The surge in demand for artificial intelligence and computing education has reached unprecedented levels. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a remarkable wave of enthusiasm for computer science programs has emerged, attracting students from diverse fields including economics, life sciences, and humanities who are eager to harness computational techniques within their primary domains.
Established in 2020, the Common Ground for Computing Education initiative was launched through the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing to address the growing need for enhanced curricula that connect computer science and artificial intelligence with various academic fields. To advance this mission, the Common Ground brings together experts across MIT and fosters collaborations among multiple departments to develop innovative classes and approaches that integrate computing topics with other disciplines.
Dan Huttenlocher, dean of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, along with the chairs of the Common Ground Standing Committee—Jeff Grossman, head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Asu Ozdaglar, deputy dean of academics for the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing and head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science—share insights about the objectives of the Common Ground, ongoing pilot programs, and strategies for engaging faculty to create new curricula for MIT's "computing bilinguals."
Q: What are the objectives of the Common Ground and how does it align with the mission of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing?
Huttenlocher: A fundamental component of our college mission is to educate students who are proficient in both the "language" of computing and that of other disciplines. Machine learning courses, for instance, attract numerous students from outside electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) majors. These students are interested in applying machine learning for modeling within their specific fields rather than focusing on the technical intricacies of machine learning itself as typically taught in Course 6. Therefore, we need innovative approaches to developing computing curricula that provide students with a solid foundation in computing relevant to their interests—enabling them not only to utilize computational tools but also to understand conceptually how these tools can be developed and applied in their primary field, whether it's science, engineering, humanities, business, or design.
The primary goals of the Common Ground are to seamlessly integrate computing education throughout MIT in a coordinated manner, while also serving as a platform for multi-departmental collaborations. All classes and curricula developed through the Common Ground are designed to be created and offered jointly by multiple academic departments to meet 'common' needs. We're bringing cutting-edge developments in rapidly-evolving computer science and artificial intelligence fields together with the problems and methodologies of other disciplines, making the process inherently collaborative. Just as computing is transforming thinking in various disciplines, these disciplines are also influencing how people develop new computing approaches. It cannot be a standalone effort—otherwise, it simply won't succeed.
Q: How is the Common Ground fostering collaborations and engaging faculty across MIT to develop new curricula?
Grossman: The Common Ground Standing Committee was established to oversee the activities of the Common Ground and is responsible for evaluating how best to support and advance program objectives. The committee comprises 29 members—all faculty experts in various computing areas—representing 18 academic departments across all five MIT schools and the college. The committee's structure perfectly aligns with the Common Ground's mission as it draws expertise from all parts of the Institute. Members are organized into subcommittees currently focused on three primary areas: fundamentals of computational science and engineering; fundamentals of programming/computational thinking; and machine learning, data science, and algorithms. These subcommittees, with substantial input from departments, have outlined prototypes for what Common Ground subjects would look like in each area, and several classes have already been piloted to date.
Collaborating with colleagues from different departments has been incredibly rewarding. The level of commitment that everyone on the committee has demonstrated has been truly inspiring, and I share their enthusiasm for pursuing opportunities in computing education.
Q: Could you provide more details about the subjects currently underway?
Ozdaglar: Currently, we offer four courses for students: in the fall semester, there's Linear Algebra and Optimization (offered jointly by the Department of Mathematics and EECS), and Programming Skills and Computational Thinking in-Context (provided by the Experimental Study Group and EECS); in the spring, we offer Modeling with Machine Learning: From Algorithms to Applications, featuring disciplinary modules developed by multiple engineering departments and MIT Supply Chain Management; and Introduction to Computational Science and Engineering, available during both semesters through a collaboration between the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Department of Mathematics.
We've seen enrollment from students across various majors, including mechanical engineering, physics, chemical engineering, economics, and management, among others. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. It's thrilling to witness MIT students accessing these unique educational offerings. Our goal is to empower them to frame disciplinary problems using a robust computational framework, which aligns with one of the core objectives of the Common Ground.
We're planning to expand Common Ground offerings in the coming years and welcome ideas for new subjects. Some initiatives currently in development include classes on causal inference, creative programming, and data visualization with communication. Additionally, this fall, we issued a call for proposals to develop new subjects. We invited instructors from across campus to submit ideas for pilot computing classes that would be valuable across multiple areas and support the educational mission of individual departments. Selected proposals will receive seed funding from the Common Ground to assist in designing, developing, and staffing new, broadly-applicable computing subjects, as well as revising existing subjects in alignment with the Common Ground's objectives. We're specifically looking to facilitate opportunities where multiple departments would benefit from coordinated teaching efforts.
