Computer Science Curriculum

Pedagogical philosophy

Broadly speaking, the CS program’s pedagogical philosophy is to support the inquiry of students in contexts that make sense to them.  Students learn well by working together on team projects. The abstract concepts of computer science are more compelling when they advance some goal that is shared by a group of peers, and where abstractions are connected to accessible artifacts.

In the early courses of the curriculum, projects are often small, enabling a student or team to verify or correct their understanding of a fundamental concept quickly.  The end of the Software Design course marks the first extensive team project, comprising the final third of the course.  On reflection, many students have described this project as a defining moment, where they prepare themselves to invest in other team project experiences throughout the curriculum.

In the middle of the curriculum, students plunge into areas that require more background.  Here they become acquainted with standard core topic areas in computer science, such as algorithms, systems, languages, and theory, which they will need to take on projects with more impact. At St. Olaf, we include computing ethics among the required core topics, focusing on a practical method of socio-technical analysis.

The upper-level curriculum includes the Senior Capstone — a one-semester course that features a modest team research project, an ethical analysis of that project, and multiple forms of communication about students’ work throughout the project.

Together, the determination and creativity of our students, combined with specific knowledge of the faculty in their respective research areas, help to create an effective learning community.

CS major