Scripting For All

An Opportunity and Challenge

Funded by the National Science Foundation
CS for ALL (Scripting for All): NSF award # 1612451

SFA site

Computing has long been a valuable specialty. Increasingly, computational skillsets, toolsets, and mindsets are being considered a cornerstone of professional literacy, akin to cogent writing, critical reading, and compelling presentation. (Even if not quite as universal!)

CS departments evolved to convey the valuable specialty of CS. Institutional structures for developing the professional literacy of computing, however, are far less mature. This NSF project, Computing for Insight or CFI (also nicknamed "Scripting for All") explores how post-secondary paths can most effectively help all students -- especially non-CS majors -- gain confidence and comfort with the literacy of computing.

Thus far, the most important insights gained have been

• In no way do Literature departments own writing. By the same token, in no way do CS departments own computing. This latter truth is less widely acknowledged. Embracing it, it becomes clear that computing does not, per se, threaten any academic identity -- at least no more than writing (or reading or presentation) does.
• Literacies are most effectively developed within another academic identity. To that end, CFI has sought to create curricula outside of CS in which to develop computing skills. The sciences have been the natural - and successful start. In summer 2019 we are creating material that seeks to reach beyond the natural and physical sciences -- without neglecting those close allies!
• Although CS does not own computing, and computing (while useful) isn't central in non-CS disciplines, it is also the case that CS departments have the chance to team up with their academic siblings in order to serve students -- of all interests and identities -- who would like to embrace or experiment with computing skills. CFI sees such efforts as "bridge building" from and to CS and other disciplines, such that students have a variety of paths for developing computing confidence that will serve them in the academic identities they have chosen.
• We believe that an important part of this bridge-building is expanding the set of computing courses designed for non-CS majors. HMC's CS35, CS for Insight, is an example of such a course. Similarly, CS5, especially its Green section (using only biological contexts to convey computing ideas) fits this description. CFI experiments with and examines the results of these efforts.

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