Goals, Topics and Tools of Computer Science for All University or College Courses: (Abstract Only)

As the importance of Computer Science for all grows, questions about the foundation of CS related skills and knowledge everyone should be familiar with arise. Different education institutions or initiatives offer courses or other materials to provide CS knowledge and skills necessary to participate in future life, or any profession. Among these institutions are numerous universities and colleges which started to offer Computer Science courses explicitly aimed at non-CS majors. These course materials form an extensive data pool for determining crucial CS knowledge for non-majors. While the courses differ with regards to intention and topics, reflect a personal perception of the designer, or address specific local demands, they may still contain a foundation of CS for everyone. By examining multiple university and college courses, one can determine this foundation. In this preliminary study, we analyzed an initial sample of thirty different international Computer Science for all courses offered at colleges and universities between 2010 and 2017. The materials - syllabi and schedules of these different courses - were examined using a qualitative content analysis as proposed by Mayring. Based on coding results from the content analysis we identified the types of learning objectives those courses aim at. We also list inductively derived topic categories (e.g., representation of data, security, and social implications) and present different programming languages or tools used within those courses. Afterwards, the frequencies of topics in proportion to the number of courses were reported and associated with the previously identified learning objectives.