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Traditional introductory computer science (CS) courses have had little success engaging non-computer science majors. At the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, where introductory CS courses are a requirement for CS majors and nonmajors alike, two tailored introductory courses were introdued as an alternative to the traditional course. The results were encouraging: more nonmajors succeeded (completed and passed) in tailored courses than in the traditional course, students ex- pressed fewer negative reactions to the course content, and many reported that they would be interested in taking another tailored CS course. The authors present findings from a pilot study of the three courses and briefly discuss some of the issues surrounding the tailored courses for nonmajors: programming, context, choice of language, and classroom culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computing is the new literacy, and teaching computing in a world where computers are ubiquitous demands new techniques and contexts for learning. As these evolve, so too will the student profile. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In addition to more well-trained high school computer science teachers, we need more education research that is informed by understanding how CS is taught, what the current practices are, and what's important to keep as practices change. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]