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Supporting Students Where They Are: Bentley's CIS Sandbox
A Q&A with Mark Frydenberg
"The CIS Sandbox has become a space that supports students in their tech learning at whatever stage they are — and now, where ever they are." —Mark Frydenberg
Bentley University's CIS Sandbox is building on 10 years as a technology learning space. Here, CT talks with Mark Frydenberg, a senior lecturer in Computer Information Systems and director of the CIS Sandbox at Bentley, who explains how the CIS Sandbox space supports students where they are — both physically or geographically and in their learning journey.
Mary Grush: The CIS Sandbox is now in its 10th year, known on campus as Bentley's "technology social learning space". Briefly, why was the CIS Sandbox started back in 2011 and what services and functions have been among its most important over these past 10 years?
Mark Frydenberg: When we began our work with the CIS Sandbox, we wanted to reimagine what a university computer lab might look like. For starters, we removed most of the computers (which were facing the walls) and made table space for students to use their laptops — creating a more social, collaborative workspace.
We wanted to reimagine what a university computer lab might look like.
In addition to changing the physical space, we had as a goal to develop a learning community, and a place where people could go to hang out with others who shared their interest in technology. Our primary service has been supporting students in their coursework through peer tutoring. All of that, too, was done in person, in a welcoming technology-rich environment.
Beyond that, we demonstrated that learning could also take place outside of the classroom, by providing informal opportunities for students to meet with industry leaders doing cool things with technology. We reached out to alumni and others to give occasional presentations on technology topics in engaging and innovative ways. One of our most popular programs was on the technology of self-driving cars by a former professor at MIT's AI Lab, who gave students rides in his Tesla after his presentation.
Throughout our first 10 years, we've offered unique co-curricular learning experiences through the CIS Sandbox: Partnering with the Amazon Alexa team to have students test software in development; visiting Microsoft's Innovation Center and Amazon Robotics; learning from Google's education team about the cloud… and much more.
As technology evolved, so did we, making available the latest gadgets, VR headsets, tablets, Raspberry Pi computers, smart speakers — the list goes on — for students to play with and discover on their own.
Grush: So the CIS Sandbox has a rich history that you can build on for its next 10 years as a compelling learning environment for students.
Frydenberg: Yes.
Grush: Given the prevalence of online course formats these days, do students need the CIS Sandbox tutoring support now, more than ever — not just for helping them understand course content, but also for helping some students feel more grounded in cases where online learning formats may be somewhat unfamiliar? How have students responded now that the CIS Sandbox is offering more services online?
Frydenberg: We actually thought students might not come to the CIS Sandbox as often when we moved our services online this past year. But it turns out they come for help even more. For them, it's convenient, and being online and able to share your screen is almost as good as being there.
We actually thought students might not come to the CIS Sandbox as often when we moved our services online this past year. But it turns out they come for help even more.
And learning with peer tutors is reassuring, since students know that the tutors helping them were in their place not too long ago. Our tutors have a knack for explaining technical concepts well, especially to introductory students. These connections have proven incredibly valuable — especially for students whose entire first year was completely remote: The ability to meet other students both in and outside of classes is crucial for building the student's relationship with the university they are only attending virtually for now.
The ability to meet other students both in and outside of classes is crucial for building the student's relationship with the university they are only attending virtually for now.
Grush: How have the CIS Sandbox tutoring services changed in the past year or so, and what are some of the newer features? How has the proportion of online tutoring sessions changed, in contrast with the old familiar face-to-face meeting options?
Frydenberg: Until last year, all of our tutoring was offered in person on a drop-in basis. We dabbled with online tutoring before the pandemic, but students simply liked coming in person. The COVID-19 era changed all that, and caused us to rethink how we offer tutoring services to students in a way that provides as much flexibility as possible for both the tutors and the students they are assisting. So, we started offering tutoring services in four ways: drop-in hours online; drop-in hours in person (following safety guidelines); online review sessions with a tutor assigned to each class; and tutoring on demand by appointment, which I like to call "Uber" tutoring.
Grush: Tutoring that follows an "Uber" model?
Frydenberg: Sure. When you reserve an Uber, you ask for a driver to pick you up at a specific place at a designated time. The same model applies here: Students complete an online form to request a tutor on a given topic and indicate when they want to meet with a tutor. Through a software application, the request is automatically routed to all tutors capable of tutoring in that subject. The first tutor who claims the request may contact the student to set up an appointment on Zoom. This creates an incentive for tutors to accept appointments, and offers flexibility as to when they choose to work. They don't have to set aside a block of hours to be available and wait for someone to show up to meet with them. This model of reserving a tutor is available for students in 17 sections of upper level and graduate courses.
Grush: How else have you made access to tutors easier for students? Would you say that having tutors readily available — whether online or face-to-face — is a very important aspect of the CIS Sandbox services?
Frydenberg: Certainly. We still staff our physical location for a few hours each day so a student taking a hybrid course has a place to go in between classes, or so they can meet with a tutor in person. Tutors working in person also help out online, where we now get most of our drop-in visitors. With fewer students on campus, we've had a decline in our in-person attendance, but offering an open door and giving students a place to meet informally, while socially distant in person is something we wanted to preserve as much as possible during the pandemic.
Offering an open door and giving students a place to meet informally, while socially distant in person is something we wanted to preserve as much as possible during the pandemic.
For introductory courses, we set aside one tutor to meet online with one or two sections of each class every week in a review session. These optional online review sessions allow students to get their questions answered informally, and they can meet other students. By assigning a tutor to each class, the tutor will know exactly what the class is doing, and the students will have a relationship with the tutor. That relationship will extend to the CIS Sandbox and to the university, because students know that the tutors are looking out for them. Especially for incoming students spending their first year learning remotely, creating these easily accessible ties to the university's services is incredibly important.
Grush: What's among the most appreciated benefits to students who use the tutoring services, and what are some of the key benefits to the tutors?
Frydenberg: Students first and foremost get the support they need to succeed in their coursework when they learn with their peer tutors. The conversations they have with their tutors, during which they need to explain their code and their process, help clarify their thinking and solidify their learning. Tutors get to keep their skills current by helping students in the courses they themselves have already taken. For both tutors and students, talking about how to approach a problem and develop its solution, learning how to understand requirements and explain concepts in ways that are accessible, and experiencing how to give and receive feedback are skills that will benefit students and tutors alike, while at the university and long after.
Grush: Over the past year, you had to adapt the CIS Sandbox to function well in an online context, given all the pressures of the pandemic. But did you find that many of the changes you made were also good for the evolution of the CIS Sandbox more generally, and might that be even more helpful for moving into the future?
Frydenberg: As in many areas in higher education, the transition to include more online activity was going happen anyway. I was already teaching online using Zoom when we had snow days, and we had used Zoom in the CIS Sandbox as a screen sharing tool when we had in-person events. At times we offered assistance via text chat with a tutor online. So expanding our services online was certainly a possibility before the pandemic — the pandemic simply made it happen faster. Several of the innovations we introduced during the past year I am sure will continue in some form when we return in person. We learned a lot during the past year and it's important to continue to build on those successes as we navigate our next "new" normal.
As in many areas in higher education, the transition to include more online activity was going happen anyway.
Grush: Another existing feature of the CIS Sandbox that seems to have grown during the past year is the involvement of alumni — both former Bentley students and former CIS Sandbox tutors — in a wonderful online series of programs now called "Topics in Tech," in which they share their real-world experiences with current students. How have these sessions been received at Bentley?
Frydenberg: As a way to mark our 10th anniversary year, I reached out to dozens of former CIS Sandbox tutors and alumni to invite them to speak to current students about careers, the projects they're working on, and how their Bentley experience has benefited them in terms of helping them get where they are today.
The Topics in Tech series began this past fall and continued throughout the spring. Between 15 and 30 students join on Zoom each week, from first-year students in IT 101 exploring career possibilities, to upper-class and graduate students looking for internships and professional networking opportunities. The series is recorded and archived on the CIS Sandbox YouTube channel and on our website.
Each week showcases former CIS Sandbox tutors and Bentley alumni working in a variety of technology careers at tech companies around the country, such as Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Twitter, as well as local companies such as Boston Dynamics, Mendix, Wayfair, KAYAK, athenahealth, and more. They've Zoomed in from as far as Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, as well as New York, Cambridge, and Boston. Our first international alumnus recently joined from Kuwait.
As word spread about this series, several former tutors and alumni have offered to participate, so I now have a "wait list" for the fall. The willingness and interest of our alumni in returning to share their success stories also reflects the success and impact of the CIS Sandbox as a global learning community.
The willingness and interest of our alumni in returning to share their success stories also reflects the success and impact of the CIS Sandbox as a global learning community.
Each week we begin with brief introductions from the attendees before the presenters speak. Doing so gives students attending the opportunity to meet other students with similar interests who may not be in their classes. In an online world, the need to create and foster relationships becomes even more important. The Topics in Tech series is one way that we can continue to develop the community of technology-interested students at Bentley, and keep it going online.
Grush: The title of the most recent Topics in Tech session is "Your Career Path Begins with Embracing Change," with Bentley alum Brian Shield, who is now the VP of IT for the Boston Red Sox. That session title seems to say a lot. Over the past 10 years, can you credit the CIS Sandbox for encouraging agility in future professionals who will need to be ready for the unknown changes ahead?
Frydenberg: Absolutely. During the past 10 years, the CIS Sandbox has become a space that supports students in their tech learning at whatever stage they are — and now, where ever they are — from first year students through graduate school and from fully online students to those dropping in for face-to-face interactions. They are all learning to be ready for change — they've learned to work together in changing modalities; agility is a good fit for them.
They are all learning to be ready for change — they've learned to work together in changing modalities.
Over the years, technology has changed, sometimes dramatically — screens have become bigger, computers have become faster, phones have become smaller, devices have become smarter, worlds have become virtual, everything has become connected. Our use of technology has also changed: We create and share digital media with our phones, use sophisticated coding tools to design and build apps, analyze data, share documents, collaborate in teams, and gather on Zoom for business and pleasure.
Being able to understand, navigate, and adapt to these changes while in a university setting prepares students for their future careers as technology professionals.
[Editor's note: Image courtesy Bentley University, CIS Sandbox.]
