NSF program information
MAP-CS is situated within the National Science Foundation's broader portfolio of efforts to strengthen STEM education and institutional capacity, including programs that support innovation in undergraduate STEM education.
Why this project matters
- Helps CS departments develop or update undergraduate majors to meet evolving student needs while balancing international curriculum guidelines with local priorities.
- Supports mission-aligned CS programs at liberal arts and primarily undergraduate institutions that play a key role in the STEM workforce.
- Builds long-term capacity for ongoing curriculum innovation and institutional change.
National interest and project design
This project aims to serve the national interest by helping computer science departments develop or update undergraduate majors to meet evolving student needs while balancing international guidelines for CS curricula with local needs and priorities.
Liberal arts institutions play an important role in educating the nation's STEM workforce, with roughly a third of CS majors each year graduating from liberal arts and primarily undergraduate institutions.
CS curricula require regular revision to respond to advances in the discipline, changing employer needs, and shifts in student preparation and goals.
Backward design process and outcomes
The project plans to guide departments through a backward design process in which mission and goals drive later decisions about program outcomes, curriculum structure, and the selection of core and elective content.
This process is grounded in curriculum design literature and designed to work alongside the latest international curriculum guidelines, including CS2023 ACM/IEEE-CS/AAAI Computer Science Curricula.
Evaluation strategies include analysis of revised curricula and associated documentation, participant feedback through surveys and focus groups, and longitudinal data on program change.