ESTEVAN - Students at the Southeast College's Estevan campus have been exploring the world of computer science through a new course.
Instructor Ryan Gustafson, who is an applied researcher and course instructor at the college's Centre for Sustainable Innovation, said the first class began in early July and will wrap up with a presentation at the upcoming Innovation Conference for Economic Development (ICED) in Rural Areas from Sept. 10-12 in Estevan.
Gustafson is pleased with how the first session went.
"It's really been a lot of fun. In my personal experience, the challenge of traditional, post-secondary education is finding that real-world value. You learn a lot of theoretical knowledge, and it's how do you apply it?" said Gustafson.
"We're also focusing on mentorship, getting that one-on-one feedback, that … time with the instructor," he added later.
The course allows students to remain in the community and attend classes in person.
Working alongside Tania Andrist, the centre's executive director of innovation and applied research, and Southeast TechHub executive director Gordon More, he said they have been developing a plan to bring computer science training to the community to fill a gap in the area.
"We were inspired by the one-room school houses of old and project-based learning … giving them hands-on experience with real-world challenges," said Gustafson.
"Our computer science training through projects program offers students an immersive, hands-on approach to learning computer science and programming by engaging in real-world projects, sourced from local businesses and organizations. Students develop essential 21st-century skills, creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking."
Students have created an app that is AI-powered and is aimed at enhancing networking by matching participants at the ICED conference. Students are also building a yet-unnamed Poppy humanoid robot that is designed to spark interest in technology and serve as a learning tool in robotics.
The class recently partnered with RBC, whose volunteers joined the students for a meeting to run scenarios testing the group app.
"It was a lot of fun working with them. They provided some great feedback from the RBC volunteers, and it was instrumental in fine-tuning the application and offering our students valuable insight into real-world testing and the iteration process," said Gustafson.
The classroom is also partnering with former Estevan resident Andrew Wahba's Tech Career Bridge business which is using AI to match transferrable skills with job opportunities for people who will be affected by the transition away from coal-fired power.
The computer science students are a diverse group, Gustafson said, with an age range of 18-29.
Another course will run from Sept. 24-Dec. 17, with classes on Tuesdays and lab sessions on Thursdays. Gustafson said the college wants to be as accommodating as possible. The course is now posted on the college's website. A $300 bursary is offered upon completion, covering the bulk of the course's $499 cost.
Three new projects will be offered for the fall, and the college is eager to collaborate with local businesses and organizations on applied research and project development.
"If you have a project idea, whether it's a website, web application, data analysis project, robot initiative or anything else, we'd love to work with you," Gustafson said.
Students can take the course multiple times, and four of the five in the first class have expressed an interest in returning. Gustafson said no two courses are the same.
"Each course will be tailored to the projects that we're building, and so it will very much depend on what projects we have, and … learning the skills necessary to complete those projects," said Gustafson.
One of the goals for the fall is to build upon the app for the conference with additional features.
Gustafson has a bachelor of science in engineering and a university certificate in computer information systems, and is currently pursuing a master of science in information systems. He also has experience as a researcher and data engineer, and spent about 15 years working in the oil and gas sector.
