Computer Science First Year Seminar

GNST 102 Fall semester, 2018

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Office Hours: LIM 137 in the Math & CS Department

MW TR 3:00-5:00pm email to confirm an appointment in advance

Learning outcomes: After taking the class, the student should be able to

· identify the challenges the student may face in the college life and the resources available to help the student through,

· list the potential career paths ahead and the preparations needed in the process to accomplish the goal,

· describe the integration of faith and learning in the context of the discipline,

· develop an understanding of importance of ethical issues in the discipline, and

· identify the essential components of a Christ-centered and biblically faithful education in the core curriculum and the Christian liberal arts tradition.

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Late policy

· Late submissions within a week of the due dates get 50% of the points.

· Unless it is something like a serious health issue with statements from the doctor as proof, late work after 1 week will receive no points.

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Week 1 (September 7): Beginning of a Journey

· Read Genesis 28:10~22: Jacob at the beginning of his journey.

· Explore the CS curriculum: curriculum analysis, curriculum charts, and mapping of learning outcomes.

· A spectrum of the cutting edge developments in various areas of computer science: ComputingEdge (IEEE Computer Society)

Assignment #1: Finish Part I of the autobiography assignment, due: Friday Sept. 14. (Note: Only Part I. No need to do Part II yet.)

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Week 2 (September 14): Landscape of Computer Science

· Landscape of Computer Science

i. Meeting the computer science Faculty: Professor Grace Lew and Professor K.C. Wong

ii. A showcase about IBM Watson in the Jeopardy show and Science behind Watson

iii. A showcase about an Application of Machine Learning in Computer Graphics

iv. Explore the CS curriculum: curriculum analysis, curriculum charts, and mapping of learning outcomes, and an overview of jobs and careers.

v. Panel discussion

· Brief Overview about the Transition to College

i. Myths and issues about the transition to college

ii. Sharing and prayer

Assignment #2: Thoughts about transition to college, due: Friday Sept. 21.

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Week 3 (September 21): Transition to College

· Sharing about a summer internship (Joseph Stewart)

i. Internship experience with FaithLife (Logos Bible Software) and the attitudes and technical skills needed

ii. Process of search, application, and interview

· Panel discussion on the related issues regarding transition to college

i. Sharing of experiences

ii. Response to the questions in the articles

iii. Advices, conclusions, and pointers to helpful resources 1 2

· Brief Overview about Literature Search

i. Finding relevant literature about IBM Watson in the Jeopardy show and Science behind Watson

ii. Sharing and prayer

Assignment #3: Literature Search Part I due: 10:30am Friday Sept. 28 before meeting at the Library Instruction Lab

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Week 4 (September 28): Using Library Resources for Research (meeting at the Library Instruction Lab)

· Class to meet at the Library Instruction Lab: It is located just to the right of the entrance of the library. We’ll learn about how to use library resources for research.

· Read the information about internships and REU programs in advance.

Assignment #4: Literature Search Part II due: Friday October. 5

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Week 5 (October 5): Career Development (I): A Look into the Marketplace of Information Technology

· Guest speaker: Tom Day, IT Director at BI Nutraceuticals.

· Read the information about CS careers and jobs in advance.

· Read the cases and issues of ethics in Ethics and Professional Conduct (I).

Assignment #5: Integration of Faith and Learning: Ethics and Professional Conduct (I) due: Friday Oct. 19

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Week 7 (October 19): Career Development (II): A Look into the Marketplace of Software Engineering in the Aerospace Industry

· Guest speaker: Long Ho, Principal Engineer at Boeing (~ 2016).

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Week 8 (October 26): Career Development (III): Tools and Resources for Career Development

Guest speaker: Grace Kim (Biola Career Service), computer lab at Busn 209

· Internship and careers: preparation, search, and application and

· Using LinkedIn for networking and job/internship search

Assignment #6: Preparations for Career Development due: Friday Nov. 2

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Week 9 (Nov. 2): Civic Engagement | The Journey Ahead Meeting at computer lab at Lib 141

· Christian Liberal Arts Tradition/Intro to Core: Civic Engagement

· Read Genesis 28:10~22: Jacob at the beginning of his journey again.

Assignment #7: Finish the civic engagement assignment, due: Friday Nov. 9

Assignment #8: Finish Part II of the autobiography assignment, due: Friday Nov. 16

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