James T. Streib

Professor and Chair
Department of Computer Science

Education: Michigan State University, B.A. 1976; Central Michigan University, M.S. 1983; University of Memphis, Ed.D. 1992

Courses: Applications Software Programming; Introduction to Computer Science (I and II); Computers Systems and Interfacing; Programming Practicum: COBOL; Data and File Structures; Computer Organization & Architecture; Operating Systems; Concepts of Programming Languages; Theory of Computation: Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems; Digital Interfacing and Embedded Systems; Computer Graphics Programming; Software Engineering; Philosophy of the Ancient and Medieval World

Achievements: Who's Who Among America's Teachers (1994, 2002, 2004, 2005)

Research Interest: Computer systems and assembly language; programming languages; computer science education; computer ethics; critical thinking and problem solving

For Professor James T. Streib, the leap from Plato to computer science was a short one. Streib began his studies at Michigan State University as a philosophy major but found himself drawn to the computer sciences.

"The two fields have a number of similarities," says Streib. "They're both grounded in logic, where one could replace the words "true" and "false" in symbolic logic in the field of philosophy, with the words "one" and "zero" in the field of computer science. Although some people find computer science intimidating it's relatively clear and logical—no pretenses."

Upon graduating from Michigan State, Streib spent time in the private sector working as a senior systems analyst. The training seminars he led piqued his interest in teaching. After earning his masters from Central Michigan University and while earning his doctorate from the University of Memphis, Streib held teaching positions at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the University of Central Arkansas. He was the director of the computer science program at Olivet College in Michigan before joining Illinois College in 1996.

"When I visited campus for the first time I knew it was the perfect place to meld my interests. I could be in my technical discipline yet still have the opportunity to talk with people not only in the sciences, but in the social sciences, humanities, and fine arts as well. A solid liberal arts college respects that faculty and students have major fields of study but have other interests as well."

One of Streib's favorite classes to teach is Computer Systems and Interfacing because it allows him to take the mystery out of software programming. "Computers and programs are made up of relatively simple components that are put together in a complex way—much like a Lego® block is simple on its own but can be part of a more complex creation. If I can teach students to break the programming into smaller pieces then it's not as overwhelming anymore and it becomes more manageable."

When he's not teaching or learning new programming languages (he is fluent in Java, C++, Pascal, VBA, COBOL, FORTRAN, PROLOG, LISP, PL/I, as well as several low-level languages) Streib is dabbling in one of his several hobbies including amateur radio, classic cars, commercial aviation history and visiting Civil War battle sites.

   

 

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