Focus on Technology

Jens Mache is a real computer guy, you know, he runs UNIX as his operating system, not Windows and DOS. And as a "meister" of the digital domain -- not to mention an Assistant Professor of Computer Science -- his approach to teaching his students about computers is strictly hands on. Read this interesting profile.

Technology Profile -- Jens Mache Jens Mache, who comes from Karlsruhe, Germany, is the latest addition to the Mathematical Sciences department at Lewis & Clark. He began his American experience as an International Student at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, then transferred to the University of Oregon in Eugene where he is completing his PhD in Computer Science. When asked how his interest in computers began, he said he had a compter back in the early 80's and enjoyed playing games. His parents' response to his desire for gaming was "instead of buying games, program them." The rest is history.

Jens, however, takes a refreshing approach to computer science. He doesn't see the field of computer science simply as hardware building or software writing, but rather it is "about algorithmic problem solving." He uses astronomy as an analogy, where telescopes are used to view the larger picture, yet the telescope itself is not intensely studied. Computers are more a tool used to solve the greater problem at hand.

Jens teaches Computer Science 171, where the attending students range in skill from a serious computer user and future CS major to a novice who's really never mastered the double-click. In the past Jens has started his class with a "computer hug" and then on to the "double-click" technique. His class is project-based, so if you don't feel as comfortable writing programs you can always explore the topics of how computers affect our society and our ethics.

In CS 171, the first homework assignment is to find a definition of computer science. This engages the students in a discussion about what technology is and what it does or doesn't do for us. The second homework assignment is to create a web page. Not only does this aid Jens in knowing and recognizing his students, but it also forces the students to break away from the traditional computer science curriculum and be on the user end of technology. Jens does, however, require the students to use EMACS, a general purposes text editor where the students must write the HTML tags in order to create their web sites. This applies the concept of programming in a light that most students (especially novices) can relate to, while also providing a skill that is useful in today's workplace.

By using common computer problems such as the Y2K bug to illustrate lessons in programming, Jens is able to teach students his concept of computer science, that of solving problems algorithmically. For example, the lesson in C programming is pointers and the problem is the Y2K bug. His real-life application of computer science, from writing a program that fixes a date bug to writing a program that makes up a web page, is the type of lesson that teaches students the technical skills necessary to solve computer problems. His use of technology in the classroom combines technical computer science lessons with practical knowledge that can be taken out of the classroom.