A13NickAberle

A13NickAberle

To-Do

Please Answer the following Questions: provide a brief rationale for your answer — not just yes/no answers

1. which classes did you take outside of your chosen discipline?
   1. how did you select these classes?
      1. based on interest
      2. based on requirements for your degree program
   2. did would you evaluate the “outside classes”?
      1. a waste of time
      2. okay
      3. an enrichment of your education
      4. if you had a choice: would you take more outside classes?
2. to be a well educated graduate in your respective discipline — what do you consider the most important objectives?
   1. did CU offer classes for you to meet these objectives?
   2. have you pursued these objectives outside of classes (in other settings at CU; outside of CU)?
3. what do you consider the most important impact of new media and human-centered computing on YOUR education?

which classes did you take outside of your chosen discipline?

I have taken Astronomy 1 and 2, The Meaning of Information Technology, Statistical Methods, The Social Impact of Technology, and Engineering, Science, & Society.

how did you select these classes? (e.g. based on interest or based on requirements for your degree program)

All of these classes were chosen because of degree requirements. Computer Science asks for a seemingly inordinate amount of humanities credits and as such, most of my outside classes have been in this discipline. I chose Astronomy because I needed to fulfill a science track and I am very interested in space.

how would you rate the “outside classes”? (e.g. a waste of time or an enrichment of your education)

So far, both of my Astronomy classes have been my favorites by far. They were both extremely interesting and I learned a great deal about why things are they way that they are in the Universe. I really enjoyed The Meaning of Information Technology as well since it related my chosen discipline to society. However, I noticed that Engineering Humanities courses seem to follow a formula of sorts, and my other humanities classes have been very similar.

if you had a choice: would you take more outside classes?

Despite my enjoyment of Astronomy, so far I have liked my Computer Science courses the most out of all my coursework. However, as per my degree requirements, I will be taking more outside courses in the future. In order to remedy the repetitiveness of the Engineering Humanities courses, I plan on selecting a different flavor of humanities for my future classes. I really want my required outside classes to mean something beyond a repetitive fulfilling of requirements.

to be a well educated graduate in your respective discipline — what do you consider the most important objectives?

I feel like the most important part of being a Computer Science graduate is to be able to adapt to whichever specialized environment you may find yourself in. As a discipline, Computer Science is exceedingly broad, allowing itself to be applied anywhere. It is unreasonable to be expected to be properly trained for every application of Computer Science. As such, I believe that it is extremely important to have the proper foundation that allows you to adapt while in the real world after graduation.

did CU offer classes for you to meet these objectives?

So far, I have felt like CU has offered the resources to help me meet this objective. Just after my first semester here, I was able to get an internship position as a programmer. While I certainly did not have all the necessary training at the time of my starting, I was able to quickly adapt to the application of Computer Science at my work (Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics).

have you pursued these objectives outside of classes (in other settings at CU; outside of CU)?

Before beginning college, and even before beginning Computer Science classes in high school, I began teaching myself programming. Previously, I have also pursued many outside projects both for fun and to hone my programming abilities.

hat do you consider the most important impact of new media and human-centered computing on YOUR education?

New media and human centered computing play an extremely important role in my education. The most important impact they have had is providing online resources in the form of tutorials, lessons, and online support forums. There have been countless times where I have either learned a completely new skill entirely online or resolved a particularly frustrating problem by asking others on the Internet. This sort of on-demand learning has also been invaluable at work where I am faced with problems entirely unlike anything I have dealt with in the past.