First year computer science education in Norway

Abstract

The need for ICT knowledge in Norway is increasing and the demand for candidates is currently higher than the number of students graduating. It has been identified that the first-year experience is crucial to student motivation and throughput of study programs, therefore it is interesting to look at the state of the art of computer science study programs in Norway. In this paper we present a survey and study of the number of undergraduate computer science programs in Norway and map their characteristics in order to gather an up to date overview of the selection of programs. Through a systematic review of all Norwegian undergraduate programs using data from national databases we have found that there are 12 institutions offering 56 different programs in Norway in 2018. The study showed that the characteristics of these programs vary, that is, the amount of computer science courses during the first year, the number of students, admission requirements, student satisfaction and time commitment. This article presents these findings along with an analysis of what characteristics impact the students’ contentment and learning experience.