A history of computing course with a technical focus

Many courses on the history of computing are designed for a general student audience, and as such, include fewer technical details than one might find in a typical CS course. While this approach is appropriate in some contexts, it risks losing the interest of the students who could perhaps benefit most from the subject — namely, future computer scientists. This paper describes a technically-oriented History of Computing course which we taught at the University of Utah in 2008. Like other History of Computing courses, ours included a significant amount of writing and discussion. However, inasmuch as our course was created specifically for CS students, we also incorporated several “hands-on” programming exercises and demonstrations, giving students actual experience with the computing environments of the past. Students and faculty alike have responded enthusiastically to this dualfaceted approach. Categories and Subject Descriptors K.2 [Computing Milieux]: History of Computing...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: SIGCSE
• Authors: Geoffrey M. Draper, Robert R. Kessler, Richard F. Riesenfeld
• Keywords: Education, Fewer Technical Details, General Student Audience, SIGCSE 2009, Typical Cs Course