[Edu-sig] Low Enrollments - programming as anti-intellectualism

[Toby Donaldson]

> My own experience is more toward the learning to program to learn - in my
> case - mathematical ideas. But ultimately, to get to where I want to get, I
> realize that "basic computational skills" are not sufficient - that I need
> to get somewhat beyond the basics.  I think that the linguist, or geneticist
> might also find the same to be true - eventually.  Where are those needs to
> be services under current academic structures?

Those departments should fill those needs under current academic
structures by offering the necessary computing courses.  There's no
shortage of people with practical computing skills --- just a shortage
of people with impractical ones. :-)

One thing CS departments could do is offer service-oriented software
engineering courses. It's clear that many people nowadays learn to
program on their own, and run into well-known difficulties once their
programs get too big. Those people would probably appreciate and
benefit from a software engineering course, especially if was
platform/lanuage neutral.

Toby
--
Dr. Toby Donaldson
School of Computing Science
Simon Fraser University (Surrey)