2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The CC2020 Task Force was established to provide a useful framework for universities and undergraduate computing majors to conceptualize computing education [1]. Recognizing that degree programs in computer science (CS), computer engineering (CmpE), and Information Technology (IT) can vary significantly by university and that within the degree programs at a given university there is overlap in several curriculum topics, it stands to reason that prospective undergraduate computing majors would benefit from additional guidance in understanding the core differences and intersections of each computing domain.
Improved understandings are critical for addressing issues with placement and retention of computing majors [2]. To address these concerns, an interdisciplinary research team of five faculty members from computer science, computer engineering, information technology, and education developed and taught a one-week summer computing camp in summer 2023 to 26 high school students. The Summer Computing Camp aimed to improve students' understanding of computing-related majors and to promote the pursuit of higher education in computing fields. Faculty started each day with a presentation on a computing major and related career opportunities, then provided instruction on the core components of CS, CmpE, and IT. Campers then practiced this gained knowledge through hands-on laboratories in the afternoons. Specific skills included computer programming in Python, basic electrical circuits, integration of computer hardware and software, computer networking, and cyber security. Guest speakers from industry presented during lunch. On the last day, teams of campers were tasked to with an Internet of Things-themed Capstone project, which they presented to their peers, parents, and camp faculty. Their presentations provided deep insights into how high school students received and interpreted the major themes of the camp.
To establish means for continuous improvement, daily exit reflections and pre- and post-surveys were constructed and administered. Triangulation of multiple measures showed that, by the end of the program, campers could better articulate the differences between each of the three computing fields. Campers also had a stronger sense of the possible career trajectories for each degree, as well as how professionals within and across disciplines work collaboratively to solve real-world problems.
The camp model is the first step in a larger vision to prepare and distribute resources to high school students, parents, teachers, and counselors within the region. The camp provides the opportunity to further our understanding of how to better prepare high school students to choose a degree pathway and identify what motivates them to choose computing. Next steps include refinements of existing surveys and evaluations, fine adjustments to curriculum, and surveys of local school counselors, teachers, and parents. Longitudinal tracking of participants is in consideration. The camp is funded at the current scale for two more summers. Through research and refinement of this and future iterations of the camp, we aim to establish a scalable and transportable model to disseminate to other institutions.