Tsunami or Sea Change? Responding to the Explosion of Student Interest in Computer Science

In the US, student demand for computer science is booming: demand for introductory courses; demand for the major; demand for upper-division and graduate courses by non-majors. Industry demand, too, is booming: it is predicted that 71% of all newly-created jobs in all STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields in the current decade will be in computing, and 57% of all available jobs, whether newly-created or available due to retirements. Our field has faced booming enrolments twice in the past: in the mid-1980s, and in the late 1990s. Universities were unable to respond adequately. The current boom shows signs of dramatically exceeding these previous ones. In this talk, I will present the data, and argue that the current boom in interest may be a long-term trend rather than part of a cycle. I will discuss possible approaches to accommodating the demand.

Date:
Speakers:
Ed Lazowska
Affiliation:
University of Washington