NSF ICER Midwest Workshop Reference Positions for Discussion

The following are a few sample "reference positions" for the invitees' consideration:

The intellectual content of the field of computing has changed radically. It affects other fields, is affected by other fields, and involves understanding many more complex interactions and integration than in the past. However, the current computing education program for the most part does not address an integrative view of the field nor has the traditional curriculum kept pace with industry needs and challenges posed by ever expanding and increasingly complex applications; it can't adequately prepare graduates for the demands in U.S. for 2010 and beyond. It has to become more outward looking than in the past, i.e., to integrate education and research activities more closely with those of other intellectual areas. As a matter of fact, some problems that are inadequately addressed actually have been brought on by the success of computing, e.g., the need for more attention to information security concerns in the presence of the ubiquitous Internet. The computing field has much to offer toward coping with such problems and toward educating students for 2010 and beyond — but it cannot act alone.

There is no uniform agreement on what constitutes the core of the computing field or how to produce graduates who are intellectually agile in a dynamically changing discipline. Typically, multiple IT programs exist on campus. Cross campus coordination and integration of these programs will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of education and research for every one.

In order for a new college graduate to get a good computing job in the U.S., industry tells educators that he/she needs to understand more about business: marketing, finance, management, etc. Therefore, some of the technical courses for computing undergraduate majors should be replaced by (or closely integrated with) business courses in order to satisfy industry's requirements for more business savvy among potential employees. Major curricular changes in this direction need to be made, and quickly if not simultaneously addressed in the accrediting guidelines of the Computing Accreditation Commission and the Engineering Accreditation Commission.

It is not advisable to change drastically or to remove much technical content from an undergraduate computing major's course of study. On the other hand, the knowledge and skills a U.S. graduate will need in the future in order to secure a good job in the computing field are not diminishing but expanding. Therefore, many U.S. jobs in computing will soon require an undergraduate computing degree, plus an advanced degree in computing or in a related field, in some cases (but not all) with a business focus. New efforts in computing education should be on professional M.S. degrees, for example, and on integrated graduate degrees in which computing plays a major role.

The purpose of university education is not merely to prepare graduates for a first job, but rather (to the extent possible) for an entire career. It is therefore particularly important in a rapidly changing field such as computing that educators identify and teach their students the key principles that should be expected to transcend mere technology changes. Apparently, graduates of computing programs typically are lacking a systems approach toward solving problems. They are not adept at dealing with the scale-up challenges associated with complex systems of the type they will encounter as practitioners. There is a big gap between classroom computing and system design and analysis and those in IT industry. Consequently, both the graduates and industry would greatly benefit if what a student learns in class is closer to what is needed in industry, such as team work on large and complex project and heterogeneous system integration and interoperability, in addition to the principles of computing.

There is a dwindling pipeline of high school graduates majoring in computing, and the under-representation of women and other minorities enrolled in computing programs or working as practitioners persists. In the past, international students compensated for the dwindling pipeline, studying both at the undergraduate and graduate levels and most often remaining in the U.S. workforce after graduation. However, with restrictions on visas, the U.S. has been losing this important source of students and practitioners. On the other hand, the number of domestic students wishing to major in computing in college has been rapidly declining in the past few years. This by itself may be just a natural cyclical phenomenon faced many times by other fields, such as engineering. There is evidence that job prospects might be on the upswing soon. However, because of the four-year phase lag between the choice of major and graduation, there is the prospect of a serious shortage of U.S. computing graduates by 2010. This will be a true disaster because it will lead to accelerated off-shoring of computing positions at that point; U.S. employees will be scarce or at least very expensive. This will further hasten the possible loss of U.S. world leadership in the computing field and even in IT industry.

Notably, interest among women and minority students has dwindled most rapidly, among all groups, during the past few years. Two-thirds of university students are in one or both of these groups. Therefore, steps must be taken immediately to encourage (or entice) all students — not just white males — to consider computing careers. However, mere verbal encouragement is far from being enough.

Our national IT competitiveness is threatened by global economies in a number of ways (e.g., off-shoring/outsourcing, emergence of new information-based centers as in the Mideast, and government supported software development industries as in Ireland, Israel, and Poland). On the other hand, irreversible global economic and educational changes (e.g., the rise of computing industry and education in India, China, and elsewhere) are widely perceived to be eroding potential career opportunities for U.S.-educated computing professionals. It is often suggested that the future will hold far fewer jobs in the U.S. for those with computing degrees, that computing research here will suffer along with the computing industry, and that loss of U.S. leadership in computing is at a serious risk.

The entire off-shoring phenomenon may not be a real threat. Once computing professionals in developing countries realize they can command higher compensations, it will quickly become far less economical for U.S. companies to offshore IT jobs that are now going overseas. Furthermore, off-shoring has serious problems – some are becoming apparent and some are yet to come, such as: language and cultural barriers, political instability and complications in the regions, possible government regulations, time and geographical differences, intellectual property abuse, and the volatility of the employment. Therefore, the U. S. computing education program should not be distracted by a short-term problem that will correct or disappear by itself. It should focus on how to teach better the core ideas of computing that are closely coupled with IT industry applications, and should concentrate on promising and well-planned improvements in pedagogy, rather than spending valuable time and resources making untested wholesale changes to computing education programs.

Security has become one of the nation's most pressing immediate needs. However, traditional computing program does not include it or only addresses its principles in a narrow way. On the other hand, security is a multidisciplinary area and involves other fields such as business, laws, and management. An integrative computing program would prepare graduates for security needs in real practical systems for the whole society in the U.S., in addition to the basic principles.

In general, the important aspects in integrative computing education and research are the same as they have always been: what should be learned, why it is important to learn it, to whom it should be taught, and how it should be taught. Steady as she goes.

Obviously there are many other positions that could be offered for discussion and debate at the workshop. The above are merely illustrative, and there is no guarantee that any of these positions will actually be on the program as discussion items if the invitees do not propose them.