RE: [ossig] (Fwd) STI News: Firm discovers good IT help hard to f ind

[Devinder <Devin@apiit.edu.my>]

Hi Uwe Devinder here.How are u keeping ?

Do you have any good topics to choose for a Phd IT

Devinder Singh 
Lecturer - Software Development
ASIA PACIFIC INSTITUTE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY(APIIT)
11th Floor Wisma Semantan, Jalan Gelenggang
Damansara Heights, 50490 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-20925225 Ext 1044
Fax: 03-20938140


-----Original Message-----
From: UWE HEINZ RUDI DIPPEL [mailto:Udippel@uniten.edu.my] 
Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2002 12:50 PM
To: 'ossig@mncc.com.my '
Subject: RE: [ossig] (Fwd) STI News: Firm discovers good IT help hard to f
ind

Teaching IT in one of those tertiary institutions from a different
background and a different origin, I always have to restrict myself w.r.t.
the comments for various reasons.
Let me add a few things, though:

1. I'd also volunteer to collect (statistical) data on the subject
(volunteer #2)

2. We should not focus too much or only on programming. Programming is not
an academic subject; especially if taught - like it is taught - as syntax
only. Neither the 'here a semicolon, there a bracket and an ampersand' nor a
'this widget in that menu' *ought* to be taught.

3. Our limitation at least - this is my opinion - is less on the lecturing
staff, but much more on other aspects; mainly complacency instead of
competition. It is *not* our colleagues who continuously murmur on 'too
much' 'soooo difficult' and - mainly - 'hometown'. A day off or two is the
best reason for 'hometown' for ten days in a row. The 'clash' of cultures is
not that I don't understand this (I don't, honestly, for adult, educated,
students), *but:* that when I suggest to take notes or books, they will
stare at me unbelievingly. This is surely not what 'hometown' is for! (They
think)

4. Not agreeing on some comments on 'understanding'. From my point of view,
everything is spoon-feeding and the average student cannot go an inch
further. No creativity, no logical reasoning is the rule of the day. I
*must* add here, that I like my job, like to work with them, and consider my
students nice people ! This must not be confounded with the earlier
statement. 

5. I taught in one of the leading IT-colleges before (I hope not the one
mentioned earlier on in this thread !), and don't see a big difference. For
me (see very much at the top) the main problem remains this unhealthy
melting pot of 
A-grade (or 1st class)
attitude (*not* aptitude !)
degree 
spoon-feeding (history of)

6. Finally, general public has some weird perspectives as well. 'I pay
ontime, so my child is entitled to an A' is not less funny than the parent
who told me he'd never send his child to 'my' institution, because another
leading college agreed to 'graduate my child two years after SPM, so that he
can earn money earlier'.

Uwe


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