We live in an ever-changing world, and it\u2019s frequently hard to keep up. So just imagine the rapid-fire environment of computer science, where yesterday\u2019s innovations can become obsolete today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA large part of a computer science professor’s job consists of sifting through the overwhelming amount of new knowledge constantly being generated,\u201d Robert England said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Passing on that knowledge to students is the other part of the challenge. \u201cA computer science student can only truly learn by doing, and the professor’s role is one of an enabler and a guide\u2014not a walking encyclopedia of technical ephemera or computer language syntax.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
England\u2019s areas of interest range from Apple software development\u2014including apps for mobile computing devices such as the iPhone and the iPad\u2014to computer music algorithms. He has witnessed the changes in computer programming over the last 20 years and appreciates how they have affected what computer science professionals need to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMobile device users have such high expectations for a professional look and feel, and the software to accommodate these expectations is so complex, that programmers can no longer hope to achieve satisfactory results by developing software from the ground up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Developers must now rely on libraries of prepackaged code modules. Rather than focusing on learning how to write their own computer code, the emphasis for developers is now shifting toward learning what modules are available to them and how to use and combine these modules to construct apps that meet the increasingly high standards of increasingly discerning users.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n I enjoy sharing the feelings of accomplishment that students have when they wrestle with a particularly difficult problem and eventually come out on top.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Since many of us now walk around with computers in our hands, we understand how computing has permeated nearly every area of our lives. According to England, computer science has become a subject that integrates easily into other liberal arts studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll disciplines now use computing to some degree as a matter of course. Works of art and musical compositions are created with computers. Many of the gains in modern science would not have been possible without computers. Computing applications abound in business, the humanities, and the social sciences. Familiarity with a variety of disciplines enables a computer science student to pursue his\/her specific interests\u2014even in areas not traditionally considered to be computer related.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Transylvania, students taking computer science classes have the advantage of working closely with their professors\u2014professors who believe it\u2019s their job to stay on top of the ever-changing field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStudents receive a high degree of individual attention and have far greater access to their professors than they would at most schools. Our computer science faculty stay current in our discipline, and we work hard at rapidly developing new state-of-the-art courses in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence and programming mobile devices. Such newer courses rarely appear so quickly in schools as small as Transylvania.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ph.D., Computer Science, The University of Tennessee, 1989 Information and Communication Technology Computer music algorithms Bingham Teaching Award Worked in Bergen, Norway, as a research computer scientist at the Christian Michelsen Institute and became a fan of Scandinavian design; now owns several chairs designed by Peter Opsvik for the Stokke furniture company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rescued a one-day-old orphaned dog, which he hand fed with a baby-doll bottle for weeks. Buddha now romps regularly at the neighborhood dog park. \u201cI am the only parent he has ever known.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n A Software Development Course Featuring iPad App Construction, Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, Vol.27:5, May 2012, and online at The ACM Digital Library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Team Software Development Course Featuring iPad Programming (abstract only), SIGCSE ’12: Proceedings of the 43rd ACM technical symposium on Computer Science Education, February 2012, and online at The ACM Digital Library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Multilevel Symbolic Music Alignment Algorithm, Proceedings of the International Computer Music Conference, New York City, June 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The PNTFS File System in the Moses2 Operating System Environment Simulator, Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, Vol.25:5, May 2010, and online at The ACM Digital Library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Teaching Principles of Shared Resource Management with the Moses2 Microcomputer Operating System Environment, Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, Vol.21:5, May 2006, and online at The ACM Digital Library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Teaching Concepts of Virtual Memory with the Moses2 Microcomputer Operating System Environment Simulator, Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, Vol.20:6, June 2005, and online at The ACM Digital Library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Freedom within Structural Constraints in the DarkRide Composition Harrican Day, Proceedings of the International Computer Music Conference, Barcelona, Spain, September 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)Academic History<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
M.S., Computer Science, The University of Tennessee, 1985
B.A., Mathematics, Rhodes College, 1979<\/p>\n\n\n\nCourses Taught at Transy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Foundations of Computer Science
Logic and Problem Solving
Discrete Structures
Data Structures
Netcentric Computing
Special Topics: iPad App Development
Special Topics: Advanced Programming Workshop
Interface Programming
Computational Theory<\/p>\n\n\n\nAreas of Research<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Operating systems
Computer science education<\/p>\n\n\n\nAwards<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Phi Beta Kappa<\/p>\n\n\n\nMore Information<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Accomplishments<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Professional Memberships<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges (CCSC)
The International Computer Music Association (ICMA)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":4501,"template":"","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"academic_division":[26,30,7],"class_list":["post-208","faculty","type-faculty","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n