Designing a CS Master's Program for Post-Secondary Teaching

Abstract

There is a well-known capacity crisis where the number of open faculty positions in CS far exceeds the number of qualified candidates. To meet this demand, institutions are increasingly turning to teaching-track positions whose responsibilities center on teaching. Hiring efforts, though, are stymied by the lack of direct pathways to prepare new post-secondary (i.e., college and university) instructors with adequate computing education and teaching experience. One solution is to create new degree programs targeted at post-secondary CS teaching. Here, we will focus on master's programs because of their shorter duration and increased accessibility to a more diverse set of candidates as well as the increasing acceptance of master's degrees for teaching-track positions. To the knowledge of the discussion leaders, no such program currently exists. This BOF will enable a discussion of how to design such a master's program, including topics such as program type, curriculum choices, admissions, and implementation - how to blend CS subject matter and pedagogical expertise with practical experience to meet the specific needs of post-secondary CS teachers.