IB reclassifies CS as an experimental science
April 11, 2012 at 9:05 am 8 comments
Interesting: The International Baccalaureate program has re-defined computer science as an “experimental science” rather than as a “mathematics.” Only a few states classify CS as a math or science for high school graduation, andGeorgia is the only one that (like IB) classifies it as a science.
The International Baccalaureate (IB) computer science course will be taught as an option in group 4, experimental sciences, from August 2012.
Computer science previously formed an option in group 5 of the Diploma Programme curriculum but now lies within group 4. As such, it is regarded as an experimental science, alongside biology, chemistry, design technology, physics and environmental systems and societies. This group change is significant as it means DP students can now select computer science as their group 4 subject rather than having to select it in addition to mathematics as was previously the case.
via Computer Science.
Entry filed under: Uncategorized. Tags: high school CS, math education, science education.
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Computing Ed Research - Guzdial's Take 
1.
Jeff Rick | April 11, 2012 at 10:54 am
This seems misguided. CS is not mathematics and it definitely is not a science. It is a literacy, on the same level as mathematics, written language, spoken language, and music. Why can’t it stand by itself? If mathematics can, surely computing can as well. Heck! Tech has a whole College of Computing but only a School of Mathematics.
2.
David Klappholz | April 11, 2012 at 11:04 am
The list of Features and Benefits listed at
http://www.ibo.org/diploma/curriculum/group5/ComputerScience.cfm
is quite incredible. Has anyone seen anything comparable to it elsewhere?
3.
Rob St. Amant | April 11, 2012 at 2:05 pm
I thought that part was great, too.
4.
Alfred Thompson | April 11, 2012 at 12:49 pm
THe question of where CS fits sure is a big one. In an ideal world, yes, it would stand on its own but we live a world that is far from idea. In high schools especially there is little room for a “new” stand alone catagory. IN this regard putting CS in with science is a good thing for students in IB schools. One can argue all they want if math is a better fit or if neither is a good ft but the fact is that for practical reasons it has to go somewhere. And getting it in “modern languages” appears to be a non-starter. 🙂
5.
Jack Toole | April 11, 2012 at 3:49 pm
Also in a practical sense, it is probably better to have it classified as science. Engineering-minded high school students are unlikely to replace a math course with a CS course – doing so could make it harder to get into a good university, and make freshman year more difficult. Replacing a science, however, is a lot more reasonable in terms of college preparation. Although biology/chemistry are useful subjects, taking them in college rather than high school would probably hurt a student less than taking calculus in college instead of high school. So from a practical perspective of recruiting students for CS courses, counting it as science is probably a better outcome than counting it as math.
6.
Bonnie | April 11, 2012 at 4:58 pm
I personally think it is neither math nor a science. Computer science is an engineering field. Scientists study things that already exist, analyzing their behavior. Engineers design things that have never existed before. What do we do in computer science? We design and build things!!!
The advantage of seeing computer science as an engineering field is that it reminds us of the critical role of design and systems-level thinking, as well as the spirit of tinkering, which has been much-missed in the computer science of recent years. Design thinking and tinkering may seem to be opposed to each other, but both are critical and have always been components of engineering.
When I create a program that does something nifty, or design a great data structure or algorithm, I am not studying something in nature. I am creating something!
7.
gasstationwithoutpumps | April 11, 2012 at 7:31 pm
I agree that CS is an engineering field, but IB group 4 includes engineering (though they *call* the group “experimental sciences” it already include “design technology” which is a mishmash of different engineering fields.
8.
Christian | April 12, 2012 at 7:06 am
We should distinguish the practical consequences of likening CS to a science or something else, and the theoretical category of CS, with its epistemological aspects, as Jack Toole did above. The latter is much more complicated. For instance, Knuth seems to follow Plato in that he thinks that we discover algorithms, hence programs are human ideas that are not patentable. Dijkstra famously asserted that CS is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes.
I disagree with Bonnie. Two decades teaching programming and related fields to college students has showed to me that, for the immense majority of them, engineering *is* tinkering. I recall vividly a good student during an internship who designed a sorting algorithm from scratch, without a look at the immense literature on the subject nor any clue about its correctness and efficiency except: “It worked on the database I had. No big deal, it’s just a sort.”
They don’t want to hear about the mathematical analysis of algorithm, which is essential when designing an algorithm (contrary to Knuth, I make no difference between algorithm and program). I tell them that it is like designing a car and not caring how fast it goes. I tell them that tinkering may work on small projects, but this is not how houses and buildings are designed. They don’t care. Software engineering is tinkering, right?
Personally, I would liken CS to architecture+construction, where mathematics, esthetics, management and implementation are tied together.