English

Scaffolding Research Projects in Theory of Computing Courses

Computers and Society 2024-10-03 v1

Abstract

Theory of Computing (ToC) is an important course in CS curricula because of its connections to other CS courses as a foundation for them. Traditional ToC course grading schemes are mostly exam-based, and sometimes a small weight for traditional proof-type assignments. Recent work experimented with a new type of assignment, namely a ``mock conference'' project wherein students approach and present ToC problems as if they were submitting to a ``real'' CS conference. In this paper we massively scaffold this existing project and provide our experiences in running such a conference in our own ToC course.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2410.01712,
  title  = {Scaffolding Research Projects in Theory of Computing Courses},
  author = {Ryan E. Dougherty},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2410.01712},
  year   = {2024}
}
R2 v1 2026-06-28T19:05:32.921Z