Abstract

Enrollments in Computer Science programs have been in precipitous decline nationwide since the dot-com bubble burst in 2001. It is critical to national economic and physical security that we maintain excellence in information technology, and such excellence will come from successfully educating adequate numbers of talented, motivated computer science students. This article will address issues of student enrollment, learning and retention as more computer science courses are delivered online. It contains descriptions of literature addressing issues surrounding online course delivery and student retention in computer science programs in the context of so-called “digital natives” (Prensky, 2001) being taught with “digital immigrant” pedagogy. A case study in the use of synchronous online learning technology is described. The argument is made that virtual synchronous learning activities can improve learning and retention of students in online courses in this critical field.