sector with students and IWT staff to brainstorm ideas about how computer technology could be used to assist local agencies. "The great thing about the workshop is that we came up with ideas that brought a wide community of students into the technical process," Jessup says.

With the help of a significant equipment grant from Hewlett-Packard Co., the students then set out to work on projects assisting a local charter school (Sojourner School) in improving its student evaluation program and creating an information center for equipment donations needed by various non-profit agencies.

"It has been a great experience for me to work with people who are in the technology end of things because they bring a different perspective to the table," says Arts & Sciences student Sarah Roberts, who has participated in other community consulting projects through CU's International and National Voluntary Service Training program. "It's interesting to combine task-centered design, technology, and consulting to meet their needs."

Jessup says the new course is a much-needed mechanism to aid in the recruitment and retention of women in computer science, as well as being part of a department-wide initiative to provide more long-term undergraduate project courses. Such courses allow students to develop their technical knowledge and skills, while also creating opportunities to have a positive impact on society.

Jessup took four students in her class to the IWT Virtual Development Center Conference in Palo Alto in April so they could meet and brainstorm with other women in technology.