I don't know how many individuals on this forum have dealings with the Academic world and so it might be a harder question to answer.
I had a conversation with a member of staff about the state programming being taught at the university. Coming from a programming background I wondered if it could be improved. At the moment it does not seem to be in a good state at all with the assessment not really being appropriate to demonstrating proper understanding (I can see some of this as slightly political as if a lot of students struggle with a subject there is a tenancy to try and make it easier so a fairly consistent number pass rather than just letting students fail). Part of the discussion interested me. It seems as time goes on the impression from the staff is that students have seemingly had a harder and harder time understanding programming concepts. More students are pushing to try and avoid their project involving any programming if they can help it. This sentiment is even starting to be manifest in some of the Masters (Postgrad) students. I wondered it this is a problem or trend confined just to the University I am involved with (which I could accept) or if this is part of a more widespread problem which others have observed elsewhere? Is the computer world in which they grew up different to the point that they have different expectations from computing than we may have had? I find the ability to program empowering and find it a real shame that so many students brand programming as "boring". I do think though that using examples like ATM machines is hardly going make students exited about programming. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Java Posse" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en.
