NSF Award
2315323
This project aims to serve the national interest by increasing service-learning opportunities in computing programs. To meet the increasing demand for well-qualified computing professionals, computing graduates must be ready to apply their knowledge and skills in a real-world environment. The goal of this project is to develop a service-learning framework that will help instructors embed externally sourced projects supporting the social good into existing software engineering or similar courses. This work will also support competency-based learning by offering students an opportunity to solve real-world problems in an authentic environment using current industrial practices and tools coupled with strong mentoring by support volunteer professionals and near peers. By enabling competency-based learning, this project will help address the skills gap, both technical and professional, so that computing students graduate with both the appropriate knowledge, and the ability to apply their knowledge in a practical setting.<br/> <br/>This project will produce the Scaffolded Projects for the Social Good (SPSG) framework, a low adoption threshold framework to help computing programs incorporate service-learning projects in their courses. The SPSG framework will incorporate studio-based learning concepts, agile principles, and the lessons learned from the Humanitarian Free and Open-Source Software (HFOSS) initiative. SPSG will provide instructors with a customizable set of curricular materials aimed at streamlining the software project workflow and offering ample mechanisms for formative and summative assessment of student learning. SPSG will help students make meaningful contributions to the missions of non-profit and community organizations while providing concrete examples regarding the impact of computing on society. The NSF IUSE: EDU Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through its Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
