News
DUCA
Bridge Magazine, Fall 2009
Summer camp — the term used to evoke images of log cabins, bunk beds, canoeing, campfires and bug spray. In recent years, however, students have sought summer programs through which they can develop new skills that will serve them in college and beyond. One of the newest programs offered at Drexel University meets the needs of those students interested in computing and technology.
Drexel University Computing Academy (DUCA) is not your typical summer camp.
Sponsored by The iSchool at Drexel, College of Information Science and Technology and Drexel University’s Department of Computer Science from the College of Engineering, DUCA is a five-week residential program that immerses high school students in the college experience. Students live in dorms, dine at University facilities and take courses with Drexel faculty.
The program is designed to expand students’ knowledge in the field of information technology and software development, while also teaching them about project management and leadership. The collaboration between the iSchool and the College of Engineering allows the program to effectively cover a range of computer technology and application topics. DUCA receives additional faculty support from Drexel’s Bennett S. LeBow College of Business and Antoinette Westphal College of Media Arts & Design.
During DUCA, students pursue two tracks of study: software development, through which students learn the many steps of software development, and networks, where students learn to construct and manage computer networks. The program’s curriculum also includes courses in human-computer interaction, robotics, game design, animation and marketing. Additionally, students participate in Independent Team Projects throughout the program. Through the Independent Team Projects, students explore how they can apply computer and information technology to solve everyday problems.
“This is a great opportunity to experience what college is really like,” said Academic Director Jeffrey Popyack. “It’s a lot more revealing than an overnight visit. In many ways, it’s a microcosm of the freshman year experience. Students get a close-up view of the Computer Science, Information Systems, Information Technology and Software Engineering programs. I hope they will return here as freshmen — and bring their friends with them!”
Throughout the program, DUCA’s Residential Life Team works toward creating an engaging environment outside the classroom providing students with a well-rounded range of extracurricular activities, which include athletics, dance lessons, game nights and field trips.
DUCA is an outgrowth of the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for Information, Society and Technology (PGSIST), which was hosted at Drexel from 1998 through 2008. In February 2009, funding for PGSIST was eliminated, one of many programs affected by sweeping state budget cuts.
DUCA was developed as an alternative program to meet the demand for a quality summer educational experience for college-bound high school sophomores and juniors.
“When budget cuts were announced, calls and e-mails from students and parents started coming in,” said iSchool Dean David E. Fenske. “There is a demand for a program that is educational and helps students develop skills they will take with them well beyond high school. DUCA was developed to meet this demand.”
High school students attend summer computing academy
Josh Kurtz The Triangle 7/17/09
June 28 marked the beginning of the five-week Drexel University Computing Academy, a program for high school students that replaced the Pennsylvania Governor's School for Information, Society and Technology. This Governor's School had been held at Drexel since 1999 until its funding was eliminated earlier in 2009 due to state budget cuts.
DUCA is being run by the College of Engineering's Department of Computer Science and the College of Information Science and Technology (iSchool). The program features 25 high school students from Pennsylvania and New Jersey, most of whom are from the greater Philadelphia area. All students in the program recently completed their junior year of high school, though Drexel also opened the program to students who recently finished their sophomore year.
Jeffrey Popyack, associate professor in Computer Science and academic director of DUCA, said it was a shock to find out the Governor's School was canceled.
"[The Governor's School had] been a program that we enjoyed running and wanted to continue doing," Popyack said.
Popyack and others who had helped with the school decided to institute a replacement summer offering at Drexel.
Unlike the Governor's School, students attending DUCA pay tuition. Tuition costs a total $4,000 per student, $3,000 of which is eligible to be repaid as a scholarship if the student chooses to attend Drexel, according to Popyack. The remaining costs of the program are shared among the iSchool, College of Engineering, Provost's Office and Enrollment Management.
Popyack said he hopes students participating in the program will consider attending Drexel. Students who participated in the Governor's School at Drexel have attended the University, some majoring in subjects similar to those covered in the program.
Students participating in DUCA learn about different computer-related topics and later in the program choose a specific concentration track. Subjects covered include programming, object-oriented analysis and design, human-computer interaction, databases and game design. Non-technical subjects include leadership, marketing and computer ethics. DUCA also offers a course that focuses on information about Drexel and the co-op program.
Monica Jacobs from Swarthmore, Pa., said she liked the fact that they get to try a variety of different things in IT through the program.
Another student, Robbie Rozansky from Abington, Pa.said he likes the programming class in Python, a computer language.
In addition to attending classes, the students participate in activities including movie nights, bowling and salsa dancing. They reside in Myers Hall during the program.
Popyack said he has been very happy with the students in the program and that they are a talented, enthusiastic and very congenial group.
"It's great to see students that young getting into programming," Mike Dalton, a junior majoring in computer science and teaching assistant at DUCA, said.
Even if the Governor's School returns in the future, Popyack said Drexel would like to keep DUCA. A part of the program could potentially be devoted to the Governor's School, he added.
In the future DUCA would also like to increase the number of students participating in the program to 50. This number would be closer to the enrollment of previous years' Governor's Schools at Drexel. The program may also look for sponsors from organizations such as corporations or government.
In addition to Drexel, Lehigh University also organized a program to replace their Governor's School. Many colleges who had hosted a Governor's School were unable to create a replacement program.
Unlike the Governor's School, DUCA is open to out-of-state residents and students who recently finished their sophomore year of high school.
Popyack said he has "been really happy about the way [the department of computer science] and the iSchool have been able to work together" on the program.
DUCA is one of the larger projects the two have worked on together.