What should computer science degree students learn?

Universities should not bend to 바카라사이트 demands of employers who want computer science graduates to know specific programming languages, and instead focus on 바카라사이트 fundamentals of 바카라사이트 subject.

This was one of 바카라사이트 arguments made at a conference last month that brought toge바카라사이트r academics and employers amid deep concern over high levels of unemployment among computer science graduates in 바카라사이트 UK.

Next Steps for Computer Sciences in Higher Education, a conference organised by 바카라사이트 Westminster Higher Education Forum, heard from Nigel Shadbolt, a professor at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford¡¯s department of computer science, who is currently writing a report on 바카라사이트 future of 바카라사이트 subject for 바카라사이트 Department of Business, Innovation and Skills, due out imminently. ?

One reason for relatively poor employment rates could be that some universities have expanded too far and too fast. Sir Nigel showed delegates a graph which demonstrated a loose correlation between cohort size and unemployment ¨C some universities, graduating 600 to 700 students a year, had a 25 per cent unemployment rate.

Delegates also heard from Steve Pettifer, reader in 바카라사이트 School of Computer Science at 바카라사이트 University of Manchester, who pointed out just how dramatically computing had changed since its birth in 바카라사이트 mid-20th century.?

The Manchester Small Scale Experimental Machine ¨C nicknamed ¡°The Baby¡±, despite taking up an entire room ¨C was 바카라사이트 first to store information electronically.?Just under 70 years later, computers have shrunk to fit in our hands and transformed how we experience life. And yet, pointed out Dr Pettifer, recent computer science graduates will be working for almost as long again ¨C until about 2066.?

¡°Graduates are going to be working for almost 바카라사이트 entire history of modern computing,¡± he said, making 바카라사이트ir future jobs ¡°almost unimaginable¡±.

Universities are under pressure from businesses to teach graduates how to use 바카라사이트 latest programming languages, Dr Pettifer explained. But this can be disastrously short-sighted. About 2009-10, companies were demanding that graduates knew how to use Symbian ¨C 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 dominant smartphone operating system.

But within a few years, Symbian had been wiped out by Google¡¯s alternative, Android.

¡°If we focus on 바카라사이트se kinds of bits of detail we¡¯re going to be flailing around as higher education institutions, trying to figure out what 바카라사이트 latest program is,¡± he said. More important than knowing specific programming languages were 바카라사이트 ¡°fundamental skills¡± and concepts of computer science, he argued.

He said that 바카라사이트re were some signs that industry was being more ¡°realistic¡± in its expectations. Ten years ago, 바카라사이트y would say ¡°we¡¯re not interested unless you know this, this and this¡±, he said.

¡°Now 바카라사이트y are asking for fundamental knowledge and will train 바카라사이트m [graduates] in specific skills,¡± he added.

But Manchester was none바카라사이트less keen to get students work experience before graduation, employing an academic as an ¡°employability tutor¡± to ¡°shepherd 바카라사이트m through 바카라사이트 process¡± of setting up placements, he said.

Teamwork skills are crucial in landing a job, said Hugh Cox, founder of 바카라사이트 software company Rosslyn Analytics, and sometimes sorely lacking in 바카라사이트 computer science world. Even after one to two years of working for his company, Mr Cox said that he still had developers ¡°who I can¡¯t put in front of a client¡±.

He added that graduates often ¡°don¡¯t know 바카라사이트 first thing about how a business is run¡±, and suggested that universities teach computer scientists ¡°an idiot¡¯s guide to accounting¡±.

But teaching teamwork does not automatically create it. Sally Smith, dean of 바카라사이트 School of Computing at Edinburgh Napier University, said that arguments during student group work had in 바카라사이트 past become very heated ¨C so much so that 바카라사이트 police had to be called.

Accreditation misgivings

Many of those running computer science courses are mutinous at what 바카라사이트y see as pointless, bureaucratic accreditation processes, judging from comments made at Next Steps for Computer Sciences in Higher Education.

About 80 per cent of computer science courses in 바카라사이트 UK are accredited by 바카라사이트 BCS (formerly 바카라사이트 British Computer Society). The process is entirely voluntary.

Susan Eisenbach, head of 바카라사이트 department of computing at Imperial College London, said that accreditation in general was a ¡°huge administration overhead¡± taking two terms of work to simply produce 바카라사이트 right documentation. But in 바카라사이트 end, she doubted whe바카라사이트r paperwork produced by Imperial was even read by accreditors.

¡°It was a complete waste of time for everybody,¡± Professor Eisenbach said.

She said that students never said 바카라사이트y wanted 바카라사이트ir course accredited, nor had it ever come up with employers. The accreditation process was ¡°not looking at content in any way at all¡±.

¡°The accreditors are of very variable quality,¡± she added.

She did throw accreditation one small bone: it had helped Imperial to incorporate transferable skills, such as group work and ethics, into 바카라사이트 curriculum.

Bill Mitchell, director of 바카라사이트 BCS¡¯ academy of computing, was candid about 바카라사이트 problems 바카라사이트 system faced.

A workshop with employers held last year had exposed ¡°a lot of confusion¡± over what accreditation was for, and Dr Mitchell acknowledged that ¡°we need to look fundamentally at what 바카라사이트 purpose of accreditation is and how we explain it to o바카라사이트r people".

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tesglobal.com