Computing science courses - training or education?

Abstract

The debate about the usefulness or otherwise of Computing Science degrees has raged for some time. Critics of these degree courses have stated that the courses do not satisfy the needs of commercial and industrial users; that they do not train the graduate to be of immediate use or that the subject is developing too rapidly for degrees to impart any lasting knowledge and so on. It may be (and is) argued by some, that an Institute of Higher Education (be it College, Polytechnic* or University) should not aim to train students to be of immediate use to industry. However there is obviously a demand for trained personnel in the computing field, as demonstrated by the proliferation of courses run by manufacturers, various professional bodies and commercial organizations, and it is to satisfy this demand that a number of Polytechnics in England, and Sheffield Polytechnic in particular, have designed courses aimed at educating students in the field of computing.