Mark Guzdial
Encyclopedia
Mark Joseph Guzdial is a Professor
in the School of Interactive Computing
at the Georgia Institute of Technology
affiliated with the College of Computing
and the GVU Center
. He is best known for his research in the fields of computer science education and the learning sciences
. From 2001-2003, he was selected to be an ACM
Distinguished Lecturer and in 2007 he was appointed Vice-Chair of the ACM Education Board Council. He was the original developer of the CoWeb (or Swiki
), one of the earliest wiki engines, which was implemented in Squeak
and has been in use at institutions of higher education since 1998. He is the inventor of the Media Computation approach to learning introductory computing, which uses contextualized computing education to attract and retain students.
. He attended Wayne State University
for his undergraduate studies, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science
in 1984. He received a master's degree
in 1986 in Computer Science and Engineering at Wayne State University
. Guzdial went on to receive a Ph.D.
at the University of Michigan
in 1993 in Computer Science
and Education
where he was advised by Elliot Soloway. His thesis, “Emile: Software-Realized Scaffolding for Science Learners Programming Multiple Media”, was an environment for high school science learners to program multimedia demonstrations and physics simulations. Upon graduation from the University of Michigan, Guzdial accepted a position as an assistant professor
at the Georgia Institute of Technology
College of Computing
. Guzdial was married to Barb Ericson in July 1985. They have three children, Matthew, Katherine, and Jennifer.
His Media Computation course has been taught at Georgia Tech since 2003 and has shown increases in computing across underrepresented groups, including women and minorities. Guzdial’s Media Computation curriculum is being used at universities across the country. He received a grant from the National Science Foundation
in 2006 to pursue his “Using Media Computation to Attract and Retain Students in Computing” curriculum.
Guzdial is currently serving as Program Co-Chair of the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE) 2008 Annual Symposium, the largest computing education conference in the world. Guzdial was director of the Director of Undergraduate Programs (including the BS in Computer Science, BS in Computational Media, and Minor in Computer Science) until 2007. He is Lead Principal Investigator on Georgia Computes, a National Science Foundation Broadening Participation in Computing alliance focused on increasing the number and diversity of computing students in the state of Georgia. He has published dozens of scholarly articles in peer review
ed journals
and has given invited presentations at academic conference
s such as SIGCSE
and ICER
. He is a member of numerous academic journals and professional societies, including IEEE
, ACM
, and AERA
.
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
in the School of Interactive Computing
Georgia Institute of Technology School of Interactive Computing
The School of Interactive Computing is an academic unit located within the College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology . It conducts both research and teaching activities related to interactive computing at the undergraduate and graduate levels...
at the Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
affiliated with the College of Computing
Georgia Institute of Technology College of Computing
The College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology has roots stretching back to an Information Science degree established in 1964. In 1988, Georgia Tech president John Patrick Crecine elevated the School of Information and Computer Science to become the College of Computing, making...
and the GVU Center
GVU Center
The GVU Center at Georgia Tech is an interdisciplinary research center located near Technology Square in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, and affiliated with the Georgia Institute of Technology. It was founded by James D. Foley, the Center's first director, on October 15, 1992. According to U.S....
. He is best known for his research in the fields of computer science education and the learning sciences
Learning sciences
The term Learning Sciences refers to an interdisciplinary field that works to further scientific understanding of learning as well as to engage in the design and implementation of learning innovations, and improvement of instructional methodologies...
. From 2001-2003, he was selected to be an ACM
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
Distinguished Lecturer and in 2007 he was appointed Vice-Chair of the ACM Education Board Council. He was the original developer of the CoWeb (or Swiki
Swiki
Swiki is wiki software written in Squeak. It is used heavily by the Georgia Institute of Technology's College of Computing. It is also used in K-12 education and has been used successfully with 4th graders and higher...
), one of the earliest wiki engines, which was implemented in Squeak
Squeak
The Squeak programming language is a Smalltalk implementation. It is object-oriented, class-based and reflective.It was derived directly from Smalltalk-80 by a group at Apple Computer that included some of the original Smalltalk-80 developers...
and has been in use at institutions of higher education since 1998. He is the inventor of the Media Computation approach to learning introductory computing, which uses contextualized computing education to attract and retain students.
Personal life
Mark Guzdial was born in MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. He attended Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
for his undergraduate studies, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
in 1984. He received a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in 1986 in Computer Science and Engineering at Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...
. Guzdial went on to receive a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1993 in Computer Science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
and Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
where he was advised by Elliot Soloway. His thesis, “Emile: Software-Realized Scaffolding for Science Learners Programming Multiple Media”, was an environment for high school science learners to program multimedia demonstrations and physics simulations. Upon graduation from the University of Michigan, Guzdial accepted a position as an assistant professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the Georgia Institute of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology
The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...
College of Computing
Georgia Institute of Technology College of Computing
The College of Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology has roots stretching back to an Information Science degree established in 1964. In 1988, Georgia Tech president John Patrick Crecine elevated the School of Information and Computer Science to become the College of Computing, making...
. Guzdial was married to Barb Ericson in July 1985. They have three children, Matthew, Katherine, and Jennifer.
Georgia Tech
Guzdial currently directs the Contextualized Support for Learning Lab (CSL), a team of faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students who design and implement innovative technology for the goal of improving learning. Guzdial’s research projects include Media Computation, an approach that emphasizes context in computer science education, using programming languages, lectures examples, and programming assignments from those contexts that students recognize as being authentic and relevant for computing.His Media Computation course has been taught at Georgia Tech since 2003 and has shown increases in computing across underrepresented groups, including women and minorities. Guzdial’s Media Computation curriculum is being used at universities across the country. He received a grant from the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
in 2006 to pursue his “Using Media Computation to Attract and Retain Students in Computing” curriculum.
Guzdial is currently serving as Program Co-Chair of the ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE) 2008 Annual Symposium, the largest computing education conference in the world. Guzdial was director of the Director of Undergraduate Programs (including the BS in Computer Science, BS in Computational Media, and Minor in Computer Science) until 2007. He is Lead Principal Investigator on Georgia Computes, a National Science Foundation Broadening Participation in Computing alliance focused on increasing the number and diversity of computing students in the state of Georgia. He has published dozens of scholarly articles in peer review
Peer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
ed journals
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
and has given invited presentations at academic conference
Academic conference
An academic conference or symposium is a conference for researchers to present and discuss their work. Together with academic or scientific journals, conferences provide an important channel for exchange of information between researchers.-Overview:Conferences are usually composed of various...
s such as SIGCSE
SIGCSE
SIGCSE is the Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education, which provides a forum for educators to discuss issues related to the development, implementation, and/or evaluation of computing programs, curricula, and courses, as well as syllabi,...
and ICER
ICER
ICER is a wavelet-based image compression file format used by the NASA Mars Rovers. ICER has both lossy and lossless compression modes.The Mars Exploration Rovers “Spirit” and “Opportunity” both use ICER...
. He is a member of numerous academic journals and professional societies, including IEEE
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a non-profit professional association headquartered in New York City that is dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence...
, ACM
Association for Computing Machinery
The Association for Computing Machinery is a learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 as the world's first scientific and educational computing society. Its membership is more than 92,000 as of 2009...
, and AERA
American Educational Research Association
The American Educational Research Association, or AERA, was founded in 1916 as a professional organization representing educational researchers in the United States and around the world....
.
Selected publications
- Introduction to Computing and Programming with Java: A Multimedia Approach with Barbara Ericson (2006)
- Introduction to Computing and Programming in Python: A Multimedia Approach (2004)
- Squeak: Open Personal Computing and Multimedia with Kim Rose (2001)
- Squeak: Object-Oriented Design with Multimedia Applications (2000)