This degree program was mentioned today in the NCWIT meeting, and while I think the program looks great, I’m frankly appalled by this snippet from their web site:
6. How is Informatics different from a major in Information Technology (IT)?
The Informatics program at UCI is a Bachelor of Science degree. It has many courses in common with UCI’s other computer science degree programs. Informatics is a resolutely technical degree, paying attention to the context in which the technology is deployed. There is no IT program at UCI; other programs in IT vary, but most are much less technical than Informatics, de-emphasizing the concepts and techniques necessary for actually building systems.
WTF?! This characterization of IT as “less technical” is infuriating, and inaccurate. Have they even looked at ACM’s draft curriculum for IT? Or the new ABET computing accreditation guidelines, which include IT?
Oooooooo, this makes me mad. :(
(However, I just brought this to the attention of their dean, who promises to address this immediately. So this rant will hopefully be irrelevant sooner rather than later. I should also add that I think that the program looks fabulous and is a model that I’d love to see other emulate. I just bristle at what feels like an unwarranted attack on programs that really ought to be allies.)
—
Update, 2:56pm MDT: Wow, that was fast. The section question has been changed to read as follows:
The Informatics program at UCI is a Bachelor of Science degree. It has many courses in common with UCI’s other computer science degree programs. Informatics is a resolutely technical degree, paying attention to the context in which the technology is deployed. There is no IT program at UCI; programs in IT at other institutions vary in their content.
I’m very impressed, and delighted. Thanks!
www.flickr.com
|
