Elon’s Computing Science department will continue its philosophy of unique and cutting-edge approaches to teaching during Winter Term 2004 with a course called Imagining Technology.
Taught by Megan Conklin, assistant professor of computing science, the course will examine technology and its relationship to a variety of issues. Through the study of films, novels and short stories, such as “War Games” and “The Matrix,” students will explore the various ways technology has exerted its influence throughout society and the implications it has for the future.
“I want these students to think about technology beyond simply using e-mail and Instant Messenger,” says Conklin, who developed the idea for the course. “We’ll be envisioning the future, asking if some of the things Hollywood portrays in movies will ever be realistic from a computer science standpoint.”
Conklin says the class will also debate important ethical and social issues related to technology. “For example, is it wrong to write programs for viruses, even if there’s no way to spread that virus?” Conklin says. “The students will debate open-ended issues such as these, where no clear answer exists.”
The course continues a theme of innovative teaching methods in the Computing Science department. During the fall semester, students in Joel Hollingsworth’s Introduction to Computer Science course used Lego robot kits to learn the basics of writing code. By observing how the robot responds to various commands and stimuli, students learn what went right with their code, and what they need to improve.
“We’re teaching the same thing we always have, just in a different way,” says Hollingsworth. “Lots of kids come into the program because they like computers. This is a way to teach basic principles to them in a way that is fun and exciting, and they are able to see the real results of their work.”
In 2000, the department had just one Ph.D on its faculty; now there are seven. The department has also grown from offering just a bachelor’s degree in computer science to offering a wide array of major options, including a BA in computer information systems and a BS in computer science. In addition, a minor is now offered in multi-media authoring through a collaborative effort between the computing science department and faculty colleagues in English and Digital Art.
Department chair Dave Powell, a 20-year veteran of commercial software development and management for companies such as General Electric, Cisco Systems and Engineous Software, says “Elon provides a continually updated, hands-on, state-of-the- art hardware and software environment. That gives our students the knowledge and expertise to productively step into any corporation’s computing environment.”