Programmatic History

Program Timeline  

KEY: WCP=Writing and Communication Program. DCI= Division of Computing Instruction. CS=Computer Science. TC=Technical Communication.

Phases   Years Selected Stakeholders  Primary Goals Selected Impacts: Program Curriculum, Personnel, and Scholarship
Pre-Program capstone and service courses
Past Decade prior to 2012

CS faculty

TC faculty

Complete client-based project.

Complete TC assignments.

Predecessor: Offer existing stand-alone CS capstone course.

Predecessor: Offer existing stand-alone TC service course.

The Early Years
Plan  Year 1
(Sp/S 2012)

CS-TC faculty/ administrators attend planning meetings:

·  Director of WCP

·  Director of DCI

·  CS Instructor

Identify planning team. Set planning schedule. Work toward integrated courses. Accept CS focus on linked courses. Plan and develop linked courses.  Curriculum: Outline curricular commonalities. Discuss and agree on basic program policies.
Year 2 (2012-2013)

CS and TC faculty/ administrators attend planning meetings:

·  Director of WCP

·  Assoc Director WCP

·  TC Instructor

·  Director of DCI

·  CS Instructor

Plan/develop linked courses.

Curriculum: Design and develop a program with linked courses. Draft four new courses for school, college, and university curriculum committees to discuss and approve. Plan and perform activities that include instructors visiting each other’s classes and co-developing/ co-evaluating selected assignments. Determine course schedules, assignment distribution, and assessment percentages.

Personnel: Identify program instructors (1 CS faculty; 1 TC faculty).

Pilot Year 3 (2013-2014) CS-WCP Directors Coordinating with CS Instructor and Postdoc Co-coordinators Pilot linked courses.

Curriculum: Implement, examine, and refine the planned program.

Personnel: Establish TC postdoc coordinator and maintain program instructors (1 CS faculty; 2 TC faculty).

Teaching: Pilot linked courses. TC coordination of program.

Implement Year 4 (2014-2015) Postdoc Coordinator Teach linked courses. Experiment with modes of instruction. Experiment with teaching methods for large classes. Introduce a postdoc coordinator. Plan and receive IRB approval for a series of studies.

Curriculum: Continue to examine and refine program.

Personnel: Maintain WCP/postdoc coordinator and program instructors (2 CS faculty; 2 WCP faculty).

Teaching: Teach linked courses. Teach first online version of course. Study teaching and learning methods for large classes (Class of 1969 Teaching Scholars Fellowship, Center for Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, Georgia Institute of Technology). Experiment with teaching methods for large classes. Establish postdoc coordinator.

Year 5 (2015-2016) Postdoc Coordinator Teach courses. Continue experimenting with modes of instruction. Begin regular meetings for all CS and TC instructors. Collect data for the series of studies.

Curriculum: Continue to examine and refine program.

Personnel: Maintain WCP/postdoc coordinator and program instructors (3 CS faculty; 5 WCP faculty).

Teaching: Teach linked courses. Teach first two hybrid sections of courses. Study FTF and hybrid sections (IRB approved). Continue with postdoc coordinator.

The Middle Years
Roll out  Year 5
Summer 2016
Postdoc Co-coordinators Update curriculum with current industry and pedagogical practices. Revise assignments. Add user-testing module.

Curriculum: Revise syllabi, projects, assignments, and schedule. Fully integrate all assignments as counting both for CS and TC.

Personnel: Maintain WCP/postdoc coordinator and program instructors (1 CS faculty; 1 WCP faculty).

Teaching: Teach 2 CS sections and 2 TC sections, fully integrated.

Sustain Year 6 (2016-2017) Postdoc Co-coordinators Onboard all CS and incoming TC instructors with revised syllabus, through monthly meetings.

Curriculum: Continue to examine and refine program.

Personnel: Maintain WCP/postdoc coordinator and program instructors (6 CS faculty; 5 WCP faculty).

Teaching: Teach 22 CS sections and 22 TC sections, fully integrated.

Year 7 (2017-2018) Postdoc Co-coordinators Create Expo to showcase team projects, inviting a range of stakeholders to observe final team presentations.

Curriculum: Ongoing revision.

Personnel: Maintain WCP/postdoc coordinator and program instructors (6 CS faculty; 5 WCP faculty).

Teaching: Teach 23 CS sections and 23 TC sections, fully integrated.

Outreach: Create and implement Expo.

Year 8 (2018-2019) Postdoc Co-coordinators Establish SLS section of course series with all non-profit clients.

Curriculum: Engage in ongoing  revision of courses

Personnel: Create (via College of Computing in consultation with WCP) permanent, full-time program coordinator position; funded, posted, hired. Maintain program teachers (5 CS faculty; 6 WCP faculty).

Teaching: Teach 21 CS sections and 21 TC sections, fully integrated.

Outreach: Host Expo.

The Established Years
Year 9 (2019-2020) CS Coordinator Establish CS-TC program website for outreach. Work with capstone coordinators across campus to build community. Work with GT Legal to create NDA process and review current student/client contracts. Move course materials to a GT platform for cybersecurity. Mentor DCI faculty. Due to COVID-19, review software to move Expo online.

Curriculum: Engage in ongoing revision of sprints and materials.

Personnel: Maintain program coordinator.. Maintain program instructors (7 CS faculty; 5 WCP faculty).

Teaching: Teach 20 CS sections and 20 TC sections, fully integrated.

Outreach: Host Expo. Create program website. Begin ongoing consultation with GT Legal services.

Year 10 (2020-2021) CS Coordinator Create online Expo. Due to COVID-19, onboard new CS faculty to course series and online teaching environment.

Curriculum: Engage in ongoing revision of sprints and materials. Update CS assignments.

Personnel: Maintain coordinator and program teachers (6 CS faculty; 4 WCP faculty).

Teaching: Teach 20 CS sections and 20 TC sections, fully integrated. COVID necessitated online teaching.

Outreach: Host Expo. Maintain program website. Continue consultation with GT legal services.

Year 11 (2021-2022) CS Coordinator Re-establish on-campus teaching and Expo.

Curriculum: Engage in ongoing revision of sprints and materials. Updated CS assignments.

Personnel: Maintain coordinator and program teachers (5 CS faculty; 4 WCP faculty).

Teaching: Teach 20 CS sections and 20 TC sections, fully integrated.

Outreach: Host Expo. Maintain program website. Continue consultation with GT legal services.

Year 12 (2022-2023) CS Coordinator

Curriculum: Engage in ongoing revision of sprints and materials.

Personnel: Maintain coordinator and program teachers (5 CS faculty; 4 WCP faculty).

Teaching: Teach 20 CS sections and 20 TC sections, fully integrated. Return to FTF teaching.

Outreach: Host Expo. Maintain program website. Continue consultation with GT legal services.