Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!purdue!tlh
From: tlh@cs.purdue.EDU (Thomas L. Hausmann)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: In defence of the K-12 school system
Message-ID: <3435@medusa.cs.purdue.edu>
Date: 4 Mar 88 16:03:33 GMT
References: <1266@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> <3560@killer.UUCP>
Sender: news@cs.purdue.EDU
Organization: Department of Computer Science, Purdue University
Lines: 40
Summary: It's not *that* bad...or is it?

In article <3560@killer.UUCP>, elg@killer.UUCP (Eric Green) writes:
> in article <1266@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu>, windley@iris.ucdavis.edu (Phil Windley) says:
> > group was more specific than a general education group.  Comp.edu suggests
> > to me a blending of CS and Education issues. like how do we teach CS and
> > how do we use computers to teach.  AM I way out in left field here?  Does
> 
> I recently (~ 2 months ago) reposted some articles about declining enrollments
> in Engineering, CS, mathematics, and other mathematical-related subjects, and
> concerns on the part of various parties that the trend would not reverse no
> matter how much we pay our engineers. Reason: most people who graduate from
> high school can barely add, much less do the sort of mathematics required for
> success in a technical field. Walk into a freshman CS class at a
> middle-echelon state university. Count the students. Divide by 10. That's how
> many will remain, after the rest fail Calculus four times.

Eric perhaps s t r e t c h e s things a bit but he is essentially correct.
At my undergraduate institution, most CS students washed out because of poor
reasoning skills and mathematical abilities.  (Almost) every class I took for
the first two years (excluding Intro Psych, Intro Soc, [no digs intended, 
even Soc majors say intro Soc is a trivial class.]) about one third of the 
students failed outright.  These are courses like Calc I-III, Physics I-III,
and beginning CS courses.

For most of us reading comp.edu we are well aware of this problem.  What we
could be searching for is a solution or at least some ideas for change.
Old ideas include: making certain math courses required through grade 10
as opposed to grade 8, passing standard tests prior to graduation,  requiring
more math courses for ed majors, etc.

-Tom

> 
> --
> Eric Lee Green  elg@usl.CSNET    A flickering swirling veil of motion


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Hausmann       Dept. of Computer Sciences     Purdue University
tlh@mordred.cs.purdue.edu    | My ideas?  There has never been an original
...!purdue!tlh               | thought since Plato.