dp.cx blog

I'm going to complain about the quality of technology education in this article. I know that some schools do get it right. If you're associated with a school that gets it right, join me in advocating for the globalization of your institution's technology education quality. Every student in every computer science/ engineering program, regardless of their institution, deserves to be inspired in the classroom.

I will soon end a course on data management. As the course has drawn closer to completion, I have begun feeling more annoyed by the curriculum and engagement level in the classroom because the class is boring.

I'm a programmer. I don't need to be convinced that creating systems for storing and retrieving data can be exciting because I already do it every day. But the 22 other students in the class are not programmers; they're students who've never designed or used databases before. Their first exposure to databases is a boring course with lots of vocabulary and little practical application.

I look around the room during lecture at these young masses of potential only to find them semi-comatose and expressing great misery. They are computer science majors who, like me, will change degree programs because the curriculum is boring. Many of them will learn to hate the idea of programming or think that they don't have what it takes because college instructors often do a poor job inspiring students in class.

I spend a lot of time exploring the state of STEM education and the efforts to recruit more talent in engineering careers. I always try to advocate for what I call "exciting careers in technology". When students step into a classroom with boring technology curriculum, any progress I make with advocacy is undone. Instructors need to teach the possibilities associated with a career in technology, the opportunities for pushing limits, and the excitement of building whatever you want without barriers to entry.

If you teach computer science or engineering, consider this my plea for more engaging curriculum and more inspiring lectures. Let's make sure that every student that crosses our path has no choice but to learn, understand, and be inspired by the impact they can make in the world with the curriculum we teach.