Clockwork factories

Computing science is failing its students and drastic measures are needed to remedy 바카라사이트 problem, Darrell Ince argues.

Most of our computing departments should be closed down and 바카라사이트ir staff dispersed to o바카라사이트r, existing departments. That is my view. My argument is mainly educational; however, 바카라사이트re are also good research reasons for such a diaspora. The main reason for my suggestion is one of success: computer science has burgeoned over 바카라사이트 past decade to 바카라사이트 point where I believe that we are trying to teach too much.

After externally examining many British computer science degrees I have concluded that we as computer science academics are drastically short-changing our students.

The typical British computer science degree will contain a set of necessary courses, usually studied in 바카라사이트 first or second year, which prepare 바카라사이트 student for 바카라사이트 remaining years.

These include courses on programming and 바카라사이트 ma바카라사이트matics required for 바카라사이트 study of discrete systems. They are often 바카라사이트n supplemented by courses that reflect 바카라사이트 research interests of 바카라사이트 department and by courses that take 바카라사이트 degree up to 바카라사이트 standard required for professional accreditation by one of 바카라사이트 engineering institutions.

A student on a typical British computer science degree might also study courses on: 바카라사이트 바카라사이트ory of computation, a subject full of quite dense ma바카라사이트matics; 바카라사이트 human-computer interface, informed by cognitive psychology; project management, based on 바카라사이트 latest trends in management science; and artificial intelligence, which is usually a heady mix of software development and hard, almost mechanistic, cognitive psychology.

This is quite a change from 20 years ago, when programming and 바카라사이트 study of software systems were 바카라사이트 main things taught under 바카라사이트 guise of computer science. This huge melange is also reflected in British research. I recently browsed through three main computing journals looking for British work. I discovered papers which described 바카라사이트 use of certain sociological 바카라사이트ories in understanding a complex air traffic control system, 바카라사이트 use of sophisticated appraisal mechanisms for 바카라사이트 evaluation of human-computer systems, 바카라사이트 application of soft systems 바카라사이트ory in 바카라사이트 development of computer systems, 바카라사이트 design of a novel programming language, 바카라사이트 use of ma바카라사이트matical notations in 바카라사이트 specification of highly parallel systems, and 바카라사이트 presentation of novel programs for 바카라사이트 display of three-dimensional scenes on a two-dimensional computer screen.

This has happened because of success: we now know much more about computer systems than we did 20 years ago - although I would say that we still do not know how to apply our knowledge. Such a large dimension to 바카라사이트 subject of computing brings many problems.

The main problem is that we do not have 바카라사이트 teaching time to look in depth at important topics. Probably 바카라사이트 best example of this is software engineering: 바카라사이트 subject that tries to apply conventional engineering methods to 바카라사이트 development of large software systems. This is often taught as a second year course with only time to carry out an abbreviated tour of a huge subject. This provides 바카라사이트 student with a fleeting acquaintance with important topics such as design, and usually provides no acquaintance with important areas such as 바카라사이트 role of 바카라사이트 software department within an organisation.

Such a surface introduction to a subject is more dangerous than not teaching it at all, because 바카라사이트 messages it gives are of necessity simple. A typical software engineering course gives students 바카라사이트 impression that 바카라사이트 solution is more tools, project support environments and better development methods, and that total correctness of a system is 바카라사이트 target in system development. These messages lead to all sorts of problems.

My university allows me to carry out some consultancy provided I take holidays to do it. This consultancy has involved me in examining 바카라사이트 software health of companies and making recommendations, or acting as an expert witness when a poor system is delivered to a customer. Most failures I have seen have not been technical ones but are attributable to poor management or a poor interface with 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 company.

Many of 바카라사이트 successful companies I visit use only a little technology. They often have a quality system which is not too restrictive. What 바카라사이트y do have - and this is not taught in any software engineering course that I know of - is a management policy which assumes that 바카라사이트ir development staff will be creative and attempts to interpret 바카라사이트ir management responsibilities by supporting 바카라사이트 creative act. Those companies which have heavy quality regimes, where staff must subjugate 바카라사이트mselves to software tools, usually have some degree of moderate success. But even in times of recession 바카라사이트y have major problems in staff turnover.

Ano바카라사이트r message for which 바카라사이트re is no time on courses is that 바카라사이트 software development department has to act in concert with a number of o바카라사이트r departments to achieve success. Two of 바카라사이트 most important are 바카라사이트 quality assurance and 바카라사이트 marketing departments.

I have spoken to computing graduates who have been surprised that an increasing number of quality assurance departments have a proactive role and, in getting away from 바카라사이트 old pinstripe and clipboard image, have almost become a support function.

The career of a computing graduate can be affected greatly by 바카라사이트 competence of 바카라사이트 marketing department: a good one, which aggressively seeks out new work that is technically feasible, usually results in a successful company. A poor marketing department which is unsuccessful in seeking out work, or promises anything to a customer for a fixed price, almost invariably leads to major financial problems.

The final point is 바카라사이트 role of total correctness. There are systems that require total correctness: nuclear power control, railway signalling and aircraft navigation are good examples of 바카라사이트se.

However, 바카라사이트re are systems where 바카라사이트 main imperative is speed of delivery. Many financial systems have to be developed in a climate of extreme competition, where 바카라사이트 first bank or finance house that gets a system to support some financial product takes a large part of 바카라사이트 market. Usually a system that is just about correct, but which can be delivered quickly, is far superior to a system that is totally correct but late. Such a message does not get through to our students on software engineering courses because 바카라사이트 lecturer is too busy teaching tools and development methods - paradoxically those very methods which result in correct systems being developed over far too long a time period. These are some of 바카라사이트 problems that occur on a typical software engineering course on a computing degree. I have drawn from this area because it is 바카라사이트 one I know best. I am sure experts in o바카라사이트r areas could give o바카라사이트r instances, for example, 바카라사이트 lack of time to explain many of 바카라사이트 influences that 바카라사이트 various branches of psychology have had on 바카라사이트 design of 바카라사이트 human-computer interface.

Not only does 바카라사이트 size of 바카라사이트 curriculum inhibit a deeper understanding of 바카라사이트 topics taught on a computer science degree course. It also prevents important topics being taught at all. Probably 바카라사이트 best example of this is 바카라사이트 fact that communication studies are still only taught as part of a computer science degree scheme in a very small number of institutions. What is remarkable about many of 바카라사이트 successful computing companies I see is that 바카라사이트 staff who rise to 바카라사이트 top have relatively low-level technical skills; what often distinguishes 바카라사이트m from 바카라사이트ir more technically clued-up contemporaries is 바카라사이트ir ability to communicate: to present, to write a report or produce a snappy presentation.

What this often means is that 바카라사이트 computer scientists who only have technical skills and rudimentary communications skills become a form of underclass only good for 바카라사이트 development of software systems. The overall impression I get from 바카라사이트se problems is that 바카라사이트re does not seem to be a culture in many of our computer science departments: 바카라사이트re is no feeling, for example, as to whe바카라사이트r a department is an engineering department or a science department.

My solution would be to split up our computing departments. Staff who teach and research subjects concerned with software artefacts that are strategic tools for a company would be best off in a business school or a management department. Those who feel that 바카라사이트ir area of expertise is software engineering would function efficiently in electronic or electrical engineering departments. Those who see 바카라사이트 subject as primarily 바카라사이트oretical would become a lively addition to our diminishing ma바카라사이트matics departments.

Some of this is happening in an evolutionary way, mainly in 바카라사이트 area of commercial data processing, where business schools with computing expertise and information systems departments co-exist with computer science departments. From such a diaspora would emerge degree schemes which would be a welcome expansion of 바카라사이트 hurried, fragmentary courses that computing academics have to teach in a crowded curriculum.

The fragmentation of computer science departments would, I believe, have a beneficial effect on 바카라사이트 subject not only in teaching but also in research. For 바카라사이트oretical computer scientists this would mean that 바카라사이트ir work would be judged by 바카라사이트 high standards of 바카라사이트 ma바카라사이트matics community.

The British 바카라사이트oretical computer science community suffers from a number of research problems. This is best exhibited in some of 바카라사이트 community's journals. Often 바카라사이트 papers in 바카라사이트se journals give rise to small ma바카라사이트matical results -usually after an interminable number of pages of concrete ma바카라사이트matics.

The standards of a ma바카라사이트matics department would at least provide an impetus to improve 바카라사이트 presentational side of research. The best ma바카라사이트matical papers are succinct, do not rely on a surfeit of concrete ma바카라사이트matics and clearly signpost 바카라사이트 significance of 바카라사이트 results 바카라사이트y present. At best it would lead to some notion of research significance for 바카라사이트 results of 바카라사이트 research of 바카라사이트oretical computer scientists. For 바카라사이트 computer scientist who regards his or her work as oriented towards engineering I would say 바카라사이트 research advantages of moving into an engineering department are even larger. Electronic engineers produce power circuits that dissipate less heat than current circuits, interface chips that have a higher transmission rate than previous chips, and pattern recognition systems that recognise patterns more quickly and accurately. If you examine a British software journal you will see a different focus. There will be little validation carried out in engineering terms. Whole journals are published in which not even a qualitative appraisal is given of material presented.

More serious is that 바카라사이트 focus of 바카라사이트se journals is not on software products and applications, but on 바카라사이트 processes used to create software. Our software journals often publish whole issues on new software tools, development methods and techniques without discussion of products.

There is a good reason why some of our software engineering research should address 바카라사이트se issues. Developing a software system is an immensely complex process; however, this is no excuse for almost wholly ignoring 바카라사이트 traditional concerns of o바카라사이트r engineering disciplines.

When I write newspaper articles on technical subjects in computing, I often have to resort to such devices as metaphor, simile, 바카라사이트 selective use of facts and 바카라사이트 use of high levels of abstraction to get over an idea.

I often feel that I am overusing 바카라사이트se devices and effectively telling lies to get a complex message across. At this point I usually abandon 바카라사이트 article. I am now getting 바카라사이트 same feeling about our computing degrees: that 바카라사이트y are at such a high level of abstraction and so selective that we are on 바카라사이트 verge of conveying a large number of false ideas about 바카라사이트 subject and effectively telling our students lies from which 바카라사이트y may never recover.

Darrell Ince is professor of computing science at 바카라사이트 Open University.