The Problem with Computer Science Education
A few weeks ago, I watched an interesting Ted Talk that had a big impact on my perspective on computer science. The speaker, Ashley Gavin, is a computer science professor at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Gavin explained that there is a problem in the world of computer science because many jobs are not able to be filled. In today’s world, many more jobs are in computers because technology is improving and having computer skills is important. Computer science is an incredible tool for many fields, and can be used to make a website, app, or solve a personal problem. Also, computer scientists get paid well at work. So, why is there such a shortage of jobs?
Well, the answer starts with problems in computer science education. Many students walk into their computer science class with no prior knowledge about the subject, and the lessons are very dry and complex. There is a lot of memorization and performing simple, annoying tasks that seem irrelevant. For example, in my computer science class one of the assignments was to enter a word and then have it print to the screen backwards. Seems pretty boring, right? Also, the information learned in the classroom often does not seem to connect to the real world. A lot of the information taught in computer science classrooms is important, but it is taught in a way that does not help students apply their knowledge to the real world. So, what is the solution to the problems within the computer science world?
First and foremost, I believe computer science should be taught to all students because of its growing importance. It is not the complicated syntax that it looks like on the outside, and it is not only for students interested in engineering or math. It is simply a tool to help people create projects and implement ideas they have in mind. For example, you could create a mobile app on the App store. It might seem complicated, but it is not that hard (I am NOT speaking from personal experience here because I have not created an app). Another great part of coding is that anyone can access your projects and benefit from your creations. Think of all of the amazing websites and apps that you use...almost anyone can access those apps fairly easily. Computer science needs to be taught as a tool to create, not as a complicated language. People should learn computer science in order to make projects and explore their ideas, because that is the real purpose of coding.
Even if you are skeptical about coding/computer science, I would recommend you give it a try. There are so many amazing things that you can create with the tools of computers, and learning computer science gives you the opportunity to achieve your goals.
Here is the link to the Ted Talk, I would highly recommend you watch it because she explains the ideas well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jmN_tBS0t4
Have you ever learned computer science/coding? If so, what did you think about it? Do you have any interesting computer science project ideas or ideas in general (maybe I’ll steal one, I’m looking for ideas myself :))?
Hey Yair, I think the only coding/science class I have ever taken was a computers class in middle school. I agree with you about the importance and value of computer science education. Although I may not be totally interested in this subject, it's imperative that computer science courses become more accessible to students nationwide because it's a large part of our future. How do you think these classes could improve in order get more student engaged for a long time?
ReplyDeleteHi Yair. I agree that Computer science is taught very poorly in a lot of cases. A lot of the time, people are learning information that they will not need to apply to any real life projects. I don't think that everyone should be taught computer science like it is just another subject in school, at least not yet, but I do think that all schools should offer computer science as an option to learn even in elementary school.
ReplyDeleteHi Yair. I'll definitely check out the Ted Talk sometime; this seems like a very interesting topic. I've actually tried out coding before (Java and C++) and found it pretty fun and interesting. I was even able to code a couple of short games: an arcade-type game where you have to navigate a spaceship through a mini maze and an adventure story where you have to make choices which affect what happens (some ideas in case you want to ever try them). I do remember, though, that the learning seemed boring, challenging, and unhelpful at times. I agree with you, and I didn’t realize that this was a conflict in other coding classes too. Nonetheless, I do want to try out coding again sometime because it can be useful and fun in a lot of different ways. I’ll have to pick it up again sometime!
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