Emmanuel Computer Science in Practice: Software Engineering Seminar

Three years from launch, the progress is showing - and Emmanuel's approach to computer science is working.

With Commencement around the corner, Emmanuel’s first full cohort of computer science majors – seven in total – are getting ready for what’s next. From start to finish, they’ve played a huge part in the development of the curriculum, and watched themselves grow alongside it.

“It’s a sign that the program is fully stood up,” said Dr. Mark Sherman, Assistant Professor of Computer Science.

The seniors’ capstone course this semester – Software Engineering Seminar – shows concrete, full-circle evidence of their progression.

Like any capstone course within the School of Business & Management, students work alongside a real-world business or non-profit for the semester. Dr. Sherman’s students have been supporting the work of the Processing Foundation, a nonprofit that seeks to make software development available to everyone – and empower teachers and learners of all different backgrounds to get involved in computing.

But this isn’t their first time working with the nonprofit’s software – in fact, the Processing Foundation created the software library that Emmanuel computer science students use in their Intro to Programming and Programming II courses – which means the students are giving back to the nonprofit where their knowledge first stemmed from.

Each class is kicked off with a stand-up meeting, where each student provides an update on their progress and addresses any snags they might come across.

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This is proven evidence of their progression as students, their growth through their undergraduate journey, the success of the program…they will be contributing to the very software they originally used to learn programming, helping an international open-source project with millions of users."

Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Dr. Mark Sherman

Both Samantha Marasca '26 and Elijah Baron '26 discovered their passion for computer science at Emmanuel. From that first programming course, they were all-in on pursuing computer science for their degree and their careers.

For students like Samantha Marasca ’26, contributing to a real product out in the software world has been a unique and fulfilling experience.

“It’s so interesting that they [the Processing Foundation] made the program we started with! Now we’re the ones fixing their code – and future first-year students are going to be using it,” Marasca said.

That connection has enriched the capstone course this semester, Marasca added, giving her an even stronger sense of investment in the coursework and empowerment to make a difference in the product.

She said the course format is even more in-depth than a typical class – allowing Marasca and her peers to make mistakes in real-time, learn from them, and ask the right questions that will get them the answers they need.

The group first met with the Processing Foundation back in February, when they discussed the overarching project and were given specific assignments that aligned with their interests. The exercise modelled how a software engineering team would go about this in a true work setting.

Elijah Baron ’26 said the capstone course has been everything he was hoping for: tying in all the concepts, theory and values that they’ve studied over the years and seeing it come together on a real project that have a real impact on people.

Allowing the students to focus on whatever niche suits them best – or to help them continue searching for their ideal task – is a key part of the experience prior to graduation and in connecting specific computing tasks to career paths. For example, a student who is interested in digging through old code to find errors could be well-suited for a career in the cybersecurity realm.

Collaboration is another key – both in the capstone course but in the computer science major as a whole.

“A key component of my success here, which is ingrained in the computer science program, is collaboration. It has been essential to my understanding of difficult topics and to building a sense of belonging within the program,” Baron said.

A Tailored Computer Science Experience

Because Emmanuel offers such a uniquely tight-knit computer science program, their capstone experience allows them to hone in on work that matches their personal goals and aspirations.

When building the course, Dr. Sherman has been able to take his students’ interests into account, incorporating new elements that have caught their eye.

“I’ve seen them grow, explore, and what energizes them throughout their journey,” he said.

The same is true about the major overall: because the curriculum is still only a few years old, it is constantly evolving, allowing Dr. Sherman to adapt and cater coursework to incorporate what the students want and evolving workforce demands, too.

“This personal approach exists because this program exists at Emmanuel – and Emmanuel will always have those elements,” he said.

This year's Software Engineering Seminar, from left to right: Jocelyn Francisco '26, Elise Ferguson '26, Isabella Franzese '26, Samantha Marasca '26, Dr. Mark Sherman, Elijah Baron '26, Nikholas Srnka '26 and Erica Hinkle '26.

In Marasca’s experience, embarking on the Computer Science path at Emmanuel was exactly what she needed it to be – it gave her comprehensive experience, valuable understanding and has gotten her to a place where she can pursue it as a career – with no prior experience before coming to the College.

“I wanted to be challenged, so I went for it – and now I’m leaving Emmanuel with a whole new set of knowledge,” Marasca said. “I could tell this was going to be an important program with all the time and energy that has gone into it, and it has paid off!”

Cultivating Ethical Computing Professionals

Working with the Processing Foundation this semester also aligns with Emmanuel’s and the School of Business & Management’s overarching mission to show students how to make a living through ethical and societally beneficial means – and also connects back to a core theme of the computer science curriculum too – ethically conscious ways to approach software development.

The work with the Processing Foundation captures this to a tee. By partnering with a well-known name in the software world, the computer science cohort gets to contribute to an international, open-source project that will be used by millions and provide people with better access to software.

“There’s computer science courses all over, but we made this program at Emmanuel because we think this way, and because we think this is important – and different! This is computing for the greater good,” Dr. Sherman said.

Soon to graduate with this message at the forefront of their minds, Emmanuel is producing graduates who can succeed in the software world and not only make a living, but contribute to the well-being of society while doing it.

“We are taught to become adaptable, confident, and ethically grounded professionals. These are qualities that, if you ask anyone today, define an ideal candidate for the next generation of the workforce,” Baron said.