Chris McDonald
The University of Western Australia
Computer Science is a very challenging and difficult discipline in which to teach. Students have high expectations that their education will not only explain the design and operation of contemporary computer- and internet-based systems, but also prepare them to be the designers and developers – not just the users – of future systems.
The computing industry makes seemingly significant announcements every day, including the release of new software, examples of security and privacy vulnerabilities, and technology’s impact on our society. The pace of these can be both exciting and threatening to many students. Such developments are widely, and quickly, reported across the internet, and highly engaged Computer Science students thrive on reading and discussing these announcements.
However, nearly all new technologies are built on well-established foundations and, thus, history also plays an important role in understanding today’s computing – where we’ve come from, and possibly where we’re heading.
This talk discusses the challenges and successes in keeping contemporary students engaged by weaving together the old and the new, drawing on personal computing experiences, keeping abreast of overnight developments, and integrating these into lectures, workshops, and assessment.