In 2016, 听the 听National 听Academies 听of 听Sciences, Engineering, 听and 听Medicine 听in 听Washington, 听D.C., 听convened 听a 听committee 听of 听experts 听from government, 听industry, 听and 听academia 听to 听examine undergraduate 听enrollment 听trends. 听Two 听years later, 听it 听issued 听a 听200-page 听study 听on 听the current 听state 听of 听computational 听science 听(CS) in 听higher 听education 听that 听warned, 听“The 听leaders of 听the 听institutions 听of 听higher 听education 听that have 听experienced 听rapid 听increases 听in 听computer science 听course 听enrollments 听should 听take deliberate 听actions 听to 听address 听this 听trend 听with a 听sense 听of 听urgency.”
More 听than 听2,600 听miles 听away 听in 听Balch 听Hall, Scripps 听president 听Lara 听Tiedens, 听along 听with students, 听faculty, 听and 听staff, 听had 听been quietly 听doing 听just 听that. 听And 听they 听were 听ready to 听take 听action.
Filling 听a 听Niche, 听the 听Scripps 听Way
听According 听to 听the 听Bureau 听of 听Labor 听Statistics, the 听demand 听for 听workers 听with 听skills 听in computation 听is 听expected 听to 听grow 听19 听percent by 听2026鈥� a 听rate 听that 听will 听outpace 听those projected 听for 听all 听other 听occupations. 听Mindful of 听this 听trend, 听students 听across 听the 听country from 听diverse 听majors 听are 听eager 听to 听learn 听CS skills 听in 听order 听to 听gain 听a 听competitive 听edge in 听the 听job 听market. 听At 听Scripps 听alone, 听the number 听of 听CS 听majors 听has 听almost 听quadrupled over 听the 听past 听few 听years.
Scripps 听students 听interested 听in 听majoring in 听CS 听have 听done 听so 听as 听off-campus 听majors at 听Harvey 听Mudd 听or 听Pomona 听College, 听as 听the other 听three 听Claremont 听colleges鈥� 听Claremont McKenna, 听Pitzer, 听and 听Scripps鈥� 听do 听not 听have 听CS departments. 听This, 听combined 听with 听increased student 听interest 听in 听the 听field, 听has 听resulted in 听overdemand 听and 听overcrowding, 听and 听not every 听student 听who 听is 听interested 听in 听learning CS 听skills 听has 听access 听to 听training.
During 听the 听2017芒鈧��18 听academic 听year, 听the 听Faculty Executive 听Committee, 听the 听curricular 听policy body 听of 听the 听College, 听agreed 听that 听Scripps needed 听to 听do 听more 听to 听meet 听students’ 听needs 听for 听computational 听training. 听Around 听the 听same time, 听President 听Tiedens 听was 听drafting 听the College’s 听new 听strategic 听plan, 听which 听includes a 听pillar 听devoted 听to 听a 听renewed 听emphasis 听on being 听an 听innovative 听learning 听organization (ILO). 听An 听ILO 听“theme 听team” 听composed 听of faculty, 听students, 听and 听staff 听concurred 听with the 听faculty 听committee’s 听recommendation听to 听strengthen 听the 听school’s 听computational capacity. 听Understanding 听that 听computational skills 听touch 听everything 听from 听traffic 听lights to 听health 听records 听to 听literary 听and 听musical archives, 听the 听team 听generated 听a 听series 听of initiatives 听intended 听to 听strengthen 听Scripps’ ability 听to 听train 听students 听in 听those 听skills.
Yet, 听as 听Amy 听Marcus-Newhall, 听vice 听president for 听academic 听affairs, 听dean 听of 听faculty, and 听professor 听of 听psychology, 听explains 听it, Scripps 听isn’t 听looking 听to 听start 听a 听computer science 听department 听but, 听rather, 听to 听infuse computational 听skills 听into 听its 听established liberal 听arts 听curriculum. 听“Our 听students 听are more 听and 听more 听interested 听in 听computer 听science, but 听they 听are 听coming 听to 听learn 听those 听skills within 听a 听humanities 听background鈥� 听within 听the framework 听of 听the 听interdisciplinary 听humanities core, 听the 听arts 听and 听letters. 听They 听are 听drawn here 听because 听of 听Scripps’ 听specific 听approach 听to thinking,” 听she 听says.
To address听that 听niche, 听the College is exploring a听range of strategies, 听including hosting visiting听faculty, 听scholars- 听and professionals-in-residence, 听lectures, 听and more on听campus.
“Women 听in 听tech 听fields 听are 听underrepresented鈥� this 听is 听a 听fact. 听Much 听research 听has 听gone 听into understanding 听why 听this 听is 听the 听case, 听and theories 听range 听from 听basic 听sexism 听to 听the learning 听approaches 听and 听teaching 听methods used 听in 听those 听fields 听to 听how 听power 听and authority 听are 听distributed 听in 听society,” explains 听President 听Tiedens. 听Indeed, 听in听 2017, 听information 听technology 听was 听rated 听among 听the 听worst 听industries 听for 听women 听in terms 听of 听recruitment 听and 听retention, 听with women 听making 听up 听just 听five 听percent 听of 听senior executives 听in 听the 听business, 听according 听to Douglas 听M. 听Branson, 听author 听of 听The 听Future 听of Tech 听Is 听Female.
“Regardless 听of 听the 听cause, 听we 听want 听to 听take 听a different 听approach 听to 听solve 听this,” 听continues Tiedens. 听“We 听want 听to 听solve 听it 听the 听Scripps way, 听which 听is 听to 听recruit 听faculty 听from 听various 听fields 听who 听use 听the 听methods 听of 听CS 听and data 听science 听within 听their 听home 听disciplines. Our 听approach 听is 听decidedly 听interdisciplinary, taking 听seriously 听the 听notion 听that 听women 听are more 听engaged 听with 听technology 听in 听context, 听and that 听our 听best 听learning 听and 听thinking 听happens at 听the 听intersections 听of 听disciplines.”
Computation 听Collaborations
As 听if 听connected 听by 听telepathy, 听some 听330 听miles north 听as 听the 听crow 听flies 听in 听Mountain 听View, California, 听Shinjini 听Nunna 听’16, 听who 听majored in 听CS 听while 听at 听Scripps 听and 听is 听now 听working 听as 听a 听software 听engineer 听at 听Google, 听had 听been vexed 听by 听the 听same 听questions. 听“The history听 of 听CS 听and 听the 听trends 听in 听the 听tech 听industry aren’t 听favorable 听to 听women鈥� 听nationally, 听the number 听of 听women 听in 听tech 听and the number of women 听CS 听graduates 听is 听actually 听decreasing,” she 听says. 听“But 听there 听are 听ways 听that 听we 听can tailor 听CS 听education 听to 听women, 听and 听a 听lot 听of that 听has 听to 听do 听with 听breaking 听down 听the 听biases and 听stereotypes 听and 听fears 听that 听have 听prevented women 听from 听entering 听careers 听in 听tech, 听and 听then demonstrating 听a 听real 听opportunity 听for 听women 听in 听this 听field 听and 听making 听sure 听that 听they 听know how 听much 听they 听are 听needed.”
In 听2017, 听when 听Nunna 听was 听sitting 听on 听a 听panel for 听students 听visiting 听the 听Googleplex, 听she met 听Kim 听Roberts, 听who 听heads 听up 听engineering education 听at 听the 听tech 听giant. 听“I 听learned that 听Robert’s 听division 听was 听beginning 听to seek 听out 听partner 听colleges 听and 听universities for 听their 听Applied 听Computing 听Series, 听and 听I immediately 听thought 听that 听Scripps 听would 听be听听 a 听great 听fit,” 听she 听says. 听As 听Nunna 听tells 听it, when 听she 听broached 听the 听subject 听with 听Roberts, Scripps 听was 听already 听on 听the 听division’s 听radar 听due 听to 听earlier 听conversations 听between representatives 听at 听the 听company 听and 听the College’s 听administration.
Fast 听forward 听to 听2019: 听this 听semester, 听Scripps launched 听a 听course 听in 听partnership 听with Google, 听spearheaded 听by 听Associate 听Professor of 听Mathematics 听Winston 听Ou. 听The 听class, Introduction 听to 听Python 听and 听Data 听Analysis, will 听teach 听the 听foundations 听of 听computer 听and data 听science 听through 听hands-on, 听project-based coursework 听designed 听to 听attract 听students 听who might 听not 听be 听planning 听for 听careers 听in 听tech, but 听who 听want 听to 听develop 听the 听skill 听set 听to 听meet the 听ever-changing 听technology 听demands 听of 听the workforce. 听Scripps 听is 听currently 听one 听of 听only eight 听schools 听working 听with 听Google 听on 听the project. 听There 听will 听also 听be 听a 听10-week 听machine learning 听summer 听intensive 听led 听by 听Google 听staff and 听local 听faculty 听in 听summer 听2019.
“We are really听lucky 听to be working听with Google. 听First, because on听a 听fundamental level, we wouldn’t听be able to do this听without them, and second, because they听are 听offering their considerable听professional 听insight,” says 听Ou, 听who is teaching听the 听course 听and 听the summer 听intensive.
To 听prepare 听the 听instructors 听(all 听of 听whom 听are from 听disciplines 听outside 听of 听CS), 听Google 听held听 a 听training 听program 听in 听New 听York 听last 听summer modeled 听on 听a 听“flipped 听classroom” 听approach. The 听basic 听course 听content 听was 听delivered outside 听of 听the 听classroom, 听via 听an 听interactive online 听textbook, 听so 听that 听instructors 听could use 听their 听class 听time 听to 听tackle 听specific projects. 听Google 听wanted 听the 听instructors 听to experience 听the 听same 听teaching 听model 听that their 听CS 听pupils 听will 听enjoy: 听a 听largely 听self- guided 听exploration 听that 听empowers 听students 听to 听take 听ownership 听of 听their 听learning 听through trial 听and 听error. 听“Google’s 听idea 听is 听that people 听learn 听best 听in 听an 听atmosphere 听in which they are听completely 听comfortable鈥斕齣n a听setting where there听is no shame. 听One of the听ways this mindset听is cultivated is by reframing听the concept of听芒鈧渇ailure’ 听by creating 听an 听environment 听in 听which 听being stuck 听or 听making 听mistakes 听are 听not 听viewed negatively, 听but 听as 听crucial 听components 听of 听the process,” 听Ou 听continues.
Ou 听knows, 听perhaps 听better 听than 听many, 听the importance 听of 听the 听classroom 听environment 听to learning. 听In 听his 听Core 听III 听class, 听Women 听and Math, 听students 听explore 听the 听cultural 听factors that 听lead 听to 听“math 听phobia” 听as 听well 听as 听the self-removal 听of 听women 听from 听many 听STEM 听fields. “We 听have 听read 听studies 听that 听show 听how 听women have 听higher 听standards 听for 听themselves: 听Where a 听female 听student 听will 听get 听a 听B 听in 听a 听course and 听think, 听芒鈧淚 听clearly 听don’t 听get 听this, 听so 听I won’t 听continue 听pursuing 听the 听subject,’ 听a 听male student 听may 听say, 听芒鈧淚 听did 听pretty 听well,’ 听and 听go on 听to 听the 听next 听course. 听Women 听cut 听themselves off 听from鈥� and 听out 听of鈥� 听certain 听fields inappropriately,” 听he 听says.
“According to听the 听Googlers, 听CS classes are often discouraging鈥� 听or are even, 听because of staffing听limitations, 听designed to be discouraging for听many 听students. 听We want our course to be听encouraging and empowering,” continues 听Ou. 听“Instead of just听using 听a program, you will听become the person听who makes the听program. 听Students 听will 听gain 听an additional, 听versatile 听outlet 听through 听which they 听can 听make 听concrete 听their 听creative 听ideas.”
According 听to 听Professor 听of 听Math 听Chris 听Towse, who 听served 听as 听a 听faculty 听representative during 听its 听initiation, 听the 听six-week 听program will 听be 听a 听part 听internship, 听part 听off-campus study 听opportunity; 听students 听will 听earn academic 听credit. 听“Teaching 听computer 听science, both 听the 听hard 听skills 听and 听computational thinking, 听to 听liberal 听arts 听students 听opens up 听a 听world 听of 听discovery 听for 听them. 听I 听had 听a student 听recently 听ask 听me, 听芒鈧淚 听study 听Spanish history 听from 听the 听Middle 听Ages. 听How 听would computation 听apply 听to 听my 听area 听of 听study?’ 听I told 听them, 听芒鈧淲hen 听you 听discover 听a 听painting or 听a 听painted 听artifact 听and 听want 听to 听know what’s 听beneath 听the 听paint, 听you 听use 听imaging technology 听to 听peer 听into 听the 听layers 听using the 听language 听and 听tools 听of 听computer 听science.’ We 听can 听use 听these 听tools 听to 听interrogate 听even humanistic 听questions, 听questions 听about history,” 听Towse 听says. 听“The 听technology 听isn’t just 听about 听learning 听a 听set 听of 听skills鈥� learning 听to 听code: 听It 听enables 听you 听to 听ask different 听questions, 听next-level 听questions.”
Technology 听and 听the 听Liberal 听Arts
Nationwide, 听there 听is 听a 听dearth 听of 听CS 听faculty, especially 听at 听liberal 听arts 听colleges. 听The stark 听reality 听is 听that 听people 听with 听PhDs 听in 听CS can 听command 听much 听higher 听salaries 听in 听industry than 听they 听can 听in 听academia.
“According to听Google, the number听of 听CS PhDs who听enter teaching is听so small that听a liberal arts听college would only听be able to hire one听every 听29 听years,” 听says 听Ou. 听“So, 听the Google 听program 听was 听created 听to 听get 听CS 听classes into 听schools 听that 听don’t 听have 听CS 听faculty 听and to 听tap 听into 听the 听talent 听of 听students 听who 听get weeded 听out 听of 听introductory 听courses 听that, 听of necessity, 听are 听commonly 听designed 听to 听restrict the 听number 听of 听majors.”
And 听at 听a 听liberal 听arts 听college 听like 听Scripps, creative 听thinking 听is 听key. 听In 听the 听quest 听to find 听even 听more 听opportunities 听for 听students 听to engage 听in 听computational 听thinking, 听Scripps 听is 听also 听partnering 听with 听Davidson 听College 听and other 听schools 听in 听an 听immersive 听program 听taking place 听this 听summer 听in 听the 听San 听Francisco 听Bay Area. 听Designed 听specifically 听for 听students majoring 听in 听the 听liberal 听arts, 听the 听program will 听teach 听computational 听thinking 听and software 听engineering 听geared 听toward 听solving problems 听within 听the 听humanities. 听“The 听program is 听about 听putting 听computer 听science 听and technology 听in 听a 听societal 听context 听and 听using critical 听thinking 听and 听critique 听as 听a 听mode for 听considering 听the 听role 听of 听technology 听in society,” 听says 听President 听Tiedens.
In 听order 听to 听offer 听CS 听training 听regardless of 听the 听shortage 听of 听faculty, 听Scripps 听is 听on track 听to 听hire 听a 听faculty 听member 听who 听holds 听a PhD 听in 听a 听field 听other 听than 听CS, 听but 听who 听has an 听interdisciplinary 听track 听record 听of 听the computational, 听programming, 听and 听analytic expertise 听necessary 听to 听teach 听introductory computation 听courses 听to 听Scripps 听students 听(for an 听example 听of 听what 听this 听kind 听of 听teaching and 听scholarship 听looks 听like, 听see 听“The 听Science of 听Virtue” 听on 听page 听30). 听This 听new 听endowed position 听was 听made 听possible 听by 听the 听Fletcher Jones 听Foundation 听Scholar 听in 听Computation grant 听in 听October 听2018, 听along 听with 听a 听matching donation 听by 听Betsy 听Weinberg 听Smith 听’74. 听“This is 听a 听first 听step 听in 听expanding 听faculty 听with computational 听expertise 听to 听teach 听classes that 听are 听in 听demand 听by 听our 听students,” 听says Marcus-Newhall.
While these听initiatives provide a听timely and necessary听antidote 听to the limited听CS learning opportunities听available to students at 听Scripps, some wonder听how 听CS fits into a 听liberal arts curriculum. 听But as听Tiedens explains, 听“CS and data听science may be听newer听fields, but they听are true disciplines听with methods 听and 听deep 听intellectual 听questions 听with great scholarly听work 听fueling 听curiosity 听in 听the world. 听These 听scientists 听are 听as 听much 听academics as 听other 听professors.”
“Computer science听and technological skills are not just vocational听training 听skills鈥� their application听goes far beyond听the workforce,” 听adds 听Marcus-Newhall. 听“They are increasingly necessary听to 听be an educated person in this听world. 听And 听as 听it 听relates 听to the 听workforce, 听the 听liberal 听arts 听background gives 听our 听students 听the 听analytical 听skills 听and perspective 听to 听be 听able 听to 听apply 听tech 听skills in 听line 听with 听employers’ 听expectations.”
Research 听by 听the 听labor 听market 听analytics 听firm Emsi 听and 听the 听Strada 听Institute 听for 听the 听Future of 听Work 听support 听these 听assertions. 听They recently 听released 听a 听report 听based 听on 听more 听than 100 听million 听social 听and 听professional 听profiles, applicant 听resumes, 听and 听more 听than 听36 听million job 听postings 听to 听understand 听what 听liberal arts 听students 听learn 听and 听what 听employers 听want. “There 听are 听those 听who 听believe 听that 听the听 ‘hard’ skills 听of 听science, 听technology, 听engineering, and 听math 听(STEM) 听are 听most 听critical 听to 听the future, 听and 听those 听who 听believe 听the 听uniquely 芒鈧渉uman’ 听skills 听of 听the 听liberal 听arts 听are the 听ones 听that 听will 听endure 听in 听the 听face 听of automation,” 听the 听report 听says. 听“We 听say …It 听is 听the 听integration 听of 听human 听and 听technical skills 听that 听will 听provide 听the 听best 听preparation for 听the 听future 听of 听work.”
For 听Ou, workforce applicability听is important, but only听part of why听Scripps should embrace听computation. 听He argues that knowledge for听its own sake听is one true hallmark of听a 听liberal arts education: “The ability to听code is a听skill 听that ultimately everybody听will have and, 听further, will be enriched听by 听having. 听It 听will 听only increase 听possibilities 听for 听our 听students: like 听learning 听another 听language, 听CS 听opens up 听ways 听of 听expressing 听yourself 听that 听would not 听otherwise 听exist.”