The science behind computer science’s appeal

‘ ‘ ‘ Sophomore engineering student Jamie Richardson used to believe that computer science was… ‘ ‘ ‘ Sophomore engineering student Jamie Richardson used to believe that computer science was a job restricted to the confines of a customer service counter. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘My initial picture of a computer science person was someone just sitting behind a desk and answering help desk questions,’ said Richardson. ‘ ‘ ‘ After taking a course in intermediate Java, however, Richardson’s opinions about the field changed. ‘ ‘ ‘ Worries over nerdy classmates and dull material were ushered out of the picture with the introduction of a programming instructional tool called ‘Alice.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ The difficulty of computer science courses created a need for Alice. The program makes learning the fundamentals of programming easier for students by generating easily modified animations. Java and other commercially used languages are often difficult for new learners to understand, but Alice helps translate. ‘ ‘ ‘ With Alice, students can visualize all of their efforts in coding right on their computer screens. Three dimensional objects and characters that students can work with include graphics from ancient Egypt, an amusement park, a city or a fairyland, among others. ‘ ‘ ‘ Created by the late Carnegie Mellon professor and widely known presenter of ‘The Last Lecture’ Randy Pausch, Alice was introduced partly in response to a decline in freshmen computer science majors nationwide. ‘ ‘ ‘ Increased rates of women dropping out of computer science majors within the past decade also inspired the software.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ One Pitt professor who uses Alice in his classes regularly, Daniel Mosse, said that ‘the computer science department is trying to target all students’ by integrating a more user-friendly teaching tool. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘The problem with a stigma in computer science, or any field, is that it attracts a large population of a certain type, rather than diversifying the population. I believe that everyone is capable of understanding computer science, and I believe it’s a matter of showing the material properly,’ said Mosse. With straightforward instructions and a helpful drag-and-drop editor to alter commands, Alice was made for the masses. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Asim Jamshed, a graduate teaching assistant currently using Alice to teach students introductory level programming, thinks that the tool is ‘easy for students … because they can see the results of whatever they’re coding through animation.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Jamshed has taught many computer science classes and sees how Alice is working. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘In the previous semesters, we used Java programming language and the students were not really interested in the material. They thought, why are we learning this? Now they are seeing animations and using objects to get more out of the material,’ said Jamshed. ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt student Frank Baranyai has used Alice in seven of his classes within the department. A pupil of Jamshed, Baranyai learned programming techniques prior to starting at Pitt this year, but refuses to believe that computer science is a nerdy field. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It depends how you look at it and who you are. I think we’re always going to need computer science in the future … and it’s not that nerdy,’ said Baranyai. ‘ ‘ ‘ Students and those interested in basic computer programming can download Alice to broaden their skills at home or at work.