SIGCSE 2014 Workshop

This workshop is being held at ACM SIGCSE 2014 in Atlanta, GA on Friday March 7th, 7-10 PM.

Teaching with HFOSS to Provide Students with Real World Experience: An Introduction

Have you ever wanted your students to contribute to or learn from a real-world software project that benefits society? Want some help getting started? Many students find involvement in Humanitarian Free and Open Source Software (HFOSS) projects engaging and motivating. As a first step, this workshop will introduce faculty to FOSS tools and culture. Through a virtual field trip into the world of HFOSS you will learn how to find a project, discern characteristics of a good project for student participation and understand how to use IRC, a communication tool used by FOSS developers. The use of version control to support project development will also be discussed. Along the way, you will learn how to support student learning in such projects. All topics will be covered at an introductory level. Participants will take away exercises that can be used in the classroom. Additionally, participants will have access to support in the creation of assignments or curriculum and their implementation from teachers experienced in supporting students in HFOSS participation. Laptop required.

Intended Audience

Anyone interested in helping students become involved in Humanitarian Free and Open Source Software projects. All topics will be covered at an introductory level. Participants will join a supportive community of instructors experienced in supporting student involvement in HFOSS as well as take away exercises that can be used in the classroom.

Materials Provided

Participants will receive copies of all activities, presentation slides, and other materials.

Agenda

Introduction	10 minutes
IRC and Meetbot Activity The use of IRC as a communication tool among FOSS developers The use of Meetbots to record IRC meeting notes	20 minutes
FOSS Field Trip Obtaining a high-level view of a humanitarian FOSS project, including: the purpose of the project the project's community modes of communication information about how to get involved locating the project's bug/issue tracker locating instructions for downloading and installing the development environment	20 minutes
Project Selection Participants will work in small groups Each group will complete a guided exploration of their assigned HFOSS project Observations will be summarized and shared with the larger group	40 minutes
Break	15 minutes
Project Selection - Recap Report back on findings from Project Selection activity	20 minutes
Version Control and Bug Tracking Activity Walk through bug tracker for an HFOSS project, identifying how bugs are logged, prioritized, fixed and managed Explore the version control for an HFOSS project and track the connection between bugs and versions	40 minutes
Wrap up	15 minutes

Presenters

Heidi Ellis is Chair and Professor of Computer Science and Information Technology at Western New England University. Dr. Ellis’ research interests include software engineering education, open source software, and tools for biological data analysis. Dr. Ellis has been PI/Co-PI on three NSF-funded projects that support student involvement in HFOSS projects.

Stoney Jackson is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and Information Technology at Western New England University. Dr. Jackson’s research interests include computing education, web systems, and software engineering. He has been mentoring students working on MouseTrap, an HFOSS project by GNOME for controlling the mouse pointer using a webcam. He is a Co-PI on an NSF grant that supports student involvement in HFOSS projects.

Gregory Hislop is a Professor of Information Science and Technology and Computer Science at Drexel University. His interests include software engineering, computing education, and use of technology in education. Dr. Hislop has been PI or Co-PI on several NSF-funded projects that have explored student participation in HFOSS.

Lori Postner is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Nassau Community College. Dr. Postner has been very active in curriculum development both at the course level and the program level. Dr. Postner is Co-PI on an NSF-funded project to help faculty incorporate HFOSS into the classroom.

Darci Burdge is Assistant Chair and Professor of Computer Science at Nassau Community College. Her interests include exploring student participation in humanitarian open source software in a community college setting as a means to providing real-world experience and increased participation, especially among women. She is Co-PI on an NSF-funded project to assist faculty who are interested in involving students with HFOSS projects.

Becka Morgan is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Western Oregon University. Dr. Morgan’s research is focused on diversity in FOSS communities as well as improving diversity in CS education. Dr. Morgan has worked on developing curriculum to introduce students to FOSS as well as revising the first year course curriculum to encourage participation of underrepresented groups in CS.

Michelle Purcell is a Ph.D. student in the College of Information Science and Technology at Drexel University. Her research interests include computer-supported cooperative work, computing education and technology-enhanced learning. She has 13 years industry experience in software and systems engineering.

POSSE 2014

If you are interested in finding ways to building on the experience gained as a participant or you are interested, but unable to attend this workshop, join us at POSSE 2014. (dates to be announced) Additional information about POSSE can be found at http://www.foss2serve.org/index.php/POSSE_Overview.