[Edu-sig] Microsoft's KPL

[Peter Bowyer]

At 18:11 08/10/2005, Chuck Allison wrote:
>While their graduates will
>indeed be effective in some technical workplaces, I think the slanted
>education will take its toll. As a college professor, I am concerned
>for people who go that fit-a-mold route.

I've been keeping quiet on this thread, but I don't think you can 
blame fit-a-mould students on programs formed by corporate 
sponsors.  Most university departments (excepting those in the arts I 
guess) produce fit-a-mould students.  I study physics in the UK and 
guess what?  Most graduates will go on to do physics research or work 
in the city of London on financial models.  Most students do fit a 
mould, they're not being taught to, but to think outside the mould 
requires effort and time both on your part and that of a mentor in 
the department.

Added to that the pressures for the students to be 'employable' 
afterwards influence how the study is geared (we now do poster 
presentation and power point presentation modules and write reports - 
usually without any guide of what should be produced - as employers 
used to complain physicists didn't have these skills)

No doubt CS is different because you are being prepared for one 
industry, but I wanted to make the point it happens without corporate 
sponsors just as much.

One other point: I think in the US you have a great benefit in having 
a spread of subjects in your university degrees (I'm right in 
thinking you major and minor in different subjects?).  That's 
something I'd have loved to do.

Peter

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