Computer Science at Staten Island Community College

Abstract

Teaching Computer Science on an open admissions campus with no tuition raises two major problems: many students are poorly prepared for college-level work; the students have extremely diverse aspirations and needs. In response to this challenge, the Computer Science faculty at Staten Island Community College has evolved the teaching methods described below, which include use of a non-mathematical approach especially in lower-level courses, and a practical programming laboratory to be taken as a part of each course. In addition, a variety of new course and curriculum options have been developed.