1. Lack of BASIC or equivalent pre-installed on PCs. Perhaps less and less important as we're increasingly online, but I think this still affects the current generation; you can expect most CS students to have done no programming beforehand, whereas I don't think that was true 12 years ago. Of course, this depends on the Uni's entry requirements.
2. A lot of Unis don't even teach any CS. My CS degree didn't mention 'lambda', 'type system', etc., and a compiler was a black box you got .class files out of, not something you wrote. 3. Most lecturers who teach people to program can't program. This isn't hyperbole, but my experience, both as a student and as a lecturer for a number of years. As a student I had some Java work marked down because the lecturer had not realised it was valid Java to have a try..catch within a try block. As it happened, I found two other lecturers who backed me up and the marks were increased, but only because I was an arrogant sod. Plenty of other people get marked down for silly reasons like that all the time without recourse. 4. Many people are on the wrong degree course. People who find programming to be something to avoid should not be on a CS course, simple as that. Worse, some (non-CS) degree courses are advertised as not containing any programming, and then actually do. On Tue, Oct 5, 2010 at 1:02 PM, Carl Jokl <[email protected]> wrote: > 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. > > -- 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.
