Agenda for Teaching Committee Meeting 19 September 2003

1. Revised course proposals:
   1. COMP1001 → COMP1081
   2. COMP1091
   Proposal

2. Computer use/ergonomics compulsory course for CSE - Brad Hall

3. Problems with Industrial Training requirement in our BE courses, and a possible solution. The problem is basically that in the current employment market, it can be difficult or impossible for even good students without "contacts" to get IT experience. This means that they cannot graduate, so cannot, e.g. go on to postgraduate study. [The non-academic world is sometimes more flexible, and might accept statements to the effect that all requirements, but the IT one have been met, and take the student on, allowing them to get IT experience and complete that final requirement.]

   If the downturn continues, eventually the number of students will again match the number of jobs, and Industrial Training will probably become possible to get. However, at present, with the bulge of enrolments still going through our courses, there are more students that Industrial Training openings.

4. What courses will be taught next year? The current state of play can be seen in the teaching allocation pages: 2004 x1 2004 s1 and 2004 s2

5. What language should be used in COMP2011/2711. There has been some dissatisfaction with these courses, and a potential source of the problem is the fact that we try to teach Java, OO, and data structures/algorithms in one measly 6 UoC course. [Issue raised by Hossam, text by Bill]

6. [Aleks =>] Can we introduce something like a "problem solving practicum"? We would cover only 4 elementary techniques: greedy, dynamic programming, string manipulations and basic geometry. They would be entirely naively taught; the emphasis would be on developing problem solving skills rather than exhaustive and systematic treatment of techniques as in the Algorithms class. Hossam and I were thinking that the course would be eventually self run: fourth year students would teach younger colleagues. Thus, the course would involve little resources from the school beyond bootstrapping it; I am sure besides Hossam and myself many others would find it fun to help run it.