Courses connect students in computer science, physics

By Michael Padilla

Simulation will link two redesigned computer science and physics courses and equipment in a wireless mobile classroom to help students illustrate subject interactions beginning next semester.

“Gatekeeper” courses, CS 151 (C++ Programming) and Physics 160 (Introductory Physics), will be incorporated into a learning community by linking them under a common theme augmented by study sessions and academic excellence workshops. Students will attend an introduction to engineering seminar course in groups of 30 where they will be divided into teams of five or six to work on projects using wireless equipment.

The project, funded in part by a $180,000 Engineering/Computer Science Retention Initiative award from Hewlett-Packard (HP), is a collaborative effort with the School of Engineering, College of Education and UNM Foundation. UNM is one of only three U.S. recipients of the HP grant, newly created in 2002. The main purpose of the project is to aid in retention of students.

Robert LaFarge, an on-loan executive from Sandia National Laboratories and director of the UNM School of Engineering Diversity Programs, said the project directly complements UNM’s commitment to learning communities. LaFarge will oversee the implementation and use of the wireless mobile classroom. Cris Moore, assistant professor of computer science with a joint appointment in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, will teach the Physics 160 and CS 151 in a learning community. Teresa Kokoski, associate professor of science education, will assess the impact of the course redesign on student learning.

“Our students have told us that learning within a community and applying the concepts they’re learning to real-world problems engages them in the learning process,” LaFarge said.

LaFarge said the wireless mobile classroom will be the main feature of the new learning community. Each student will have the opportunity to ask questions and interact with the instructor via wireless communication. Students will work on problem-based learning exercises designed to introduce real-world types of problems and to learn how the two core course relate.

“Students will see how physics and computer science are dependent of one another,” LaFarge said, adding that programming exercises will be used to model physical concepts.

“The excitement of the project is knowing that the students are really interested in participating,” LaFarge. “I am confident that the redesign will lead to increased retention of all students.”