Implementing the Tenth Strand - Page 2 of 18

In Computing Curricula 1991[1], the basis for defining the curriculum is stated as the 'platform of knowledge that is considered essential for all students who concentrate in the discipline.' In this report we extend the basic platform of knowledge necessary in computer science to include a tenth subject area that will cover the social and ethical impact of computing in a comprehensive and meaningful way. Our rational for doing this now is that, because of the work of Project ImpactCS, we are able to articulate the essential core of knowledge in this new area with the same rigor and formalism that was the basis for defining the other nine subject areas using knowledge units.

In the first report of Project ImpactCS we provided a formal, theoretical framework as the foundation for the new subject area. In this report we will provide abstraction through a general set of principles and skills to be learned and demonstrated by students using case analysis and experimentation. Finally, through the description of the new knowledge units, we will demonstrate how the theory, skills and principles are applicable to all phases of the design and decision-making processes fundamental to computing. Thus, the three underlying notions of computing - theory, abstraction and design - are relevant and inherent in this tenth subject area.

It is the intention of the ImpactCS Steering Committee that this tenth subject area will replace the section in Computing Curricula 1991 entitled Social, Ethical and Professional Issues (SP) and will become the standard for future implementations of the CS curriculum. We have significantly extended the previous requirements in this area. It is our hope that this new definition of the subject area will also become part of the standards in the accreditation process for CS programs in the future.

Starting from the previous curriculum report as a model, the core curriculum in this new subject area is expressed as five necessary knowledge units with learning objectives, rather than specific courses, to allow different institutions and programs to package the subject matter in different ways. This allows the core material to be implemented into programs that have different pedagogical priorities, educational goals, and general constraints. In addition, we have tried to take into account new pedagogical strategies and new technologies that have emerged since Computing Curricula 1991 was adopted.