Laboratories for a Liberal Education Computer Science Course.

Computer science and other computer related fields are faced with the high velocity of change in technology. Far more important than the knowledge of a particular software package is the liberal education skills that are learned in the process. This paper reviews the laboratory component of a new computer science course offered at Miami University (Ohio) that focuses on developing these skills. The liberal education objectives of the course included thinking critically, understanding contexts, engaging with other learners, and reflecting and acting. Student lab groups experimented with the computer, made hypotheses, and then conducted further, more specific experiments. They did not develop proficiency in any one package, but instead were exposed to the potentials and limitations of many. Overall, the instructors of the course were pleased with the success of the laboratories and the majority of students agreed that the laboratories were successful in achieving the liberal education goals of the course. (AEF)