“The technical appeal of knowing a little bit of computer science in today’s world is considerable, whereas most people can get by just fine without actually knowing how their radio works,” she says.

But Loncar cautions against misconceptions about the role of electrical engineering. While he agrees that the ubiquity of computers makes computer science seem more useful, electrical engineering is actually necessary for much of the technology that excites students—from building an iPad to designing the face recognition platform that allows tagging on Facebook.

“Without a computer, there is no computer science,” he says. “To build a computer, you need an electrical engineer.”

CHASING CS50

Introductory courses offered by SEAS are meant to be “accessible” and “welcoming” to all students, regardless of background or concentration and career interests, according to Bhatia.

“Really engineering is the application of quantification ... to solve societal problems,” she says.

Professors agree that CS50 in particular is effective in convincing students from a variety of concentrations that engineering can serve them well. Most professors say they hope to improve the “marketing” of their own classes.

Last spring, ES50 introduced t-shirts for students and just this week created a Facebook page for the class.

Mazur says he has already spoken extensively with David J. Malan ’99, course instructor for CS50, about the design of AP50.

“He’s very interested in the pedagogy that I have developed,” Mazur said. “I have looked at his syllabus in great detail to look at how he weaves computer science into projects.”

Mazur says rote memorization and textbook problems are no longer the right way to train “some of the most successful problem solvers you can think of.”

“If you look at the way introductory physics is taught right now for non-majors, I think the syllabus is not very different from the syllabus you would have seen in the last century or so,” he says. “It’s time for an overhaul.”

Incorporating hands-on components into SEAS courses is a universal goal, according to Malan, who was named director of Educational Innovation this year and is working to create and implement new teaching tools throughout SEAS.

Bhatia, who also teaches ES53, an introductory bioengineering course, starts every lecture by presenting a clinical application of the topic at hand.

“How can we as bioengineers come in and help?” she asks her students. She reminds them that they “are part of the patient care team” to help students see the real-world relevance of their studies.