SPARCS from the University of Victoria: supporting sustainable and integrated outreach activities for educators and young minds

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SPARCS from the University of Victoria supporting sustainable and integrated outreach activities for educators and young minds.pdf (1.25 MB)

Date

2008

Authors

Murdoch, J
St. Pierre, A
Coady, Y
Carruthers, S
Gibbs, C
Lonergan, S
Srivastava, Gautam
Stege, U
Yazir, O

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

IEEE

Abstract

Although IT industry is flourishing, student enrolment in Computer Science and related Engineering post-secondary degree programs is low. The causes and issues surrounding this trend are diverse, inter-related, and vastly complex; a consensus may never be reached regarding the nature of these issues affected by both global and local factors. Is a consensus regarding underlying causes and best practices required to create and sustain an infrastructure for effective outreach? Perhaps not. In this article, we discuss five key supportive mechanisms that are critical to sustained and integrated outreach initiatives at the grassroots level. We discuss these mechanisms using the example of SPARCS (Solving Problems with Algorithms, Robots, and Computers), an initiative at the University of Victoria, British Columbia (BC), Canada. We further consider the tradeoffs associated with a vertical/centralized infrastructure versus a horizontal/distributed infrastructure.

Description

©2008 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from the IEEE.

Keywords

British Columbia, Canada, computer science education, educational institutions, engineering education, integrated outreach activities, IT industry, sustainable activities, University of Victoria

Citation

Murdoch, J; St. Pierre, AA; Coady, Y; Carruthers, S; Gibbs, C; Lonergan, S; Srivastava, G; Stege, U; Yazir, O; Meeting the Growing Demand for Engineers and Their Educators 2010-2020 International Summit, 2007 IEEE

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/1828/1472

Collections

Faculty Publications (Engineering)
 
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