Communications of the ACM
Making Music Wins Over Computer Science Majors
A student works on a sound mix during a Wake Forest University computer science class.
Credit: Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University professor Jennifer Burg led a research effort to see if a hands-on music project as part of an entry-level digital music class could help students learn complex computer science concepts. Burg let students immediately use several digital music tools, such as the Audacity and Sonar programs, while she asked questions and performed demonstrations. She then assigned textbook readings, and the students used the technology to complete a project.
Burg's students reported an increased understanding of such topics as sampling and quantization, sound synthesis for MIDI, and aliasing. In addition, the students showed an increased aptitude and interest in electronics, physics, and math, among other topics.
"Students don't learn linearly anymore. They are of a much more need-to-know nature, because there is so much more information out there," Burg says. "If you give the students a lot more ownership and allow them to pursue their ideas rather than direct them too closely, you get much better results because they are so creative and they have great ideas."
The researchers also created an interactive, online text to accompany the coursework.
From Wake Forest University
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