Capstone programming courses considered harmful

Abstract

When Edgster Dijkstra wrote his paper Go To Statements Considered Harmful , programmers were lost in millions of lines of spaghetti code. Now programmers have lost their way again---this time amidst thousands of unread resumes. Between 2000 and 2004, the percentage of incoming computer science freshmen fell by 60%. Drop rates of 30--50% are common. Results are similar for the other computing related fields including Information Systems, Software Engineering, and Information Technology. Many of these degree programs, which H.A. Simon referred to collectively as the Artificial Sciences, have failed or are about to fail. This loss of student interest in artificial sciences has been blamed in part on the impression that they require extraordinary programming skills. Computing journals perpetuate these notions. For example, in capstone (senior level) computer science courses, students should design and code a 'real world' application. This article is an opposing viewpoint.