Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!think.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!malgudi!uoftcse!lewallen
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: engineer training (was Re: bridge building)
Message-ID: <1991May20.174311.3608@uoft02.utoledo.edu>
From: lewallen@uoftcse.cse.utoledo.edu (James H. Lewallen)
Date: 20 May 91 17:43:11 EST
References: <1991May20.192002.19357@xstor.com>
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iverson@xstor.com (Tim Iverson) writes:
> In article <1991May19.135145.3589@uoft02.utoledo.edu> lewallen@uoftcse.cse.utoledo.edu (James H. Lewallen) writes:
> >     I don't know about everywhere else, but here at the University
> >of Toledo, we have a Computer Science & Engineering program.  CS&E
> >students have to take 6 quarters of calculus, and many basic engineering
> >classes, such as Statics, Dynamics, Network Analysis, MicroElectronics,
> >etc.  This does give students an "Engineering" background that helps
> >teach them to use Engineering methods in designing software.
> 
> I would beg to differ with this opinion.  I came from a similar background
> at UC Berkeley, and while I agree wholeheartedly with the generalist
> approach, UoT (and Berkeley, and perhaps others) seem to provide their
> students with all the tools they need, but then leave out how to combine
> them effectively - all analysis and no synthesis won't make Johnny a good
> engineer.
> 
> By the time most students actually get into industry, the background skills
> By the time most students actually get into industry, the background skills
> have atrophied to the point of non-existence.  This is due solely to the lack
> of emphasis placed on combining the all the disparate skills taught into a
> single useful whole.  Borrowing a term from chemistry 101 - today's
> graduates are more mixture than compound.
> 
> >					Jim Lewallen
> >					cscon113@uoft02.utoledo.edu
> 
> - Tim Iverson
>   iverson@xstor.com -/- uunet!xstor!iverson

     Well, I agree with most of your points, but I believe the idea is that
the students take the basic "engineering" courses early, learn the ideas of
"research, design, and then implementation" before they get into the Computer
Science classes.  By using this "engineering methodology", students hopefully
will learn to do the groundwork before coding, thus avoiding problems along
the way, and creating better code.


					Jim Lewallen
					cscon113@uoft02.utoledo.edu