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CS50: Harvard Comes to Hopkins
Hopkins high school students taking Topics in Programming will be challenged this year by not just what Mathematics teacher Katie O'Shaughnessey calls a new curriculum of "beautifully complex" material, but by the same introduction to computer science coursework being taught at Harvard and Yale universities.
"It's going to be hard, it's going to be rigorous, and I know our students are ready and able to do the work," said O'Shaughnessey, one of just 42 secondary teachers in the U.S. to attend a special Harvard- and Microsoft-sponsored "CS50 AP Bootcamp" in June to learn how to best adapt Harvard's CS50 to high school students.
"Computer science is about so much more than geeky kids typing away at a computer," O'Shaughnessey said. "One of my goals in bringing this rigorous and exciting course to Hopkins is to be a part of the larger movement in education to ensure that all students gain a basic understanding about computer science. Just like Latin is the foundation of our always-evolving language, computer science is the foundation of our always-evolving technological landscape. Tomorrow's leaders should have that foundation.
"Computer science is about so much more than geeky kids typing away at a computer," O'Shaughnessey said. "One of my goals in bringing this rigorous and exciting course to Hopkins is to be a part of the larger movement in education to ensure that all students gain a basic understanding about computer science. Just like Latin is the foundation of our always-evolving language, computer science is the foundation of our always-evolving technological landscape. Tomorrow's leaders should have that foundation.
"But this specific computer science course is unique," O'Shaughnessey continued. "Everything about it is innovative and bold. It's learning through play. So to say that it's exciting to have it here at Hopkins is very much an understatement."
That's because as its Harvard syllabus suggests, CS50—officially Computer Science 50: Introduction to Computer Science—is much more than a well-crafted or innovative college course designed to teach math and computer coding. Assignments that include taking part in an all-night "Hackathon" (with pizza!) and creating an "epic" project for a CS50 Fair have caused the class to become something of academic phenomena.
A record-breaking 818 Harvard undergraduates—many with no background in computer programming—took CS50 in 2014, making it the largest and most popular undergraduate course in Harvard history.
A record-breaking 818 Harvard undergraduates—many with no background in computer programming—took CS50 in 2014, making it the largest and most popular undergraduate course in Harvard history.
The expertise and exuberance of Harvard professor and CS50 creator David Malan have also caused YouTube videos of his lectures to go viral. In one, he rips apart a phone book to show how large problems can be more easily solved when they're torn in half. In another video on algorithms and methodic problem solving, he challenges students on a stage to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches without needed knives, sliced bread or other ingredients.
Malan’s and the course's reputation have also led to more than 400,000 people from throughout the world taking the self-directed version of CS50 available through EdX, a non-profit, online consortium created by MIT and Harvard. It provides the public with free access to innovative pedagogies and rigorous courses from partner schools.
Perhaps most telling about the curriculum's success and value, however, is the fact that for the next three years, Harvard's CS50 will be taught at Yale. The first partnership of its kind between the Ivy League rivals, the class will consist of Yale undergraduates watching live streams and videos of Malan’s lectures from Harvard, with in-class instruction provided by Yale staff.
Perhaps most telling about the curriculum's success and value, however, is the fact that for the next three years, Harvard's CS50 will be taught at Yale. The first partnership of its kind between the Ivy League rivals, the class will consist of Yale undergraduates watching live streams and videos of Malan’s lectures from Harvard, with in-class instruction provided by Yale staff.
Led by O'Shaughnessey, Hopkins will use a similar structure. "The class isn't just about presenting challenging material. It's about presenting challenging material in an effervescent, fun and joyful way, so that even students uncomfortable with computer programming can, and will, want to learn," she said. This school year, an abridged version of the CS50 AP curriculum will be presented as part of the half-year Topics in Programming elective for sophomores, juniors and seniors that begins in January. By 2016–17, O'Shaughnessey hopes Hopkins will be able to offer a full-year advanced placement course that will earn students college credits.
As one of the pilot high schools using the CS50 AP curriculum, Hopkins students and O'Shaughnessey will also have the opportunity to help improve it by providing Malan with feedback about the course's pace, delivery and difficulty level, as well as suggestions for future student and teacher support.
"Curricularly and technologically, the current version of CS50 AP is identical to CS50 at Harvard, but adapted to high school calendars and supplemented with additional resources," said Malan, who worked with O'Shaughnessey and all the teachers who attended the summer boot camp. "The processes students use in the course—creating inputs, running them through algorithms and getting outputs—are exciting and important because they can be used in all disciplines. What you learn in computer science is applicable to the arts, social sciences, law, and the humanities. Computer science doesn't have an exclusive domain. It gives tools and techniques that can be brought to every field."
The tools and techniques for teachers is equally exciting, Among the wealth of materials Microsoft and Harvard are providing teachers who attended the boot camp are high-resolution videos and transcripts of all course lectures, PowerPoints of lectures slides, "Directors' Commentaries" that explain the pedagogy behind each lesson, and all CS50 problem sets and assignments, as well as sample solutions, videos that walk students through the process of solving each problem, and tools for automated feedback and assessment.
"Giving students a better understanding of the increasingly technological world around us is compelling. But more importantly, it's a necessity," O'Shaughnessey said. "Computer science also helps you crystallize and clarify your thoughts," she continuted. "It forces you to solve problems logically. That's the long-term return on this kind of teaching. And how cool is it that Hopkins students can now get this education the same way Harvard students do?"
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Mathematics teacher Katie O'Shaughnessey
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Hopkins is a private middle school and high school for grades 7-12. Located on a campus overlooking New Haven, CT, the School takes pride in its intellectually curious students as well as its dedicated faculty and staff.
