Computer Science 50, “Introduction to Computer Science I,” plans to offer office hours online this semester. It is the first such program in Harvard’s history.
“We’re introducing virtual office hours to address two needs: efficiency and convenience,” said David J. Malan ’99, who teaches the course. “As such, I think ours might be one of those situations in which the introduction of technology is a good thing. Time will tell.”
The office hours are facilitated by software that lets the course’s teaching fellows chat with students and remotely take control of their computers.
“When a student has a question, he or she can ‘raise’ his or her hand by clicking a button,” Malan said in an e-mail. “Any TFs in the room will then hear a beep and they’ll see a number appear next to the student’s name signifying the student’s place in line.”
CS 50’s venture is largely experimental. The course will continue to host traditional office hours.
Course veteran Andrew K. Chan ’09 said that while virtual office hours will allow teaching fellows to reach more students, any resulting loss of personal interaction could make the class more challenging.
“I remember from freshman year when I took CS 50 that...the personalized attention was crucial for me to get through some of the tougher problem sets,” he said.
Alexandre L. G. Hugon ’11, who may take the course this fall, said that he was looking forward to the opportunity to use the new technology.
“I think this is a great idea,” he said. “A chat-based office hours would allow students to receive help from the comfort of their dorm rooms, rather than forcing them to lug their laptops to wherever an instructor or TF happens to be setting up shop.”
Malan was optimistic about the prospects of the new addition and said that a change in forum for office hours made sense for the course.
“There’s this tendency in academia to introduce technology into curricula simply for the sake of introducing technology. That’s a bad reason.”
Malan is taking over the leadership of CS 50 this year from Michael D. Smith, who is now the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
The course is using technology from Elluminate, an international software company, according to Malan.
“For us, a course whose work is largely keyboard-based, virtual office hours seem to make sense,” Malan said. “I don’t foresee virtual office hours replacing teacher-student interaction altogether anytime soon.”
—Staff writer Erin F. Riley can be reached at eriley@fas.harvard.edu.
Read more in News
There’s a New Burrito on the BlockRecommended Articles
-
Ext. School Podcast Tops ListA year after its debut, Computer Science E-1, “Understanding Computers and the Internet,” hit number one on Wired magazine’s list
-
Coolness.Factor++Students and professors alike say that the image of the computer scientist has changed along with the growing popularity of the field.
-
The CS50 ModelCS50 is not a fluke. The methods that turned the course into an academic juggernaut with top Q ratings and astronomical enrollment figures—in spite of ostensibly abstruse subject matter and an infamously taxing workload—can be applied across the Harvard curriculum.
-
Computer Science Sees Unparalleled Growth in SEASSince 2010, the computer science concentration has experienced the highest growth in undergraduate enrollment out of all departments at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences—from 95 to 169 students.
-
CS 50 Office Hours To Move To AnnenbergStarting this semester, Computer Science 50: “Introduction to Computer Science I” office hours will be held in Annenberg to facilitate interaction between students and the course staff.