As students from both the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering flock to computer science courses, classes are filled to capacity and have maintained lengthy wait lists this semester as the department struggles to meet the growing student demand. In light of increasing interest, the Department of Computer Science recently announced new enrollment policies for entry-level courses, like "Introduction to Computer Science" (Comp 11).
For next semester's course registration, the only students who will be able to register for Comp 11 and "Data Structures" (Comp 15) are freshmen in both the Schools of Arts and Sciences and Engineering, or those who have already declared majors in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering or cognitive and brain science. All other students will only be able to register through special wait list sections, with priority given to those minoring in computer science. Additionally, many upper-level courses, like "Machine Structure and Assembly Language Programming" (Comp 40), will now be limited to declared computer science majors or first-year students.
The announcement was delivered to the student body in a March 23 letter from the Department of Computer Science. According to this letter, the department has modified its registration policies in order to adequately serve students without placing additional stresses on its faculty members.
"We have put in place a new registration procedure to ensure that students majoring in computer science and those required to take our courses have priority [when] enrolling in our courses" Associate Professor of Computer Science Samuel Guyer said. "This procedure will enable better utilization of resources and deliver an effective learning experience for all of our students."
Despite the limits to enrollment, the department is also striving to expand, according to Guyer. He noted that the department is making several changes to better accommodate a larger population of computer science students, two of which are focused on increasing faculty and improving their methods.
"First, we have been working closely with the administration to secure additional resources - more faculty, more lecturers and more graduate teaching assistant positions," Guyer said. "Second, we are working closely with the Tufts Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching to explore, implement and assess new teaching techniques."
Guyer additionally pointed to technological improvements within the department as a way to accommodate more students.
"We have [also] developed a number of web-based tools to support common tasks, such as collection of assignments, interactive online grading, automated program testing and general grading workflow management," Guyer said. "We are the computer science department, after all."
Despite the department's steps toward development, students have expressed their concerns about the effectiveness of the new enrollment regulations.
"I am thinking of majoring in cognitive and brain sciences, but I don't want to declare my major just yet," Maya Salcido, a freshman, said. "I am worried how that will affect my chances of being allowed to take computer science classes."
As an engineering student, Alice Lee is also worried about her ability to take computer science classes. She said she is contemplating switching her major to computer science to ensure that she will be able to enroll in all the classes.
"I'm reserving judgment until I can see what it is like for people who are not computer science majors," Lee, a freshman, said. "I understand why the new regulations are in place, but I do think that people who do not want to [major in] computer science should be able to take classes in the department if they are interested."
Professor of Computer Science Carla Brodley explained increased enrollment has contributed to a lack of resources within the department.
"Every member of our department wants to make computer science available to anyone interested in the subject, but the reality is there are not sufficient resources at this time ... to provide a high-quality experience for all students who might be interested in computer science," Brodley said.
One of these resources is the number of professors within the Department of Computer Science. Lecturer Chris Gregg is a recent addition to the department. After attending Johns Hopkins University, Gregg joined the Navy, earning the title of U.S. Naval Officer in the Cryptology/Information Warfare Community. Gregg then obtained his master's degree in Education at Harvard University and went on to obtain his Ph.D in computer engineering at the University of Virginia.
According to Gregg, the department is currently in the process of hiring a full-time professor, as well as other positions. He discussed not only the limitations in the department's faculty, but in its facilities, as well.
"We are kind of limited in the number of faculty that can take on these introductory courses," he said. "I know there are discussions with the dean of engineering about how to address those issues ... Also, it's tough to schedule classes because there [are] not enough big lecture halls around Tufts to fit them in."
Gregg, who currently teaches two sections of Comp 15, said that his hire was a part of the department's initiatives to expand.
"I think that Tufts prides itself, particularly in the computer science department, in providing the best teaching for a large number of students," he said. "Given that enrollment has increased significantly in computer science, I think my hire came at a time when they ... [realized] we are only a department of 15 full-time faculty ... [serving a huge part] of the whole Tufts population in various courses."
