Integrating a real life engineering case study into the syllabus of an undergraduate network programming using HTML and Java course

Journal of SMET Education : Innovations and Research,  Jan-Jun 2003  by Marghitu, Daniela,  Sankar, Chetan S,  Raju, P K

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Abstract

The booming Information Technology (IT) business has pushed universities to create IT academic programs (minor or major). The Computer Science and Software Engineering Department of Auburn University have been among the first ones to create an Information Technology Minor. The COMP2000 Network Programming with HTML and Java course has become an important component of this minor. We introduced a multimedia case study, Chick-fil-A, in this course as part of a lab assignment during Spring 2003. We describe the elements of the course, how the case study was included in the class, and evaluation results. The results show that the introduction of the multimedia case study in computer science courses is worthwhile and beneficial.

Introduction

IT successfully merges computing with high-speed communications links carrying data, sound and video. Examples of IT include personal computers, but also new forms of telephones, television and various handheld devices. IT is no longer a luxury, but rather a commodity. "Say goodbye to the personal computing era," writes technology journalist Kevin Manery. "Just on the horizon is the era that comes next - the personal information era."(see Sawyer and Williams 2001)

As a result of the outstanding progress achieved in today's IT, students' demand for IT courses have considerably increased. At Auburn University we take students' needs very seriously. Computer Science and Software Engineering Department (CSSE) now offers an Information Technology Minor that provides students with basic skills necessary to administer computer and Internet technology. These skills include the ability to do web site development, Applet and J Applet development and maintenance, Java programming, Java Script and XML scripting, system and network administration.

An important component of this academic program is a three-hour credit course focused on Network Programming with HTML and Java. This is a 2000 level course, requiring as prerequisites one of the following two courses: COMP1000, Introduction to Computer Applications or ENGR1 110, Introduction to Engineering. The COMP2000 course was based on a multimedia syllabi, suitable textbooks, lecture notes, lab assignments, course tutorials, self-paced web site, properly setting the software configuration of the computers and local network in the course laboratory, and preparing the lecture classroom with Internet connection and computer projector.

Challenges in Offering COMP2000 Course

1. A large variety of students' academic majors

COMP2000, as an elective course for non-computer science and engineering students, has attracted students with a very large variety of academic majors starting with Liberal Arts major students, continuing with Business major students and ending with Electrical Engineering students

2. Students' computer backgrounds

This course requires as perquisites one of the following computer courses: COMP1000, Introduction to Computer Application or ENGR 1110, Introduction to Engineering. Some students have taken more than one computer course and have already had some experience in using and programming computers or developing web pages. There are also students with a less than average computer background who are, however, very motivated in learning HTML and Java.

3. Students' goals

All students are obviously interested in learning HTML and Java, but have different goals regarding how they will use this type of knowledge. Their interests were:

* Becoming more comfortable with the Internet and WWW

* Being able to build and maintain own web site

* Being able to build and maintain a web site for the company they will work for

* Becoming a professional Web Master or a professional Java programmer

4. Students' inclination toward a self-paced course

Based on their computer backgrounds and goals, some students are interested in working on the lab assignments at home using the self-paced course web site content. Other students, based on the results received from the course survey, need a lot of help (see Marghitu and Hubscher, 2000). They would actually like even the lecture to be hands-on so they can do on a computer everything that the lecturer is doing.

Solutions to the Challenges

1. Developing the multimedia syllabi

The traditional syllabus for a college course has been handed to the students on the first day of class printed on paper. Updates or corrections to the syllabus were available only as announcements from the instructor that had to be noted by the students. A student absent from class on the day such an announcement is made must rely on asking fellow students for the information. For this class, the syllabus is not just a paper handout (see Marghitu, Lin and Ma, 2001), but is also available on the course web site. Updates to the syllabus, including lab assignments and assignment due dates, WebCT practice tests, lecture notes and practice materials are available on the web site, making the latest class information available to the students instantly. Moreover, the web site, and, therefore, the syllabus, is available to the students any time, day or night, without the need to contact the instructor or classmates for the information. The website is available at www.eng.auburn.edu/daniela/comp2000/ comp2000.htm.