2. Applied Computing
Students who want to build — one of the two populations identified in the Exploring Different Populations session — make up much of our courses, but the curriculum was rarely designed around them. What should an undergraduate program look like for them, with AI as part of the picture — as tutor and study companion as much as code generator?
Session Stages
Welcome to the third session. Today we go deep on the first of the two populations identified in the Exploring Different Populations session: students who want to build — students for whom computing is a way to make and do things in another field, a profession, or the world. They're often the largest cohort in our courses, and the curriculum was rarely designed around them. Hold AI's full footprint in mind as we discuss — not only as a code generator, but as a learning companion, tutor, explainer, and review partner.
Please write individually in response to the following question. Specific details are encouraged.
The facilitator synthesizes what participants wrote and reflects it back to the room. Brief and conversational — the room's own words, reflected back and lightly extended.
Pair up. What should an undergraduate program look like for students who want to build? Hold AI's full footprint in mind — not only as a code generator, but as a learning companion, tutor, explainer, and review partner. Take notes on what you and your partner converge on, and where you disagree.
Before reconvening, distill your pair's single most important idea into one sentence and submit it.
The facilitator synthesizes across all pair submissions — naming themes, surfacing tensions, noting where pairs converged or diverged.
Please write individually in response to the following questions.
Thank you for participating. The facilitator will close by naming what the room has begun to surface and framing what the next session will explore.
Now that you've had some time to reflect, we'd love to hear any additional thoughts.