By Jamie Jonkman
The Computer Science Department has designed a new minor for the computer illiterate.
The minor is designed for students in non-technical majors, such as humanities or the fine arts, who feel they need more computer knowledge and experience to enhance their degree.
'Because of the World Wide Web, the computer is no longer just for techies,' said Dan Olsen, a professor of computer science and chair of the university''s Informatics Committee.
Many of the majors involved already have limited classes in basic computer skills, such as Web designing. Now they have come together with the Computer Science Department to create an all-inclusive computer basic minor.
Harold Hendricks, a professor in humanities, said the university has been looking to give non-scientific students a stronger advantage in computers.
The new minor is called CpIn, or Computer Information, and consists of 18 credits, starting with basic computer understanding and moving up to electives designed to meet specific needs for different majors.
'This is not for the technical student,' said Mel Smith, a senior research consultant in the Humanities Research Center.
Smith said he is excited about the success of this new minor.
'This is going to be a great program,' he said. 'A lot of students are interested in this training to augment their program.'
The first class, computer science 100, is required for admittance into the minor.
'It is a three-day-a-week magic show,' Olsen said, referring to the class.
Because the minor is new, many of the CpIn classes are not listed in the fall schedule.
Students who have already taken computer science 100 are being contacted to inform them of the new classes that will open this fall, Smith said.
A similar minor, Chum, or Computers in Humanities, has been successful for humanities students.
'Typically, we hear from juniors and seniors who wish they had heard about it sooner,' Hendricks said.
Chuck Bush, the assistant coordinator for Chum said the difference between Chum and CpIn is that Chum was created for humanities students and CpIn is larger and more inclusive for all students.
'We like to think of it as Chum for the rest of the university,' Bush said.
More information about the new minor is available at the informatics Web site: informatics.byu.edu.