Learning Goals for Hunter College Computer Science Students
Hunter College has asked each department to develop a plan for assessing how well it does in teaching its majors. As a first step, departments are required to compile a list of “learning goals” that state explicitly what the curriculum for majors is intended to help students achieve. Syllabi for each course refer to these goals and note which of them the course addresses. The following is the set of learning goals adopted by the Computer Science department.
- Computer science students should learn the fundamental concepts and theories of the discipline of computer science as specified by professional organizations such as the Association for Computing Machinery. They should:
- Understand the basic foundations and relevant applications of mathematics and statistics, particularly those branches related to computer science.
- Understand the relationship between computer architectures and software systems.
- Have a strong knowledge of computer theory, formal languages, Turing machines, etc.
- Have in-depth knowledge of at least two areas of specialization: e.g. databases, networking, computer theory, graphics, etc.
- Computer science students should be adept at formulating, analyzing and solving computing problems. They should:
- Have a deep practical knowledge of one widely used programming language and be familiar with at least two others, covering at least two distinct programming paradigms.
- Understand common features of modern operating systems.
- Be able to apply principles of design and analysis in creating substantial programs and have experience working in teams on projects of moderately realistic scope.
- Computer science students should be prepared to pursue advanced studies in the field and to assume professional responsibilities. They should:
- Be able to communicate technical ideas effectively, both in writing and in oral presentations.
- Understand the ethical concerns typically arising in the context of computing.
- Be able to perform competitively on the Computer Science GRE exam.
- Computer science students should graduate prepared to continue to learn throughout their careers, keeping up-to-date in a quickly developing field. In particular, they should be able to read and assimilate technical material independently from textbooks, articles and other level-appropriate sources.