Teaching computer science: experience from four continents

ABSTRACT

In this paper we compare and contrast computer science curricula in four universities in four different countries (and continents): Australia; Israel; South Africa and Sweden. Uppsala University in Sweden is a European university founded in 1477 with a long history of tradition. The University of Witwatersrand in South Africa and Deakin University in Australia evolved from 'Schools of Mines' (technical schools) in 1922 and 1977 respectively and have their roots in the British academic system. The Open University of Israel, established in 1974 by the Ministry of Education, began teaching in 1976. As new universities, Deakin University and the Open University of Israel sought to fill needs not met by existing universities, so both have concentrated on distance learning (off-campus) programs. For similar reasons, Deakin University and the Open University of Israel also provide special non-degree short courses and programs. We refer to undergraduate and graduate studies and consider degree requirements, methods of delivery, assessment, and costs. We also briefly mention such issues as programming languages and the development and evolution of programs of study and of individual courses in the four universities.

REFERENCES

• 1: Peter Denning , Douglas E. Comer , David Gries , Michael C. Mulder , Allen B. Tucker , A. Joe Turner , Paul R. Young, Computing as a discipline: preliminary report of the ACM task force on the core of computer science, Proceedings of the nineteenth SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education, p.41-41, February 25-26, 1988, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
• 2: Conrad Mueller , Sheila Rock , Ian Sanders, An improved first year course taking into account third world students, ACM SIGCSE Bulletin, v.25 n.1, p.213-217, March 1993
• 3: Sanders I. D. and Mueller C. S. M. (1994). Making Computer Science more accessible to educationally disadvantaged students, GATES, 1 (2), pp. 32 - 41.
• 4: Tucker, A. B. (Ed.). (1991). Computing Curricula 1991: Report of the ACM/IEEE-CS Joint Curriculum Task Force. ACM Press.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.2 Computer and Information Science Education
          Subjects: Computer science education

General Terms:
Theory