Mr. SMART
Information and Computer Science (ICS) major David Lamb learned the hard way that UCI does not recognize computer science courses from some community colleges.
Norm Jacobson
“If I had known that from the beginning of my college experience, I would have focused more on general education at the community college level and just taken courses in the ICS major at UCI,” Lamb said.
Articulation troubles experienced by ICS transfer students like David Lamb inspired Bren School Senior Lecturer Norm Jacobson to create the SMART-ICS program.
SMART-ICS, the Standardized Major Requirements to Transfer into Information and Computer Science, is a unique articulation program that allows community college students to meet the lower-division computer science and mathematics course requirements of the ICS major by covering designated topics and meeting a programming proficiency requirement, rather than by a series of course-to-course articulations.
Transfer students completing the SMART-ICS requirements come to the ICS major immediately prepared to begin upper-division courses in ICS. SMART-ICS does not affect ICS' course-to-course articulation options; they are still in place and available.
A SMART IDEA
Check out our spotlight page to read more profiles of Bren School students, faculty and alumni.“I made the effort because I thought it was a great way to improve the success of transfer students here, to help them 'graduate on time,' and to provide yet one more reason why a transfer student would want to come to the Bren School,” Jacobson said. “As of now, we are the only computer science SMART program in the state, perhaps the only one in any major.”
Since its inception in March 2003, two community colleges, Long Beach City College and Orange Coast College, have signed SMART agreements with the Bren School.
Fullerton College is close to becoming the third community college and Jacobson expects to have a SMART agreement in place by the start of their Fall semester.
"It was at an IMPAC meeting where participating faculty came up with this approach," Jacobson said.
IMPAC, the Intersegmental Major Preparation Articulated Curriculum is a statewide faculty group that looks at articulation issues; Jacobson is a member of IMPAC's Computer Science Discipline faculty group.
At UCI, Jacobson presented the SMART concept to George Lueker, then Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs for the Bren School; he, in turn, presented it to Dean Debra J. Richardson and other administrators and the faculty in the Bren School.
“I provided the data these folks needed to decide if SMART was a good idea, such as preparing explanatory material, the SMART Chart, and the basic material that now appears on the Web page,” Jacobson said.SPREADING THE WORD
Once the program was approved, Jacobson had to spread the word to local community colleges.
“I started talking to a few chosen, local community college computer science chairs and Deans to encourage them to make a SMART agreement with us,” Jacobson said. “I've found direct contact with Deans and Chairs to be most effective, so I initiate those conversations, via email or phone, targeting one or two schools at a time.”
As the SMART coordinator, community colleges work closely with Jacobson to establish SMART agreements with the Bren School.
“I provide them information, guidance and feedback as they develop their program,” Jacobson said. “I also do the "pre-final" review; that is, make sure that their proposed approach to satisfy SMART requirements in fact does so. I then take their proposal to George Lueker for final approval.”
SMARTER
Currently the SMART program only covers the ICS major. However, Jacobson is working on expanding the program to include the Bren School’s three other majors.
“We are looking at Computer Science (CS) to be first, since its requirements are similar to ICS (in the first two years, which is what SMART covers),” Jacobson said. “We would include Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at some point, but it is more challenging, as the material covered in CSE courses that are not part of the CS/ICS majors is not often covered at community colleges.”
The Informatics degree has begun its own initiative with Coastline Community College, coordinated by Informatics professor Andre van der Hoek and Dean Debra J. Richardson.
“It may well be that a SMART agreement for Informatics falls out of the work they are doing there to create a community college Informatics curriculum,” Jacobson said. “As other colleges adopt that curriculum, we should be able to easily arrange Informatics SMART agreements with them.”
For more information on the program, visit the SMART-ICS website or contact Norm Jacobson.
- Eric Kowalik