1. Providing Curricular Assistance to a Third World Computer Science Department John Paxton Montana State University June 30, 2004

2. Co-Author Karim Heredia Director, Computer Science Department Don Bosco University Soyapango, El Salvador

4. Don Bosco University Founded in the mid 1980s 3500 students 900 computer science majors 7 full time CS faculty (B.S.) 10 part time CS faculty

5. DBU Mission Statement To offer superior scientific and technological education with a solid humanities base to the people of El Salvador, especially the poorest young people. The aim of the training is to produce people illuminated by the Gospel who can be the protagonists in a changing society.

6. Soyapango

7. Mini-Courses TitleSlidesHoursAverage Attendance Common Lisp 1451935 Neural Networks 2241540 Theory of Computing 1431120

8. Mini-Course

9. Mini-Courses http://www.cs.montana.edu/paxton/elsalva dor/salvador.html

10. Attendees 75% students, 25% faculty Don Bosco University University of Central America University of El Salvador

11. Motivation Mini-courses Faculty training Curriculum advising Student projects IEEE CONESCAPAN conference http://conescapan.org.sv/

12. Student Projects

13. Timeline December 2002: invitation April, 2003 – June, 2003: preparation July 15 – August 15, 2003: visit

14. Funding U.S. Embassy Cultural Affairs Division: – plane ticket Don Bosco University: –guest house (laundry, breakfast) –$1100 honorarium –$20 per diem –office space

15. Guest House

16. Office

17. Per Diem

18. Lectures 9:00 a.m. (9:15 a.m.) – noon Air conditioned lecture hall Projector Laptop Translator

19. Lectures

20. Laboratories

21. Publicity Don Bosco University La Prensa Grafica

22. Cultural Quirks Cell phones Timeliness Personal connections Transportation

23. Teaching Tips Hands-on labs Prepare materials in advance Use electronic delivery Take 20 minute breaks Keep written material to a minimum Translation is important

24. Translation

25. Teaching Tips Solicit questions Present certificates 3 hours maximum Interject off-topic cultural material

26. Where is Montana?

27. Improvements Bring a laptop and projector Don’t rely on the internet Schedule events with respect to faculty obligations Do a quantitative evaluation

28. Future Directions A semester visit to Don Bosco University –teach courses –supervise student projects A semester visit to Montana State University –start a master’s degree –take courses Library Grants

29. USAID – ALO USAID – U.S. Agency for International Development Association Liaison Office for University Cooperation in Development 18 awards of up to $100,000 over a two year period Target strategic objectives of USAID missions

30. USAID - ALO Objective: improve the quality of eduction for El Salvador’s poor families Objective: improve the efficiency and productivity of key public and private institutions, particularly those contributing to sustained democracy and development

31. Benefits for Montana State Internationalization Better understanding of gender issues Conference papers Grants

32. Benefits for Don Bosco Internationalization Faculty training Student experience More advanced workforce Better library holdings

33. Questions?