SmartClassroom :: Wednesday, July 19, 2006

News & Product Updates

Game On: UCSC to Offer Video Game Design Major

UCSC will offer video game design major this fall. Matt King describes the new video game design major to be offered at UC Santa Cruz starting in autumn, 2006. The major is intended to integrate narrative, artistic, and technical knowledge during the course of earning the bachelor’s degree in computer science.

The major is grounded in basic and advanced computer science courses and allows electives in art, theater, film, music, and economics. The highlight of the major is a yearlong game-design project...(Santa Cruz Sentinel)

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Publication Shows Lack of Student Interest in Computer Science

The New Educational Imperative: Improving High School Computer Science Education, conducted by the CSTA Curriculum Improvement Task Force, provides another look at the relative lack of interest in computer science in high school and how this disinterest deters college students from considering this major in larger numbers.

Even though there will be a pronounced mismatch between qualified applicants and computer science job availability over the next decade, only 26% of high schools require students to take a computer science course. This NSF-supported publication outlines strategies to address this national issue...(Computer Science Teachers Association)

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Report Examines Support of Online Students

“Beyond the Administrative Core: Creating Web-Based Student Services for Online Learners” offers insights into the critical role of supporting the online student at a distance. Created by WCET (Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications), the guidelines discuss student services as providing a conduit between student and community. Personalized and responsive student services are related to student satisfaction, persistence, and course completion...(WCET)

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Featured

  • Graduation cap resting on electronic circuit board

    Preparing Workplace-Ready Graduates in the Age of AI

    Artificial intelligence is transforming workplaces and emerging as an essential tool for employees across industries. The dilemma: Universities must ensure graduates are prepared to use AI in their daily lives without diluting the interpersonal, problem-solving, and decision-making skills that businesses rely on.

  • student reading a book with a brain, a protective hand, a computer monitor showing education icons, gears, and leaves

    4 Steps to Responsible AI Implementation

    Researchers at the University of Kansas Center for Innovation, Design & Digital Learning (CIDDL) have published a new framework for the responsible implementation of artificial intelligence at all levels of education.

  • student and teacher using AI-enabled laptops, with rising arrows on a graph

    Student and Teacher AI Use Jumps Nearly 30% in One Year

    In a recent survey from learning platform Quizlet, 85% of high school and college students and teachers said they use AI technology, compared to 66% in 2024 — a 29% increase year over year.

  • laptop with digital productivity and calendar symbols

    September 2025 Tech Tactics in Education Conference Agenda Announced

    Registration is free for this fully virtual Sept. 25 event, focused on "Overcoming Roadblocks to Innovation" in K-12 and higher education.