Xref: utzoo comp.edu:2710 comp.software-eng:2545 Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!motcid!murphyn From: murphyn@cell.mot.COM (Neal P. Murphy) Newsgroups: comp.edu,comp.software-eng Subject: Re^2: CS education Message-ID: <452@cherry5.UUCP> Date: 29 Nov 89 15:58:58 GMT References: <1989Nov21.172751.3078@world.std.com> <7183@hubcap.clemson.edu> Organization: Motorola Inc. - Cellular Infrastructure Div., Arlington Heights, IL 60004 Lines: 29 This is a companion article to my reply to Bill Wolfe. It is addressed to CS professionals and educators in general. Part of the problem in CS education is that colleges and universities are trying to include too much in their CS curriculae. Compared to other fields of study, CS is fairly new. Most of it is still taught at the post-secondary level. Introductions to CS and the fundamentals of CS should be presented in high school, if not sooner. Why, you ask? CS departments are still inundated with students from Rocks, Shocks, Atoms, Potions and other disciplines who are learning to use computers for the first time. This prevents CS faculty from focusing their efforts on their CS students. Computers are tools, and learning to use tools is something one usually does in junior high and high school. Shift this facet of education to our primary and secondary school systems. Help the people running those systems to develop at least and adequate curriculum. Teach the educators what they need to know so that they can teach their students about these tools. You may be surprised upon finding that you have freed up a year or more of time in the CS curiculum. You can squeeze in a lot more CS and SE in that period of time. Let us stop bickering about the content of CS curriculae, and begin seriously discussing how to off-load fundamental CS education to our primary and secondary schools. I expect to see results before I retire. (I'm an optimist - I know it can be done; I`m also a realist - it will take time.) Tell me I'm wrong! Tell me my head is where the sun don't shine! On second thought, boost my ego - tell me I'm right! NPN Brought to you by Super Global Mega Corp .com