Enhancing Community and Program Delivery with Cohorts in a 100 Online Graduate Program in Applied Computer Science

摘要

This poster focuses on the advantages of a cohort matriculation model for a 100% online professional masters program in applied computer science. This program is designed to provide individuals with a bachelor's degree in any discipline the opportunity to gain skills and knowledge needed to retrain for a career in information technology. Among the pedagogical challenges in delivering this program include an ability to foster a sense of a community among online students that is integral to student success and retention, and prepare students to effectively work in groups and on team oriented projects when they are unable to engage each otherface to face. Additionally, there are administrative challenges for a small academic department to efficiently recruit and admit new students and manage resources to support the program. This poster discusses our implementation of a cohort model as an effective way to help address these challenges.