Once again, welcome to ACM Inroads, the computing education publication of ACM. This issue features a special section on the role of programming in non-major, computer science (CS) courses. Lisa Kaczmarczyk, supported by Henry Walker and Mikey Goldweber, has written an eloquent introduction to this section. Five articles, each with a different perspective on the efficacy of programming in courses designed for non-specialists in the area of computer science—much like point and counterpoint discussions—comprise this section. I am sure you will enjoy reading the articles. Consider entering the discussion by posting a blog on the website of ACM Inroads [2].

We have a very interesting critical perspective in this issue. Alvaro Monge, Cameron Fadjo, Beth Quinn, and Lecia Barker present a new initiative called EngageCSEdu. This project, created by the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) and Google, addresses the need for a new repository focused on first-year computer science students. Its purpose is to engage and retain students studying introductory computer science by providing educators a living collection of engaging teaching material. The material, created by educators in the larger CS community, were selected because they are aligned with research on engaging and retaining students. EngageCSEdu promises to elevate student interest in computing with the hope of opening doors to a new tomorrow, a world in which students can bootstrap themselves and become engaged in a subject that may seem intimidating to them. I am sure you will find this article an enjoyable read.

All good things eventually end. I am sorry to report that our long-time columnist, Peter Henderson, has decided to retire from this position. We will miss Pete's insight in promoting mathematics in his "Math CountS" column. Pete highlighted the importance of mathematics in computing and, in particular, in computer science. Thanks, Pete, for your many years of dedicated service.

As you may know, ACM Inroads has adopted a "phase-out, phase-in" policy for its volunteers in a systematic way. The associate editors abide by this policy and Judith Gal-Ezer has volunteered to step down as an associate editor. Thank you, Judith! We all appreciate your many years of dedication to ACM Inroads. Judith's replacement is Michal Armoni. Michal is no stranger to ACM Inroads; she has written many articles for the publication in the past and she will continue to pilot the column on computing in schools. Welcome aboard, Michal! It is good to have you on the AE team.

We also have another newcomer—Renee Dopplick. Renee, an international corporate attorney and ACM's policy director in Washington, D.C., is no stranger to ACM Inroads. Renee, who contributes to EduBits, has graciously volunteered to become the Back Page author. Editorial Associate, Susan Lukesh, who initiated this feature for the publication, was instrumental in making the transition. Thanks, Susan! Welcome aboard, Renee!

I repeat my ongoing plea that authors must follow the Author Instructions, which appear at the Manuscript Central website [1] under Instructions & Forms. Please adhere to these instructions for all submissions. Additionally, please be aware that criteria used by reviewers for judging the worthiness of publication in ACM Inroads revolves around seven criteria. These appeared in the 2014 December issue. I summarize these criteria again, with no order of priority. The seven phrases are original content, engaging topic, thought provoking content, relevant images, focused material, technically correct, and quality of the exposition. We have published these criteria for over two years now in a reviewer scorecard found at the same Manuscript Central website.

If you have thoughts or suggestions for enhancement to the publication, feel free to contact me [3].

John Impagliazzo
Editor-in-Chief

References

[1] ACM Inroads submission site; mc.manuscriptcentral.com/inroads. Accessed 2015 January 24.

[2] ACM Inroads website; http://inroads.acm.org. Accessed 2015 January 25.

[3] Editor-in-Chief, ACM Inroads; [email protected]

Copryright held by author.

The Digital Library is published by the Association for Computing Machinery. Copyright © 2015 ACM, Inc.

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