Closing the CSI - CS II gap: a breadth-second approach

Many students experience difficulty making the transition from a traditional CS I course that consists primarily of learning to program in a high-level language to the higher level of abstraction required in the CS II course. Students also come to the discipline with a lack of understanding of the scope of computer science. A foundations of computer science course as the second course in introductory sequence of three 3-hour courses that essentially covers the material proposed by the breadth-first approach from computing curriculum 2001, incorporates additional programming experience to enhance the skills developed in CS I, introduces the discrete mathematics needed early in the curriculum, and introduces students to social and ethical issues addresses these concerns. The more traditional programming-first approach to CS I is retained as the first course. The paper will present the curriculum in our foundations course and review the problems and success we have had with this model.