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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2005 Fewer College Students Pursuing Computer Science Degrees ISU Considers Laptop Requirement Survey Shows Steep Rise in Web Site Defacements Google Tries New Ad Program FEWER COLLEGE STUDENTS PURSUING COMPUTER SCIENCE DEGREES A new report from the Computing Research Association (CRA) shows a significant drop in the number of college freshmen in the United States who say they plan to major in computer science. The CRA looked at data from the Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California at Los Angeles and found that between fall of 2000 and fall of 2004, interest in computer science fell by more than 60 percent and is now 70 percent below its all-time high. Interest among women has fallen even further, said the CRA, dropping 80 percent since 1998 and 93 percent since 1982. The CRA also conducted surveys of higher education institutions and came up with similar results. The report goes on to suggest that the United States will have difficulty meeting the demand for IT workers in coming years, increasing the gap with countries including India and China that are producing larger numbers of computer science graduates. "Freshmen interest levels at any given point have been an accurate predictor of trends in the number of degrees granted four to five years later," according to the report. CNET, 22 April 2005 http://news.com.com//2100-1022_3-5681438.html ISU CONSIDERS LAPTOP REQUIREMENT The Faculty Senate at Indiana State University (ISU) has put its support behind a proposal to require incoming freshmen to purchase laptops beginning in the fall of 2007. Under the proposal, written by a university committee, the university would recommend a particular model, which would be available at reduced cost, though students could obtain a waiver that would allow them to purchase a different model. Officials at ISU noted that most students already have a computer and said that the requirement would allow the university to see advantages from having standardized systems that could be incorporated into academic programs. Critics of the proposal pointed out that faculty would not be required to use computers in their classes. Concerns over the added cost to students were also raised by students and faculty who oppose the plan, while others said having computers in class could be a significant distraction. Tribune-Star, 22 April 2005 http://www.tribstar.com/articles/2005/04/22/news/top_stories/top02.txt SURVEY SHOWS STEEP RISE IN WEB SITE DEFACEMENTS Attacks on Web sites jumped 36 percent in 2004, totaling nearly 400,000 incidents, according to Zone-H, an organization that tracks malicious Web activity. Of the attacks recorded by the organization, Web site defacements--in which a bogus Web page is substituted for a Web site's home page--constituted the vast majority of attacks. Roberto Preatoni of Zone-H pointed out, though, that "the techniques used by defacers are the same techniques used by serious criminals to cause more serious damage." According to the group's report, more than half of the successful hacks took advantage of a known weakness or careless administration, such as easily guessed passwords or unprotected systems. Zone-H reported that the frequency of attacks rises over the Christmas holidays and drops when schools reopen each year after summer break. BBC, 25 April 2005 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4480689.stm GOOGLE TRIES NEW AD PROGRAM Internet search engine Google has implemented changes to its ad program that allow advertisers more options for what their ads look like and where they appear. Initially at least, the new ads will not appear on Google's own sites but will potentially be included on the thousands of sites to which Google provides ads. Until now, Google ads were textual, and Google only placed ads on sites that were related to the advertised product or service. A Web site about wine, for instance, might get ads from Google about other wines, cheese, or other directly relevant topics. Under the new program, Google will allow graphical elements, including some animation and video, and advertisers can decide which Web sites will display their ads. The program changes the model from a pay-per-click arrangement to one in which advertisers pay simply to show an ad. New York Times, 25 April 2005 (registration req'd) http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/25/technology/25google.html ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your settings, or access the Edupage archive, visit http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639 Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for information concerning use and management of IT in higher education. 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