The Herald editorial acknowledging the beneficiary growth in computer science (“Undergraduates benefit from studying computer science,” Oct. 15) is a positive statement to Brown students’ desire to be educated in our current age of technology and information. The department leaders at the Center for Information Technology, however, should not be complacent with numbers.
I challenge them to reassess the introductory computer science pedagogy as the rest of the science, technology, engineering and math departments at Brown reevaluate their teaching techniques. If computer science has become a necessary skill along with mathematics and literacy in our age, it should be taught in an inclusive way. Having taken CSCI 0170: “Computer Science: An Integrated Introduction,” I have seen the clear knowledge gap between those who had prior experience and those who are completely new to the terminal. Suddenly, those large reported time commitments indicate the privilege of prior education in the field. Those who feel born and raised on computers zoom through work at a fraction of the time their peers spend agonizing over code. That is not a difference in intelligence — that is a difference in understanding how to “think” through computer science problems.
I am sure that the leaders in computer science dream of a world where all people create programs to help in their daily life. That dream is a grand goal, but it begins with teaching introductory courses to all types of students.
Joseph DiZoglio ’15
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