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Informatics Education Europe III 5-12-2008 1

The enrolment problem and the changing nature of prospective students (and informatics)

J. van Leeuwen Utrecht University

Informatics Europe

Attracting (more) Students to the Informatics Discipline


Informatics was: about computing, data processing and process control centered once around mainframes and mini’s

Now is: about designing and creating processes and systems and

their interactions with the world centered around networks, embedded systems and

intelligent (information/software) environments critical in everything (science, business, society) used by everyone, everywhere business domain of many information and software

companies (large and small) major factor in economy, innovation and of ICT policies challenging future ethics, privacy, security major intellectual discipline of this century (cf Constable

2005) and.. a household word!


Informatics education was: focussing on programming languages, datastructures, database

systems, logic (and math..), program construction organized in 4-5 year diploma programs

Now is: focussing on algorithmic thinking, concepts in context, object/agent/

web/service-oriented programming, algorithms, multimedia, embedded systems, distributed intelligence, cognition, system architecture

with amazing software technologies, unleashing/augmenting creativity embedded in multidisciplinary contexts (game design, bio-informatics,

technology management, etc.) and experiential learning organised in broad 3-year Bachelor and specialised 2-year Master

programs more application- than theory-oriented using unlimited digital information, changing the face of scholarship in

many fields constantly adapting to progress in ICT in great demand in all branches of science, business, industry, ...


The Information Age→ … New world

We are all connected Digital communities, new forms of communication Triple play: (mobile) high speed internet, television, telephone E-skills, smart environments, serious gaming Everything is informatised

New economy Information technology industries Company- and society-wide system applications Networked, with worldwide interchange of data/documents/… Globalization of production, goods and services, trade, finance

New science Creative tools in learning Information system structures in all sciences Programs and computation as most powerful model Knowledge discovery from massive data Virtual laboratories, e-journals, digital libraries Instant dissemination of research and ideas

→…The Informatics Age??


From the 1960s until 2000, engineering and CS have been popular, no extra mile had to be taken to attract students touniversities.

AND YET …

While nowadays our youth is using new technologies fluently, the number of CS students in first-year university has declined alarmingly in North-America and Europe. Although according to some (national…) statistics the number of graduating students increased from 2005 to 2006, enrolments have dropped 49% fromtheir height in 2001/02. The number of female undergraduatestudents in CS is low. The alarming trend of declining enrolment exists despite a desperate need for computer scientists in industryand a popular debate on the topic in the media.

Cf. Dagstuhl Perspectives Workshop 2009


“We must provide students an engaging curriculum that goes beyond programming and represents the imaginative, creative, collaborative, and complex character of Informatics/Computing.”

Cf. Comm. ACM (Nov 2008).


Do we promote Informatics effectively?


Primary education Secondary education Bachelor programs (Vocational programs) Master programs PhD programs … Science, industry, business, services

Interesting students for Informatics: problems relate along the whole educational chain:

Challenges at level X: not only a problem of level X-1..Also distinguish: input, throughput, output

And, what is keeping women out of academic programs in Informatics cq Computing (in some countries)?


Example: career motivators for studying Informatics

Based on external factors and ‘later..’

Informatics is a fascinating field that brings together software technology, logic, design, psychology, management science and mathematics, and drives scientific, technological and societal change `touching every aspect of daily life’.

In 2007, Informatics (CS/CE) jobs ranked the top five for average starting salary offers among graduates.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the IT workforce to grow at more than twice the rate of the overall workforce from 2006-2016.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that of the top six fastest growing occupations, three are computer science-related jobs, such as computer software engineers, systems analysts, and network systems and data communication analysts.

Informatics graduates work in a variety of different areas, such as healthcare, Internet development, homeland and military security, space exploration, transportation, robotics, virtual reality, gaming, and more!

Cf. Various University sites


Example: academic motivators for studying Informatics …

Informatics is part of everything we do Expertise in Informatics enables you to solve complex challenging

problems Informatics enables you to make a positive difference in the world Informatics offers many types of lucrative careers Informatics jobs are here to stay, regardless of where you are

located Expertise in Informatics helps you even if your primary career

choice is something else Informatics has space for both collaborative work and individual

effort Informatics is an essential part of well-rounded academic

preparation Future opportunities in Informatics are without boundaries

Cf. ACM Top 10 Reasons


Example: one of the most exciting disciplines to study, where you can have an impact on real world problems

Informatics is:

a science, based on deep ideas that you will discover, apply and can even invent as an undergraduate.

highly suited to people who are creative, enjoy solving puzzles, like to design and build things.

an ideal discipline for students who have broad interests, because it can be applied to so many other fields. […] is an ideal place for interdisciplinary studies

open to students with or without programming experience one of the most employable degrees you can get, and now is a particularly

great time to be a computer scientist.

Cf. Computer Science, Univ. of Toronto.


Example: Why study Informatics here?

Identify your department’s unique selling points! Illustrate with demos, videos, and creative web presence.

Earn a degree from a top-ranked program Immerse yourself in an excellent curriculum Explore exceptional non-CS courses Great academic options: pursue outstanding research opportunities

for undergrad and grad students Learn in world-class facilities, from excellent teachers Take advantage of the events and extra-curriculars which the

university has to offer Live in a vibrant, scenic city Explore the world through study abroad Land your dream job Start your own business through the university’s entrepreneurial

resourcesCf. CS, U Michigan


Why students don’t (seem to ..) choose

Informatics


Version 1: Student interest for majoring/working in science (CS) declines as science and technology are more developed in a country.

Cf. Schreiner & Sjøberg, Project `ROSE’, Oslo, 2005.

Version 2: As IT gets embedded in everything and becomes ordinary, the less students see a challenge in studying Informatics.

Cf. V. Frissen 2008.

Version 3: Nothing wrong with Informatics but working in IT does not have an attractive image (ÌT work will be boring’).

Cf. BITKOM 2007, CRAC Study 2008.

Version 4: Students believe that the IT industry will hire them no matter what they have studied. So, why not study what you like now and learn `computers’ later.

Cf. C. de la Higuera (at IEEIII 2008).

Version 5: ICT research in `neighboring’ disciplines appears to grow faster than in the ICT disciplines themselves.

Cf. Technopolis Study 2008.

Version 6: Unlike other sciences, ICT researchers can pursue certain lines of research only if somebody else considers them ‘useful’.

Cf. Santini (2006)

What does this tell us?

Paradox of value


Other arguments, often re- and re-discovered:

It’s the economy.. (e.g. present labor market concerns). Disappointment with secondary school view of Informatics. Poor career advice and misunderstanding of the field (incl. job futures) by friends, parents, school

advisors, public perception, etc. Forced view of later jobs: students are not (very) interested yet in `what’ they will be, but rather in

`whom’ they will be later. IT issues and e-skills dominate over societally accepted scientific challenges of the field. Gap between creative and technological aspects of the discipline is felt to be `large’. Computer science students interested in computers but not in `science’. Rather study Y (Biology, Math, ..) with a minor in Informatics than Informatics with a minor in Y. Lack of inspiring role models ìn reach’, no understanding of what informaticians cq Informatics

graduates do. Studying (computer) science is perceived as passive and too much solitary learning and focus on

competition. Cf. Tobias (1990). Perceptions of the curriculum as being difficult (`too much content’, `too much math’), not inspiring

(‘low sense of relevance’), or too academic (not related to `profession or practice’). CS programs have not adapted quickly enough. Cf. ICTC Study 2008. Not an interesting environment (dull building, no gender balance, no view of student projects that

stimulate èxploring and discovering’, no social binding, …). Not appealing to large communities (women, non-science majors, minorities, …). Misconceptions (image, ìt’s just about tools’, `will become a technologist’, …). Or, no subject interest: other career options appear to be more interesting or rewarding.

Pieces of the same puzzle. Work needed on every item.

Cf. J. Margolis


Ten reflections ... [Need longer term visions for the field as a science (`why study it’) and

appealing challenges to address that are not just engineering or technology-oriented but aimed at the fundamental understandings of natural or man-made processes.]

Name the problem you want to solve (ìmage’, `more (female) students’, `student retention after year 1’,…) and take it serious: make someone responsible for results. Campaign widely, involve current students.

Education follows research: look at all your Informatics research programs and professors and position (all of) them to inspire potential students. “Sense of relevance” and “passion for the profession” begin here.

If it’s a matter of marketing (profiling), decide what you want to market, why students will (not: should) be interested in it, and how you want to do it. Then do it and stay closely involved.

Recognize that Informatics is multi-faceted, thus multidisciplinary: technical skills and insights, design skills and insights, soft skills, and science (biology, physics,..) and/or business insights have to be balanced. Make choices but involve at least three `dimensions’. Cf. ITU Copenhagen.

Only then: reconsider the curriculum and its pedagogy: it should reflect the the `reality’ students face after graduation as well as the passions for the field. Let courses live. `Bind’ students academically (tutors).


… to attract (more) students Recognize that (potential) Informatics students have varied interests and vocations

that follow the changes in the discipline: design `threads’ to offer students their preferred view of ìnformatics now’ and their path of interest through the program. Use the right focus terms that are sure to grab their interest (and that of women etc). Cf. Georgia Tech CS Program.

Informatics is a science by itself. Do not let mathematics fill the basics. Expose the conceptual richness of Informatics itself, with the èigen’ math of analysis, logic and reasoning that derive from the discipline. Don’t use what you learned as a student (and how) as a criterion: students `live’ with systems and software that didn’t even exist a few years ago and now view them as normal. They want to study what’s next.

Make Informatics courses engaging and fun: apply a concept-in-context approach, use real world challenges in programming and architecture, well-motivated CS-theory rather than just math, group projects, autonomy in choosing advisors, etc.

Have interesting and living websites, clear procedures (for admission), helpful administrations, good facilities, software labs, sports accommodations etc: if not, upgrade them as they are your front office for future students.

Recognize that students are different every year (more e-skills, less math skills..) and anticipate this. Bind students `socially’.

[Upgrade informatics programs and teacher backgrounds and capabilities at all levels X with X < 3.]

Keep adjusting after every [two] years.


“People have said you don’t understand something until you’ve taught it in a class. The truth is you don’t really understand something until you’ve taught it to a computer, until you’ve been able to program it.”

Attributed to G.F. Forsythe by D.E. Knuth, Comm ACM Aug 2008.

Why study it II: it is (not) all about programming?


Core subjects of the Information Age The Internet

Packet communications Protocols (TCP/IP)

Web/Mobile code Java High-level PL’s research Exchange languages

Complexity Algorithm design Computational complexity Cryptography

Data analysis Data mining Semantic web

Multimedia Data compression algorithms Computational geometry Game design

Web science Search engines Social computing Natural language technology

Computational systems Algorithmics Multi/many-core programming Parallel compilation

E-science Virtual laboratories Diagnostic systems Life science informatics

Cognitive systems Computational theory of mind Intelligent systems Sensor networks and robots Human-computer interaction

Information systems Transaction systems Operations research Value chain informatisation

E-business Information security Enterprise architecture E-services

Adapted from R. Constable (2000)

Cf. Informatik Göttingen


How to capture the (natural or man-made) world? What is information? What is computable? What is complexity? What is intelligence? What can be (efficiently) automated? What are the limits of the finite, using current technology? What are the principles of the web? How can one build complex systems?

Specifiability, programmability Understandability, usability Maintainability, evolution Embeddability in industry/business/services How to serve mankind with them and improve qualities

What are the information system principles of living cells? How to represent the natural world in the digital one? More … as far as the imagination can reach.

Need a (new) philosophy of informatics.

What are the `questions of knowledge’ in Informatics …Classical examples (how to use them?):



Summary: Attracting students in the Informatics Age... Recognition that the science of information goes deeper than any

science before Rethink the orientation and pedagogy of Bachelor and Master

programs (in Informatics) Interdisciplinary flexibility (from math to humanities) Broad informatics/information science curricula with variety of well-

motivated and modern pathways that are visible upfront Up-to-date research programs that appeal to students and that give

room for participation and personal growth for them (not only at the MSc level).

Increased funding and sponsoring, e.g. to create (more) research assistantships and stipends for students.

More student mobility across (national) boundaries. [Female] students! Outreach action plan And a comprehensive philosophy of informatics...