Good ideas for fixing our broken education system

http://www.wired.com/culture/education/magazine/17-09/st_essay

The dust settles...what remains.

I received an email updating me on the situation. I have been wholly consumed with my other responsibilities. What follows is a modified annotation of the details.

Currently, computer science here at WWU is technically not a department, but a program. Even though there is no departmental chair for computer science, everything else is pretty much the same. Jim Klein is in charge of academic and curricular issues for CS, and Ken Wiggins is in charge of the budget. The request for establishing criteria for reinstating CS as a department has been submitted to administration and they have conveyed agreement with the request. These criteria will probably be determined during the 2009-2010 school year.

The courses that Anthony Aaby taught have been divided among Jonathan Duncan, Larry Aamodt, and Jim Klein. Jonathan Duncan has a double major in Math and CS from WWU, graduating in the class of 1997. He recently completed his masters in computer science along with a PhD in math at Indiana University. Jonathan’s involvement in CS is on loan from the math department for two years.

Jim Klein is heading up the creation of a CS advisory board to lend more weight to the opinions of CS alumni to better equip the department to address issues regarding computer science with the WWU administration and university board.

A Dilbert Moment

One of the major mistakes of the ignorant is the misconception that the study of computer science just means that you learn how to program. This could not be further from reality.

Technical schools have been churning out trained monkeys under this pretext. Is there anything special about Cirque du Soleil -- or can anyone that learns acrobatics do what they do?

There is obviously something more to it than just the observed execution of acrobatic training. There is an understanding that transcends the skill itself. Teaching acrobatics will never equate to training Cirque du Soleil performers. Teaching programming will never equate to training computer scientists.

And what would be the point exactly in pontificating about it on this blog?

Computer scientists inherently understand little nuances that most people never know exist until they run unceremoniously into them.

Say for example, that you operate a business that has an immediate cash flow problem. You know that salary and benefits are your largest drain on cash -- so you propose terminating some employees. You want to be fair so you choose employees that are part of "underperforming" departments. You create a spreadsheet to document cash savings projected out a year to show your supervisors and get their approval. Done. Problem solved.

Maybe. How accurate was your savings projection? Did you model reality correctly? Did you account for little nuances like employment contracts? Hope so, because calculating ROI (return on investment) in that slick little spreadsheet should really take into account severance packages.

For example, you wouldn't want to end up terminating an employee "to save money" only to discover that you missed the fact that their contract stipulates that upon termination you owe them a year's salary plus benefits.

Yes, it is easy to nitpick from the sidelines. Still, a textbook Dilbert moment for sure.

The Princess at the Keyboard: Why Girls Should Become Computer Scientists

Amanda Stent and Philip Lewis have written a gentle, friendly and comprehensive introduction to computer science. Each chapter covers one area of computer science and includes: examples of how the computer science works; sidebars that contain historical notes or ideas for you to explore; and biographies of women in computer science. The last chapter covers questions that you might have about becoming a computer scientist. We hope that after reading this book you will want to join us in studying this uniquely beautiful and practical subject.

Link: Full article

CS enrollment trends

It looks like CS enrollment trends are starting to rebound.

NY Times, March 16, 2009 Computer Science Programs Make a Comeback in Enrollment

Answers to some questions + Moving Forward

I talked with Jodi Wagner today for nearly 45 minutes. I can put forth an answer to some of the earlier questions.

1. WWU administration have taken steps to avoid cutting personnel. Reducing administrative staff, auxiliary support staff, and existing staff hours -- even as far as cutting back on consumables like paper towels, etc.
2. Overall enrollment is down in all schools, and not just at walla walla university. The computer science program is not the only department in dire straights right now -- the current action of reducing staff FTEs is an immediate action made to triage the immediate monetary shortfall. There is also effort being expended to maintain the computer science major despite the necessity of cutting an FTE.
3. Contemplating both the possible and probable effects of cutting the computer science program have contributed energy to the effort of finding a way to keep the computer science program alive.

Moving Forward

We talked about the ideal situation and how to foster motion towards improving enrollment. We discussed:

• Business department's alumni advisement committee -- specifically how active they are in talking to potential students; the computer science program needs this
• Why should a 18 year old consider computer science @ WWU?
  1. Over a technical school like Devry
  2. Over a community college
  3. Over a state run university like UW/WSU
  4. Over other private universities like Whitman/Whitworth
  5. Over other SDA universities like Southern
• Why would you want to go to school in a small place like Walla Walla?
• Why would you want to study computer science?
  1. Who invented the Internet -- hint: it wasn't a politician
  2. The reality is that you will be in front of a computer for most of your job -- so the real question is if you want to only use software or do you want to create software too
• Getting interested alumni together to talk to prospective students about computer science.
• Why advertising is shunned by engineers, computer science, mathematicians, and the like -- how to get the word out to those that have the spark -- how to get the word out without advertising

Possible Questions To Ask Tonight

1. What steps have you enacted to avoid cutting personnel?
2. Does the fact that previous reports erroneously have the cs program much worse off then current reality play any role in maintaining the current course of action? Or is it the decision of those in charge that it is too difficult to turn this ship around? -- If so few students can have such an impact in the measured "health" of the department, why is the program on the cutting block?
3. Have they weighed the full impact of the cs program cut on both actual engineering enrollment as well as future engineering enrollment?

GKW Meeting with CS Majors Tonight @ 7:15pm

For more info, I guess you will need to attend said event...or find someone who did.

WSU Goes Paperless to Cut Costs

Link: WSU goes paperless to curb costs

This should be self-explanatory how this applies to Walla Walla University.

The decision, made official last month, comes amid an effort to trim $10-million from the university’s budget by June, with further cuts anticipated next year.

Report focusing on computer science

Link: The report

How are the student-faculty ratios calculated? Get specific as there are many ways to generate this statistic, and very few accurately model reality.

Anyone know about the context of the Board target of 14:1? Specifically, how does institutional overhead affect this ratio? What components of this ratio are actually tied to efficiencies of the department itself? What components are tied to the efficiencies of the institution itself--are administrative inefficiencies averaged between departments or is there a weighting in effect?

If you understand how property taxes work, then you get where this is going -- property taxes are directly proportional to the budget of the governing body doing the taxing; they spend more money, your taxes go up, they spend less money, your taxes go down. How is this similar and how is it different from this magic number called the "student-faculty ratio"?

How is the cost per student credit hour calculated exactly? Is my skipping a class factored in? What if I am bored and target a particular class for non-attendance, but still go enough so that I pass the class -- what effect do I have on that little "cost" metric? What about the theology class that I had to drop mid way into my junior year because of a 3-way conflict between school, wife, and job?

Someone explain the tenth-day majors measurement.

When people harden their hearts...

Engaging the issue head on and working to find a viable solution becomes next to impossible without a Genghis Khan calling the shots. I am not he, and I would like to think that no one is taking action that could be perceived as personally hostile -- remember that we all prefer to be innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around.

I have some real coding to get to today and will be back online later to respond to comments and read more of the documents that I have just skimmed thus far in hopes to get more info on the actual details.

Connecting with the Board of Trustees

I talked to Mike Bell, DeLona's husband, this morning. I have every intent to call Marshall Keymer tomorrow [UPDATE: didn't happen]. I still need to get in touch with Gordon Lacey and possibly Paul Rhynard.

What blows my mind is that I don't hear anyone talking about streamlining administration, making the machine more efficient as the primary means of cutting costs, therefore easing enrollment tensions all around -- I mean, what is the ETA of the comet?

UPDATE: Well, pie in the face now -- as mentioned in the updated timeline, I have received copies of extended dialog about both the state of things as well as efforts to avoid personnel cuts.

Timeline of Events

Sunday, Febuary 8th

1. Updated Friday's text to include links to the documents mentioned
2. Replied to some emails

Friday, Febuary 6th

1. Received document clearly conveying sincere attempt to avoid cutting personnel during tough economic times
2. Received documents: Strategic Initiatives(Cabinet Draft & Work Session Draft)
3. Received email notifying me about video of Thursday's faculty meeting [non-WMPv11-only version coming soon]
4. Readership changed a little -- adjusted the WWU image on the blog as requested and I added a disclaimer.
5. Replied to comments & updated multiple posts to include more information now known

Thursday, Febuary 5th

1. Received call from Ginger Ketting-Weller - it felt like she heard my concerns [30 min]
2. Received call from John McVay - I don't think that I was communicating very well and my previous emails were not received before the call because I had the address wrong; I forwarded them to the correct address afterwards [30 min]
3. Posted and sent email copies of Getting The Dialog Started

Wednesday, Febuary 4th

1. Setup this blog
2. Email Andy Porter from the Walla Walla Union Bulletin -- heard back from Maria Gonzalez

Tuesday, Febuary 3rd

1. Email WWU President, John McVay again -- no response yet.
2. Email a medical industry CTO -- no response yet.
3. Email Collegian editor -- she extended the deadline to Wed afternoon -- article made it into Thursday's Collegian.
4. Email WWU VP Marketing, Jodi Wagner -- conference call scheduled for Thur, Feb 28th 11am; trying to get it done earlier.
5. Reach out directly to current students and past alumni via IRC, email, and phone in order to build mailing list of interested parties.

Monday, Febuary 2nd:

1. SR calls and talks with GKW
2. Call and talk with GKW - said she would like to continue our talk later she did on Thursday
3. Email WWU President, John McVay - no response yet
4. Chat with SR about some marketing possibilities:

   [16:16] CS: pulling the plug on what should be a foundational part of the school is ludicruous in my book
   [16:16] CS: I mean, nothing will exist that isn't tied to CS in just 10 more years
   [16:17] CS: they should be looking at it like "whoa...no one is going into cs -- that is counter to the trends we see everywhere else -- let's fix what is broken"
   [16:18] CS: by everywhere else, I mean, technology driving everything
   [16:18] SR: I think that perspective escapes a lot of people
   [16:18] SR: as if the world is run by magic
   [16:19] CS: for some reason, there are a lot of folks that are dead set on solutions that only have the most immediate effect without thinking long term strategy
   [16:19] SR: I agree.  The time for duct tape is over.
   [16:22] SR: I think part of it is when a scarcity mentality replaced an abundance mentality.
   [16:33] CS: there is a solution to the cs dept problem...just have to find it
   [16:34] SR: I'm down with that
   [16:38] CS: or rather, we have to collectively find it
   [16:39] SR: Yes 
   [16:40] SR: It seems to me one way to help the program is to increase awareness of it's existence so future students can sign up for it
   [16:40] SR: another way is to help the school realize how integral CS is to everything
   [16:40] SR: I'm not sure what that looks like though
   [16:41] CS: exactly....the school needs to get behind the program -- acknowledge the central role it should be playing
   [16:41] SR: yep
   [16:42] CS: well...for starters, it would be to fashion how tightly integrated cs is with every existing department
   [16:42] CS: how everything relies and is built upon cs
   [16:43] CS: something like..."what do all of the next generation astronauts, biologists, business specialists, physicists have in common?"
   [16:44] SR: yes
   [16:45] CS: "they will be using computers to solve problems that we don't even know exist today -- who will supplying them with the systems they need to succeed? CS majors"
   [16:48] SR: I'm pretty sure we need to make a commercial for the CS dept.
   [16:50] CS: CS majors "get it done"
   [16:50] CS: CS majors "bridge the gap between humanity and the machine"
   [16:51] CS: CS majors "form the perfect synergy between the power of human creativity and the ruthless efficiency of the machine"
   

5. @3pm GKW meets with CS Faculty and communicates her decision to:
   • shut down the CS major include CS department in FTE reductions
   • retain a CS minor
   • retain 1 FTE to support CE concentration --> Jim Klein

Sunday, Febuary 1st:

1. Receive first email notifying me of the impending decision

Heard back from Jodi Wagner

Heard from her via email.

It looks as though this blog is being observed from other parties now, so please let me say that the goal of this is to dialog about the problem, attempting to help the situation, not make it worse. Also, in case you think otherwise, this little spot on the internet is in no way officially connected to Walla Walla University.

Just got some emails from a Whitworth CS professor

Wow... that's not good news. Right now computer scientists are actually doing rather well compared to other professions!

and then...

Interesting blog... we are currently all teaching overloads here at Whitworth. We have huge demand for computer science classes from engineering, physics and mathematics.

Yes, we should definitely talk. Maybe we can talk at church next weekend?

Just got off the phone with Maria Gonzalez from the UB

She will be contacting some folks for more information.

It's official, the Computer Science program is being cut

John McVay announced that the CS program is cut in the faculty meeting this evening.

Getting The Dialog Started

Being real about the outcomes of the decision

For me to make the following statements about the various outcomes of the decision to shut down the CS major, I make these assumptions: 1) technology cannot exist today, and will not exist tomorrow without computer science, 2) the CS major will no longer be offered after the close of the current school year, and 3) the CS major validates and is at the core of viewing WWU as a well-rounded and viable technology center.

The outcomes are grouped by the likelihood, or probability of occurrence.

1. Certain Outcomes:
   • all CS majors will leave immediately
   • some CE majors will leave immediately
   • future engineering CE enrollment will drop
2. Likely Outcomes:
   • WWU's engineering reputation diminishes, driving an overall drop in engineering enrollment
   • competent technical workers for local SDA institutions get even harder to find
   • all technology majors see a drop in enrollment -- why attend a school that does not even acknowledge, much less value, the importance of technology incubation?
3. Possible Outcomes:
   • all science majors see a drop in enrollment -- Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics are all affected

Looking at the actual problem

1. Is it really just a numbers game? -- is enrollment really the core issue?

   How much is the shortfall? How many majors would it take so that there is enough enrollment? Would computer engineers switching majors solve the immediate problem of "my excel spreadsheet shows the cs department in the red, time to send the closure notice"

   PROPOSAL: Approach each department under the microscope on a case by case basis -- engaging the department, current students, and the alumni. Play to the strengths of the department.

2. If the true issue is financial, why are solutions that affect the revenue stream considered before solutions that only affect overhead? Shutting down the CS major is a quick action which begs the context of a cash flow problem, and does not correlate with normal budget forecasting procedures.

   There are 2 types of financial hardships: 1) Cash flow and 2) Budget forecasting. You must deal with the problems very differently.

   Cash flow problems are mostly short term but extremely high priority and will always end in disaster if the are not addressed quickly. They require immediate action. Think of it as trying to keep the boat afloat after hitting an iceberg.

   Budget forecasting problems are more complex, but also ultimately more manageable due to their more extended timeframes. They do require attention, but the problem solving involved is best when drawn out over a longer period of time to allow context to mold the solution. Think of it as taking steps to avoid icebergs in the first place.

Considerations

1. Consider collaboration as a viable solution

   I worked at and was pivotal in the success of INHS and have a good deal of experience getting the machinery of business working more efficiently. Here are some bullet points to consider:

   • A LOT of money and time is wasted on actions duplicated, sometimes 20-50 times, between different segments of the organization. [For example: Printing a report, sending it to another department, who enters it into another system so that someone else print a report, which is sent to another department, who enters it into yet another system so that yet another person can print yet another report.]
   • Most workers don't have the perspective to see their inherent inefficiencies, much less come up with valid solutions. That is, even if their boss would listen, the likelihood of actual change is slim.
   • An organization's management structure is ultimately responsible for the inertial stasis, directly proportional to the organization's size, that both opposes change both directly and indirectly -- changes that are necessary to improve both overall and localized efficiency.

   Why isn't there a discussion about core collaboration with other schools like what the hospitals have figured out:

   1. Why does each institution have to duplicate spending money implementing REALLY expensive management software?
   2. Why does each institution have to duplicate spending money on maintaining mission critical information systems?
   3. Could there be any benefits to having data sharing be standard operating procedure instead of an exception?

Wall Street's collapse may be computer science's gain

John Gallaugher, associate professor of information systems in the Carroll School of Management at Boston College, said he's already seeing a shift in student interest.

"Students have commented to me and written on their course wikis that they're considering changing from finance [majors], both based on the appeal of IS and concern over availability of finance jobs" in the future, Gallaugher said.

Link: Full Article

Computer science classes make comeback at CSUS

Close to a decade after the bursting tech bubble created a glut of half-empty computer science classrooms, Sacramento State students are starting to come back.

The number of freshmen taking computer science classes has increased roughly 20 percent this academic year, said Emir Jose Macari, dean of the college of engineering and computer science. The figures, Macari says, portend an end to the drop in computer science majors at the college.

That decline gutted many local computer science programs, from Cosumnes River College to the University of California, Davis."

Link: Full Article

Whitworth CS department is huge success

Whitworth is here in Spokane -- Kent Jones attends the Spokane Valley Church and is CS faculty there.

Enrollment in Whitworth’s computer science program has increased three consecutive years, countering a national trend.

The country is experiencing a combination of fewer students pursuing computer-related degrees and an increasing number of baby boomers retiring from technical careers. That has led to an inadequate ratio of jobs to job seekers in the field.

Link: Computer Science Bucks Trend

7 Things That I Bet You Don't Know...Until You Read This

1. Your cell phone/camera/IM/facebook/tivo wouldn't work without them -- you can't say that about biologists.
2. You are almost guaranteed a job, even in today's job market -- you can't say that about stock brokers.
3. They get to choose whatever industry they want to work in as every industry needs them -- okay, you can say that about lawyers.
4. They are to business as the Navy Seals are to the military -- they just get it done; sometimes with you kicking and screaming the whole way.
5. You get to complain about their work over your coffee break in whatever job you get when you leave college -- that is unless you join them, so naturally you would still be complaining about their work over coffee.
6. They don't have to sit behind a computer all day using applications like Word and Excel -- they get to sit behind a computer all day at places like Google, Microsoft, and IBM while making a lot more money than you might expect.

What is the 7th thing, you ask? I can't tell you yet, but any computer science major or computer engineer can. Oh, and by the way -- they could really use a hug today.

Just got off the phone with John McVay

hmm...it would appear that John is in a hard spot as he has been given a mandate from the Board of Trustees to follow certain guidelines. And those guidelines state that certain quotas must be met. Ginger's recommendation is what John pays political capital to deviate from -- he must make decisions that are best for the university. Getting the Board of Trustees involved seems like the next best step. He mentioned that the mandate was something like there must be 14 students per FTE.

Tasks to outsource

We need to know:

1. actual cs department overhead figures, not averages throughout the school [GKW quotes ~$175k for 2 FTEs]
2. actual financial aid figures for cs majors, not averages throughout the school [GKW quotes -23% adjustment to revenue]

Just got off the phone with Ginger Ketting-Weller

We talked for just over 30 minutes....lots to share. I'll update shortly, but I must get that collegian article posted here for review and then turned in by 7pm tonight for publication tomorrow.

What makes computer science different?

1. First, read this article discussing both the real problem and what he is doing to address it:
   [SPOILER] - WWU isn't alone -- this article brings up so many good points. Must discuss them soon.
   Link: What/Why
2. Then, go visit the meat & potatoes:
   Link: http://rebootingcomputing.org

Basic Strategy

This is a rough outline, but it is a start:

If you can, write a short note that answers one of the sets of the following questions:

Talking points [for students]

1. Would you have attended WWU if a CS major was not offered?
2. What will you do if the decision to cut CS stands?
3. What were the primary factors to your decision to attend WWU?

Talking points [for alumni]

1. What contributions did CS faculty make to your world view and career?
2. What was the quality and ultimate applicability of your education?
3. How is the job market now? What do you anticipate it to be like in the immediate future?

Immediate Tasks

1. Send comments to VP of Marketing & Enrollment
2. Assemble letter to WWU President
3. Assemble an article for publication in the Collegian
4. Talk to journalist about an article in the WW Union Bulletin
5. Assemble letter to Board of Trustees -- focus on:
   • DeLona Bell, Walla Walla, Wash. -- Mke Bell's wife
   • Marshall Keymer, Walla Walla, Wash. -- Head of PocketINet -- a local Wireless ISP
   • Gordan Lacey, Redmond, Wash. -- engineering graduate working at Microsoft

Immediate Thoughts

1. Where do the decision makers think the coupling of technology to society is going? Surely they don't think technology's role in society will be decreasing anytime soon?
2. In 5 years, what is the projected minimum requirement of "computer skills"? Do they really think that it will only entail using a single company's office productivity software? What about the ability to not just use specific software , but the ability to think of industry specific data in the context of industry specific workflows? Just where is *that* skill taught? Forgetting the technical specialists; do they seriously not get that the "computer literacy" of today is significantly subpar for the next generation of doctors, biologists, physicists, chemists, social workers, historians, theologians, writers, and communication specialists?
3. Since when is a decrease of revenue by $217,000 justified in order to reduce overhead by only 1 FTE? Am I the only one to see a huge discrepancy here? It seems to me that the reduction in revenue far outpaces the reduction of overhead. Is "low enrollment" really the driving factor of this decision to cut the CS major?
4. What will the absence of a CS major offering have on prospective CE majors? If you are a CE major, would the absence of a CS major affected your decision to attend WWU? Will it affect your decision to continue to attend WWU?
5. What is WWU's contribution to low enrollment in CS? Surely, WWU doesn't expect the CS department to be the sole entity marketing CS as a major.
6. Where do they think technology comes from? Do they not understand that a computer engineer at WWC had an mp3 player long before stores even knew what an mp3 was? Technology without computer science is like the galaxy without gravity -- it doesn't get any more fundamental.
7. Where do they think software comes from? Do they not understand that *every* sector of *every* industry will soon, if not already, be run by software built especially for that sector? Software doesn't magically pop into existence; a cs major is trained to think generically and not just how to learn new methods, but how to create new methods.
8. Do they even know that computer science is something far beyond any specialized skill, and is directly applicable to *every* field? Since when does higher education equate to teaching a particular subset of monkey behavior--let the "technical" schools teach that?
9. Today it is possible to find a startup company without a CS major playing a pivotal role -- Tomorrow, it will be next to impossible to find such a company. It is increasingly difficult to differentiate a company without some form of specialized software driving a more efficient business model--and this software must be designed and implemented by an intelligent human, not a trained monkey.