Nearing the completion of my Computer Science education at Notre Dame, I feel that I can accurately comment on its quality. I can also analyze how closely the education I received aligns with general Computer Science education guidelines and criteria. The Computer Science 2013 Guidelines provide 18 “Knowledge Areas” for all comp-sci graduates, so I decided to see how many of these Knowledge Areas I have been taught during my time at Notre Dame. Scanning the list, I see that there are some knowledge areas that we’ve obviously covered, like Algorithms, Architecture, Operating Systems, and Programming Languages, and then there are some that are offered as electives, and many students would not have exposure to them, like Graphics and Visualizations, Networking and Communications, Human-Computer Interaction, and Information Assurance and Security. Is it a problem that the mandatory curriculum at Notre Dame does not include classes from all 18 knowledge areas? Well, later on in the 2013 Guidelines, a set of principles for Computer Science students is listed, and many of these principles mention how graduates should learn in a way that they could be flexible and work across many disciplines and be prepared for a variety of professions. Maybe a Notre Dame computer science student could hit all 18 knowledge areas if he chose to overload schedules and work hard for it, but for many students (including me), there are some topics of computer science that interest us and some that do not. Exposure to different parts of computer science is very important, and being able to choose certain classes as electives rather than be forced to take it allows us to learn what parts of computer science we love. I got to take Biometrics, Networking and Security, Web Science, Databases, and Data Mining because they sounded interesting to me, and sparked further learning. The balance that Notre Dame provides is important for fostering a student attitude that enjoys learning and discovery rather than being forced with an impossible course load.
But is a college education necessary to be a good computer scientist? For me personally, I don’t think there’s any way I could have acquired the knowledge I have without college. Learning from professors and alongside classmates was something that could not be replicated on my own. I do think, though, that it is possible to be a great computer scientist without formal education. It’s not the way I learn, but for many, self-teaching is the way to go.
However, I did not go to college just to become a great computer scientist. I came to be a part of groups and activities, build relationships, extend my faith, and become an improved human, in general. Not only become more educated, but become a better person. Notre Dame has helped me be the type of computer scientist that not only has the knowledge, but also has the ability to make ethical and educated decisions based from what I’ve experienced at this university.
Ethics and Professional Issues Blog 