IP: Students getting worse?

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

>
> >From: EDUCAUSE <EDUCAUSE@EDUCAUSE.EDU>
> >Subject: Edupage, December 8, 2000
> > [...]
> > IT'S THE TECH-LITE GENERATION
> > Many computer science and engineering majors today do not
> > understand the fundamentals of how computers work, and colleges
> > are modifying their curriculum to fill this gap. In the past,
> > engineering majors came to college with experience in taking
> > apart and rebuilding machines. However, today's engineering
> > students "have never taken a toaster oven apart, certainly never
> > built a radio," says Virginia Tech's Lynn Abbott. David
> > Macaulay, author of "How Things Work," attributes the lack of
> > understanding about computer architecture to computers
> > themselves. Making a computer work typically requires pressing
> > the right keys, not tearing the machine apart, Macaulay says.
> > Concerned about this trend, colleges are beginning to offer
> > courses that provide hands-on training. Virginia Tech, for
> > example, requires students in Intro to Computer Engineering to
> > build digital circuits. Arizona State University focuses on the
> > design process and testing real designs, while the University of
> > Colorado built a special lab to provide future engineers with
> > hands-on design experience. At the same time, colleges are
> > offering new "tech-lite" courses for non-technical majors who
> > want to learn some basic technology skills.
> > (Interactive Week, 4 December 2000)



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