We need to teach Computing that has purpose and meaning
which I think is what Applied Computing tries, but often fails, to do. The idea that is sugested in the linked post is for CS teaching to tell a story (perhaps metaphorically) and to have a beginning, middle, and end. In the real world many people do not need skills from the more theoretical end of CS. I say this with my tongue ever so slightly in my cheek, having thought that I wouldn't need any of those geometry and trigonometry skills from Mathematics until I started working on visualisations of argument structure. Although I say that for effect as I actually needed those skills when I worked building sites doing joinery in the real world. In computing though, the skills that people do need are applied computing skills. These are good, practical, real-world computing skills that cover at least formal skills in:
- problem solving,
- ideation,
- coding,
- source control,
- development methodology,
- team-working,
- communication
- probably others but I can't think of any right now...
Additonally there needs to be sufficient background and experience of the academic side of CS to allow the student to have some idea of the breadth of tools and techniques that CS can offer as well as how to aquire and apply them to their own problems. However I don't think that Applied Computing should be taught in isolation as I do not want to turn Applied Computing into a vocational course. I think that what is required is the story, provided by an associated application domain that scaffolds the use of computational tools to solve problems. For example, Applied Computing with Life Sciences, Psychology, Law, Engineering, or any of a myriad of subject domains. At university level these should of course be selected from those areas that the University is already good at. For example, the University of Dundee has a large and successful College of Life Sciences and increasing numbers of vacancies for software developers which it struggles to fill. Unfortunately there is not sufficient joined-up-thinking to ensure that LifeSci students are getting a thorough grounding in computing so the graduates that are being produced are not suited to some of the jobs that are becoming available. With the increasing trend towards heavy computer use in the life sciences this is a bad situation. Additionally, the Applied Computing degree does not have close ties with many of the range of other subject domains that Dundee does well, so ends up being a kind of theory-light CS. This gives graduates lots of tools to take away with them but no subject matter of their own to which they can apply them.
