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Carter Zenke Shares His Journey Through Interdisciplinary Education at Duke

His advice for students with multiple interests: “Build your own dream degree.”

Carter Zenke ’20 was initially drawn to Duke because of its interdisciplinary strengths. He began his academic journey in Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering, focusing on electrical and computer engineering. But he quickly realized his interests were much broader.

“I really loved computer science, and I was lucky enough to see all that you could do with it,” Zenke says. In high school he had spent hours making his own music and software. “I wanted to bring that kind of enthusiasm and creativity in computer science to schools for other young people.”

From Engineering to Education

Zenke’s path took a pivotal turn when he met David Malone, professor of the practice of education, during Duke’s Focus program, which exposes first-semester students to a wide range of topics through multidisciplinary clusters and community engagement.

Zenke took Malone’s class on reimagining schools through the lens of social justice. The students analyzed educational inequities and led their own research that showed most children in Durham were not receiving quality computer science education.

“I had many questions I wanted to explore,” Zenke recalls. “What is computer science? How do we teach it in a more effective way? What policies do we need?”

Program II: A Custom Degree

Zenke talked with Malone about connecting computer science with education and how to make computer science education better for students. “Professor Malone said, ‘You should think about Program II, because you could bring all those strands together.’”

Zenke moved to Trinity and created his own interdisciplinary major through Program II, an individualized degree program for students whose interests cross departmental boundaries.

“Program II was how I could combine these different strands — computer science, education and policy — into one course of study,” he says. “Then Bass Connections is what enabled me to pursue all those strands together in one class.”

A Real-World Project Through Bass Connections

Carter Zenke with other students pointing to a screen with text that says "CSbyUS, Shaping Justice-Oriented Education Programs in Computer Science and Beyond." — Zenke (left) and fellow students present their computer science education program. (Photo courtesy Carter Zenke)

Zenke wanted to get experience teaching computer science. With other students from his FOCUS cluster, he created a program for computer science education in partnership with Durham Public Schools, called CSbyUs.

“We had a lot of success and were wondering how we could keep the program going and invite more students into it,” he says.

Zenke and others started a Bass Connections project called the Open Source Pedagogy, Research + Innovation (OSPRI) Lab to scale up CSbyUs. They partnered with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and Githens Middle School in Durham to help over 60 students use computer science to pursue their interests.

“We created one of the first grades three through five elementary school computer science curricula in the state,” Zenke says.

Full Circle

After graduating from Duke, Zenke earned a master’s degree in technology, innovation and education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He landed a job teaching computer science at Harvard through CS50, the renowned on-campus course whose resources are made available to students worldwide.

“I don’t think I would have gotten that job if I had not done what I had at Duke,” Zenke says. “Pursuing computer science, education and policy all together made me a really unique fit for that role.”

Carter Zenke speaks into a microphone while students seated at tables look on and listen. — Carter Zenke leads a CS50 workshop at Harvard University. (Photo: CS50)

Now he’s a curriculum project manager at Hello World CS, focused on K-12 education. “I’m doing the work I was doing in my Bass Connections class, but now it’s a full-time job. It has the same level of connecting with partners, building curriculum, thinking about future education.”

Advice for Students With Multiple Interests

Looking back, Zenke acknowledges that Duke’s interdisciplinary programs and participating faculty were crucial in shaping his journey. “FOCUS was really important for connecting with faculty. If I hadn’t met David Malone, in that FOCUS class, I don’t know what I would have done.”

Zenke advises undergraduates with multiple interests to consider doing Program II. “Build your own dream degree. Don’t be afraid to stick with what you really want to do, and figure out the combination of classes, research and activities that get you to do that.”

Carter Zenke speaks at a podium while people seated in a bright cheerful room look at him and listen.. — Carter Zenke engages with an audience member during the Emerging Pedagogies Summit at Duke. (Photo: Barron Brothers and Emma Ren)

Last October, Zenke returned to Duke to lead a workshop on teaching with artificial intelligence. “I love to create learning experiences around technology. Right now AI is a big thing people are talking about and in the future it will be another new thing. I love figuring out the next new thing everyone should understand and making a learning experience that’s interactive and exciting.”

He says whatever that next big thing is, because of his interdisciplinary experience at Duke, he’ll be ready for it.

Duke undergraduate students interested in applying to Program II can attend the next information session on March 28, 4-5 p.m. in 103A Allen Building. Learn more.

Main image: On a recent visit to Duke, Carter Zenke stopped by West Campus before heading to meet with one of his favorite professors, David Malone. (Photo: Carol Bales)