What Are CS Students Learning Today

Cay S. Horstmann

My Background

• Author of Core Java, Core JavaServer Faces (Sun Press)
• Author of numerous college textbooks
• Professor at San Jose State University
• Executive roles in high-tech startups
• Java champion

What Do CS Students Learn?

• 4 year undergraduate program
• SJSU: 13 CS courses
  • Programming (2)
  • Data structures and algorithms (3)
  • Systems programming (2)
  • Computer architecture (2)
  • Software engineering (2)
  • Electives (2)
• Some math, science, and of course ... California History
• ABET accredited
• CS, CE, SE programs differ in minute details
• Gradual change (C++ -> Java, UML, open source, less theory)
• Education, not certification

What Don't CS Students Learn?

• People skills
• Business sense
• Project management
• Dev tools (unless they take my SE course :-))
• Scripting languages
• Working with large codebases
• Concurrent programming
• Enterprise software
• Cloud computing

Engaging College Students and Faculty

• Bring students to Sun
  • JavaOne
  • Events (open source, JUG)
  • Internships (check out IBM's extreme internship program)
• COME TO CAMPUS!!!
  • Student clubs
  • Adjunct professors
  • Industrial advisory board

Sun Tools on Campus

• When students become engineers, they like to use what they learned
• Make your tools the default
  • Java = lingua franca on colleges
  • Except for server-side: hosting problem
  • You can fix this: java.net
  • Use web to solve problems, not to "engage"
• Solve the professor's problems
  • Make your material fit into a course
  • Make sure professor has interest + skills
• Whoops: Time for a quiz
  • How do you get cloud computing into a CS program?

Enrollment Crisis

• CS enrollment down > 50% from dot-com peak
• Females at lowest ratio in 40 years
• Causes
  • Dilbert image
  • Fear of outsourcing
  • Limited salary upside
  • Poor math/science preparation
• Must win their hearts and minds in high school
• AP Computer Science / Pre-AP

Alice and Friends

• Alice: A real programming language
• Animate characters, tell stories
• Drag and drop; no frustrating syntax errors
• Developed for middle school girls
• Greenfoot
• BlueJ