Summer courses at Khoury College: An enriching and unique academic experience
Author: Jessica Brite
Date: 08.05.21
For first-year computer science major Rishan Annadurai, there is one moment that stands out from the last few months of classes.
“When you’re reading those [notes] and it’s starting to click in your mind,” he said, “you read it, then you start to code it and you’re like ‘Wow, I can actually do it.’”
That kind of moment is something students and professors continue to work towards to make the most of their summer learning experiences at the Khoury College of Computer Sciences. With course offerings available for the undergraduate and graduate programs, students can continue their academic journey over the summer.
“I really enjoy summer courses and I think they are very fun,” said Emily Minor, a fourth-year computer science and philosophy major. “I’ve done at least 24 credits over the summer as far as I’ve been here.”
![students working on computers](https://s44427.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/linderpix-NU-KCCS-24813-web.jpg)
Unlike full undergraduate semesters that average about 15 weeks, the summer is split into two seven-week-long semesters: Summer 1 and Summer 2. Students take classes more frequently during the week and learn the material at essentially double the pace of full semesters. While this may seem daunting, students adjust.
“Even if students don’t have the reference point to compare to the fall, we know the professor does,” said Annadurai. Going into Summer 1, he knew class would be taught at a faster cadence but was not too worried because professors were accustomed to teaching at this pace.
“I do have to try to make the course somehow, in the way I teach it, more approachable to students in these circumstances,” said Walter Schnyder, an associate teaching professor at Khoury College who is teaching “Theory of Computation” this summer. “[The way the course is taught] does demand more consideration compared to a regular time.”
The graduate program, however, offers classes that span the full summer, so the pace of learning is quite similar to that of the fall and spring semesters.
The summer courses offered at Khoury College range from introductory required courses to advanced required courses to select electives. While the summer offerings may not be as diverse as those in full semesters, there is enough variety so that no matter how far along a student is into their degree program, there is a course available for them.
“Discrete Structures” (CS 1800) is a recurring summer undergraduate introductory course which many students take between their first and second years.
“It really lays the foundation for what a computer can do and what kinds of problems we are able to solve as computer scientists,” said Dr. Laney Strange, an associate teaching professor at Khoury College who is teaching the course this summer.
Students also can use summer courses to figure out what other classes they want to take further on.
“As it gets closer to the end of the semester, we are seeing things like graphs and the run times of algorithms, so that can help students say ‘Hey, this kind of stuff is interesting, where can I get more of that?’” said Dr. Strange. “[The class] puts a lot of formality around programming, and they can take that with them to other programming classes.”
“Theory of Computation” (CS3800) is another undergraduate required course that is being offered in both Summer 1 and Summer 2.
“The class shows how one can mathematically prove [that] a problem is easy, hard, or impossible to compute. So, any person who tries to use computers to solve problems does need that background,” said Professor Schnyder, speaking on the importance of the course.
For the graduate program, classes like “Supervised Machine Learning and Learning Theory” (DS5220) and “Intro to Programming for Data Science” (DS5010) are being offered for the full summer.
“[The material] is important for their careers because most of the tools that they will use as data scientists rely on the algorithms that they use in class, so it’s very basic knowledge that they must have, even to pass an interview,” said Roi Yehoshua, an assistant teaching professor, who is teaching both DS5220 and DS5010 this summer.
In all of these classes, the course material is meant to teach students industry concepts that are important to their career pursuits. This is something that students consider when selecting their summer courses.
“The field that I am getting my masters in, it’s separated into two kinds of machine learning: supervised and unsupervised. So, because I will be going for co-op next January, it was important for me to take these classes before applying so that I have substantial learning of it,” said Parth Bhatt, a first-year data science graduate student. “Also, I can show in my resumé I have done some projects in this area.”
Even just having the option to take classes over the summer before co-op, can give students peace of mind that they are prepared to seek an internship.
The lower summer enrollment across the graduate and undergraduate programs also adds to the experience.
“It is a smaller class, so it has a different flavor than the larger class,” said Professor Schnyder. “I may know some students better than if there were 100 of them, and the same is also for the TAs. They get to know the different students better.”
![students walking through campus](https://s44427.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/linderpix-NU-KCCS-24227-web.jpg)
Aside from class, students and professors look forward to a livelier campus due to the sunny weather and more lax energy from students.
“What I really like is that it is warm outside, and I can consistently walk places,” said Minor. She also expressed how the weather helps her feel more relaxed and motivated to go places to study.
Overall, the summer learning experience at Khoury College is not only academically enriching, but also essential for every Northeastern student to experience.
“The events on campus this summer are engaging, so you can come forth and meet more people and have a social gathering,” said Bhatt. “If I didn’t take a summer course, I would have missed those experiences of connecting with peers of my own and making connections, and that’s the important part.”
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