Seminar: In a World Full of Truthiness, Who is to Say When a Wikipedia Page is Wrong?
Cliff Shaffer
Professor, Computer Science
Virginia Tech
Friday, November 1, 2024
2:30 - 3:45PM
3100 Torgersen Hall
Abstract
In this talk, I show how well-understood principles of basic algorithm analysis and code tuning can be combined to produce a confused outcome in a discussion of even the simplest of algorithms. The title of the talk is not completely rhetorical, in that I discuss how the sociology surrounding maintaining pages at Wikipedia can perpetuate mis-understandings, even on technical topics that would seem to be non-controversial. This will not be a standard research talk. The goal is to make you think critically about the nature of what we “know”.
Biography
Cliff Shaffer is a Professor of Computer Science at Virginia Tech. His current research focus is on Computer Science Education Research, but his original CS disciplinary home is in Data Structures and Algorithms. Major ongoing projects include the OpenDSA eTextbook project, interventions to improve intermediate-level programming skills, and the SPLICE project to strengthen the CS Education Research community and infrastructure.