Research Proposal – Karn Sangha

To:         Dr. Erika Paterson
From:     Karndeep Sangha
Date:      Feb 1, 2019
Subject: Proposal for improving the availability and access to Computer Science courses at UBC for undergraduate students

Audience: This proposal will be prepared for the UBC Computer Science undergraduate department leaders. These leaders will have the authority to implement the proposed solutions with the information they have retained throughout the years based on undergraduate courses data.

Introduction

Today computer programs are being utilized in all facets of society to improve and enrich our lives. This has led to a boom in the technology industry with companies being found consistently to provide some new service or a solution to a problem. Many jobs are available, yet the number of people with the skills to fulfill those positions are severely lacking. This proposal focuses on improving the availability of courses and access to educational resources that will expand the number of students equipped with the necessary skills. In particular I will explore the feasibility and effectiveness of distance education courses and using external education platforms. Many departments offer core courses through distance education and the infrastructure exists through UBC. There are also many well-established education platforms that have improved how educational resources are accessed online.

Statement of Problem

The emerging technology industry has an increasing number of jobs unfilled every year. The lack of qualified people hinders the innovation and growth that can be possible in the tech industry. The department of Computer Science at UBC has recognized the need and has expanded the number of seats available in their programs and classes. Yet students and applicants are still having difficulty registering for classes or receiving admittance to the program, even with a very good (competitive) application. The slow expansion of seats in courses and programs has led to long waitlists and admission denials to well qualified applicants. Students are frustrated with not having the opportunity to enrol in computer science courses due to limited seats or no offerings in either one or both semesters. This has also has led to potential graduating students to enrol in courses that are not in their area of interest to satisfy their graduation requirements.

Proposed Solution

The proposed solution will use two aspects to provide more availability and easier access to educational materials. The first aspect is to provide certain core computer science courses that have long waitlists through distance education. This will allow the students to enrol in the course without any conflicts with their schedule and study the material at their own time. This will also have a very easy learning curve given most students have taken, at minimum, one distance education course. The second aspect is using online course platforms such as edX for courses that have limited availability due to lack of teachers. This solution will then fix issues as discussed earlier such as long waiting lists, lack of teachers, and lack of sections in either one or both semesters.

Scope

To figure out the feasibility of using distance education and online course platforms, I plan to pursue these six areas of inquiry:

1. What are the current issues that do not allow the use of distance education courses in the Computer Science department
2. What are the most common and effective distance education teaching techniques being employed at UBC
3. Would information retention for students differ compared to in person lectures?
4. Would the learning curve with online course platforms hinder a student’s ability to learn?
5. Will teachers be able to effectively evaluate their student’s understanding of the material?
6. Will teachers and teaching assistants be able to provide virtual office hours?

Methods

To execute my research, my primary data sources will include surveying UBC computer science students at the Vancouver campus in regards to their opinion of the issues with computer science courses. I will also contact and interview Professor Gregor Kiczales who has been leading the development of the introductory course CPSC 110 that has had over 10,000 students. By doing so, I would be able to find out the important issues that are frustrating students as well as their thoughts towards the proposed solution and what resources teachers need to provide the proposed solution. I will also utilize secondary data sources such as grading data for distance education courses, comparing them against lecture classes grading data. In addition I will conduct research on previous cases of computer science courses being offered on online platforms.

My Qualifications

I am a fourth year computer science student at UBC. I have personally experienced the frustration with waitlists for core courses and the lack of sections available. I have spoken with many fellow students who experience the same frustrations and want a solution that will work for current and future students quickly. I have also taken distance education courses and have used online educational platforms.

Conclusion

Students want to learn and gain the skills to have a successful career in the technology industry and a lack of an effective solution on the university’s part should not limit the students in this pursuit. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider my proposal. With your approval, I will commence by research immediately.