[Laurette Grupka]  Computer Science is really problem-solving using a computer science language.  It’s really not the language per se; it’s really the person’s talent for being a logical, step-by-step, analytical type of person. 

[Anthony Kuroski] They want to learn more.  They aren’t just satisfied learning just one technique or technology.  They are interested in expanding their horizons by trying out different programming languages; different scripting languages and they really dig into the material in the program.

[Timothy E. Cercone]  The Computer Science student, their core courses would be computer science one and two, advanced data structures, assembly language course.  Typically we want them to take some electives in Java since our core computer science courses are taught in C++ this gives them an exposure to a second programming language.  As well they are required to take the two semester calculus sequence, calculus one and two and they also need the science electives that could range from physics, chemistry or biology, whichever is appropriate.  And also the humanities electives apply for them as well.

[Paul Zanolli]  So you are going to have columns zero, one, two, three.

[Timothy E. Cercone]  The students coming into our Computer Science department, utilizing our labs, will have all the same benefits that they would receive at a larger institution.  We have all the latest software and hardware that they would need to be competitive.

[Anthony Kuroski]  We have what is called an MSDN AA subscription with Microsoft and that allows students to download some of the software from Microsoft that we use in the labs onto their personal computers and it is legal.  They can do work on their own machine at their own time and place or preference.  

[Laurette Grupka]  Students experience the latest that we can offer them in terms of the languages that are presented, the ability to work with the different operating systems, experience networking capabilities and they also experience the latest that can be found in terms of the environment to develop software.  

[Anthony Kuroski]  That should fix it.  If we put it back in here that should fix it.

[Timothy E. Cercone]  Students upon graduating from the Computer Science program here at E C C, they have written numerous user manuals and programmer manuals throughout their course work.  These manuals can be part of their portfolio as they are pursuing jobs in the private sector or as they are transferring to four year institutions to indicate the breathe of their work here at E C C.

[Laurette Grupka]  When our students transfer to a four year program, which a lot of our students do, do, our feedback is extremely positive because they come out of here with a very good foundation in C++ and a second language Java and they feel extremely well prepared.

[Anthony Kuroski]  Some of our students have gone on to U B to get a four year degree in the computer science field and they have said that they are very capable at U B and that they feel like they have been very well prepared compared to some of the other students in their classes.  

[Paul Zanolli]  We actually have to go through and show what tricks can be done and what can’t be done… 

[Laurette Grupka]  The strengths of the faculty at E C C in computer science are that they all have extensive math degrees, Master’s level, and most have extensive course work completed on the graduate level in Computer Science itself.

[Timothy E. Cercone]  They frequently attend workshops and conferences to stay up to date with the latest techniques, technology and they bring that into the classroom in a variety of ways.  We employ a lot of different teaching styles such as direct lecture, a lot of group work with the students.

[Laurette Grupka]  Our classroom for Computer Science usually consists of no more than 20 students because of our labs situations.  We want to afford any student that takes a computer science course the ability to work in lab, on their own computer with an instructor’s attention.  

[Timothy E. Cercone]  The teacher is frequently walking up and down the rows and working with students individually, there is a lot of group work among the students themselves, which is excellent for team building.  

[Laurette Grupka] But you are going to have to mimic as you go through because you are going to need constructors everywhere.

[Timothy E. Cercone]  We hope that our students upon graduation will have really had a nice bridge either to the working world or to a four year institution.  We hope that their time here at Erie, since it is a more intimate setting, will be able to form a lot of lasting friendships.