Student Blogs - Expression and Exposure

It is acknowledged that student blogs in computer science courses can strengthen student communication skills, but it is rarely reported that these blogs can also provide a window into their authors' multiple facets, which can thus be observed by their instructors and peers alike. Computer science (CS) students are not one-dimensional; they have interests outside of CS that are often hidden, isolated from their CS experience, but which, if integrated into the CS education, could enrich their experience, increase their motivation, and enhance their relationships with peers. We have discovered that when students write regular blogs, they use them as opportunities to express those interests and reveal talents that can be leveraged by faculty to their advantage. What we learn through these blogs helps us to increase student engagement in the course and makes us better advisers for their career in school and beyond. Common to the structure of our courses is that students are encouraged to review each others' blogs, which are in public repositories, and to make suggestions to improve them. This mutual and collective review process is beneficial to all of them, because they learn about and help each other in a positive way. Students also learn about themselves by being able to look back at how their ideas evolved, how much they learned, and what they have accomplished. In this poster we present the structure of the blog component in our classes, and discuss the benefits and difficulties of this approach.