The benefits of using graphics and image processing to help illustrate and reinforce basic programming concepts in introductory courses is well known. But with the increasing popularity of using Python in the introductory courses, instructors may find the standard Python graphics package is too complex and difficult for beginning students. This workshop will introduce and provide hands-on experience in using a new Python graphics module that was designed with an emphasis on its use in the classroom. Participants will work through a variety of exercises from very basic shape drawing and image processing to more advanced animation examples.

The Robot Operating System (ROS) has had a dramatic impact on the field of robotics over the last several years. ROS is an open-source software framework for developing robotics applications. It has become a standard platform with a wide range of supported robots and a vibrant software ecosystem.

This workshop will provide a hands-on introduction to ROS. Participants will have the opportunity to write ROS-based Python programs to control a Turtlebot educational robot. We will discuss the benefits and challenges of using ROS in an undergraduate robotics course.

Note: This workshop will be offered twice, both during the conference on Saturday morning, and after the conference on Saturday afternoon.

As we witness tremendous growth in computing occupations' size and influence over our lives, economy, and security, women continue to be deeply underrepresented. Research on technology organizations demonstrates that gender-diverse teams are more likely to stay on schedule and under budget and have improved employee performance overall. This tutorial will show faculty can contribute to increasing women's participation in computing by developing a comprehensive strategy for recruiting undergraduate computer science students using a "high yield in the short term." This approach encompasses strategies to maximize return with the least efforts for faculty.

One of the greatest challenges in computer science education is the recruitment and retention of students in underrepresented groups. In this workshop, we present a model for a successful enrichment program targeting and supporting students from these groups, used in tandem with CS1 at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

It has been said that students are their own best resource. This session will show how to engage students so that they will engage themselves. When students are teamed, they become responsible for one another and provide one another with incentive to succeed. This session is about student success via team building.

In an effort to improve enrollments and enhance student learning, computer science programs are continually trying new educational experiences and instructional techniques. One item that has been noted as important to student engagement is students' ability to connect academic work to their own experiences. The panelists' presentations will describe experiences with various mechanisms designed to connect typical academic concepts with skills and issues relevant to professional computer scientists. The primary objectives of this panel are to discuss strategies for engaging students and making connections between academic work and their future lives as professional computer scientists.