Kenny Moorman

Professor of Computer Science

As a professor, there is nothing that Kenneth Moorman enjoys more than seeing one of his students succeed in the post-Transylvania world. Unless, of course, it’s convincing non-computer science majors that the subject near and dear to his heart can offer something of value to them as well. Either way, Moorman revels in his students’ success, something he’s grown quite accustomed to since joining the Transylvania faculty in 1997.

Part of that success is due, in part, to Moorman’s belief that the undergraduate classroom, where the presentation of information is critical, should not focus on “dry lectures.” Rather, he says, the classroom should provide “opportunities for active involvement by the students.”

“Most computer science courses have a significant hands-on aspect; this needs to be encouraged with both formal lab sessions and independent work,” Moorman adds.

Likewise, Moorman believes undergraduates should be exposed to research-style projects to prepare interested students for further work in research. Several of his students have worked with him over the summer, including one who created a chess playing system on a new chip architecture and another who programmed a variation of the SLAM robotic navigation system on a Sony AIBO dog.

In addition, to help prepare students for the workplace, he insists on providing opportunities for group work.

“While individual work is important, it is also relevant to future work experience to learn how to work in and contribute to a team effort,” he says. “Many students feel uncomfortable with this approach, especially those expecting to receive credit based solely on their own efforts, but it is an undeniable fact that many real-world projects are group ones.”

Computer science, like so many fields, changes at a staggering pace. This means we cannot focus on imparting a set of facts and techniques to our students. Instead, we drive our students to become true CS practitioners. When a new technology becomes available, they will have the confidence and foundation to learn it on their own.

Moorman’s teaching philosophy meshes well with the Transylvania liberal arts approach to problem solving, which he says enables student to succeed no matter which postgraduate route they take.

“Whenever possible, a background of interdisciplinary topics should be the foundation of any course. No course stands alone; every one represents an opportunity to demonstrate how a particular field fits into a larger context of learning,” he says.

Further, “this liberal arts approach aids the student by emphasizing learning over simply remembering the facts of a particular field. The ultimate goal is to produce a general-purpose thinker.”

Throughout Moorman’s tenure, he has taught a variety of courses, including the extremely popular Game Design course, operating systems, artificial intelligence, introduction to robotics, and computer organization. He is widely published on topics of creativity, reading, science fiction, and comic books.

Kenneth Moorman’s website

Academic History

Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology, Cognitive Science Certificate, 1997
M.S., Georgia Institute of Technology, 1996
B.A., Transylvania University, 1991

Courses Taught at Transy

Operating Systems
Artificial Intelligence
Introduction to Robotics
Computer Organization
Linux Fundamentals

Areas of Specialization

Creative understanding
Computational modeling of the mammalian auditory system
Intelligent Web browsing
Reverse dictionaries
Small-scale robotics
Intersection of reading comprehension and robotic navigation

Awards

Fannie and John Hertz Fellow
Bingham Award for Excellence in Teaching
Third place, Lulu Awards at the Lulu Technology Circus

Recent Publications

Tyler Scully and Kenneth Moorman, “The rise of vigilantism in 1980 comics: Reasons and outcomes,” The Journal of Popular Culture (accepted).

“The Depiction of Artificial Intelligence in Robert A. Heinlein’s Work,” Foundation: The International Review Of Science Fiction, 108, 2011.

Kenneth Moorman and Dee Parks, “Using Robots in Undergraduate AI Courses at Small Universities,” FLAIRS-2010 Special Track on Artificial Intelligence Education, Daytona Beach, Fla., May 2010.

Dee Parks, Andrew R. Dalton, Kenneth Moorman, and William Kreahling, “Subsumption architecture model suitable at many levels,” 2009 International Conference on Frontiers of Education: Computer Science and Computer Engineering, Las Vegas, Nev., July 2009.

Kenneth Moorman and Dee Parks, “Computer science in general education courses,” 2009 International Conference on Frontiers of Education: Computer Science and Computer Engineering, Las Vegas, Nev., July 2009.