Yan Xin, R & D manager of Microsoft, on IT education: I am an IT hacker recommended

(This article is in the recommended sequence of "I am an IT hacker. Click to purchase)

 

Since 2006, I have participated in intern training, new employee recruitment and training at the Microsoft Asia Research Institute. I have also visited computer science and software colleges of more than 10 universities, the software engineering course is also taught in several schools. During this period, I had the honor to meet many college students with ideas. Some of them are the authors of this book.

In China's higher education system, about 10% of students are studying it-related majors (Computer Science, software, MIS, etc ). These students accept 4 ~ After about six years of education, what are the feedbacks on this education system? What are the urgent ways to change it education? Based on my personal experience and feedback from students, the following are some suggestions:

 

And practice. Software Education is inseparable from practice. do not emphasize closed exams too much. Teachers must practice and practice students.

 

1. There is a lot of difference between real projects and fantasy projects;

2. There is a lot of difference between writing programs and maintaining the code in use.

 

There is no real demand, no incremental software development, no real team cooperation, and most of the theories in programming and software engineering are empty talk. Unfortunately, many of the students are blank and have graduated.

 

Integration with various disciplines. Now my major is too detailed. Can I contact other students of other grades or other major students with a clear background? No!

 

1. We hope that computer science education can link the knowledge of other disciplines, such as industrial design, user experience design, art design, automatic control, and even psychology and commerce;

 

2. I hope to introduce the interesting development history of computers, talk about Turing, talk about feng nuoman, talk about the source and branches of various languages, and tell interesting real stories of IT enterprises. Cultivate Students' Interest, enthusiasm and sensitivity in this industry. Encourage interaction, introduce related forums and websites to students, and broaden your horizons.

 

How to teach innovation? When I listen to leadership reports in school, I hear many words related to "Innovation. You will think that the leaders of this school really want to innovate. On the other hand, I have heard that some of my students reflect that teaching materials, teaching plans, and teaching methods have remained unchanged for several or even more years, and they are very disconnected from reality.

 

How to teach innovation? In addition to laying a solid foundation for students, one thing the school can do is --

Students are allowed to perform the test. If the test fails, the test is performed again and the test fails again.

 

Innovation is not a formula deduction, it is not a good example, it can imitate the problem-solving method, it is necessary to give students the opportunity to test and fail. Someone asked, How can I score a failed student in class? I said that if the students can conscientiously sum up their lessons. You can also get a better score. Lessons can help them better innovate. My software engineering course scores roughly as follows:

1. innovative ideas and successful implementation: Excellent.

2. If you have innovative ideas and fail, you can make a careful conclusion: Excellent.

3. Without innovative ideas, you can only get: Good.

 

When schools and teachers encourage students to innovate and fail without any worries, the motivation and enthusiasm of many students will greatly increase, from "I want to learn", "I want to do" to "I want to learn", and "I want to do ". Regardless of the success or failure of innovation, the students will gain a lot.

 

As an "industry expert", I have made so many comments and suggestions that many teachers and school leaders have long been aware of these and many other problems. It is always easy to give comments, but the difficulty is to do your best to change the reality. Many of the protagonists in this book do not stay in comments or complaints, but act on their own to change the status quo. As a "Guest Lecturer", I am practicing the ideas I mentioned above in the course. Some students like it and some others are uncomfortable-because the lessons are difficult to mix.

 

Many of the stories in the book often make me think-if our education system can help them more, more students may be able to take less detours and become the happy IT industry, and even Dapeng bird! (I am also an IT hacker)

 

We hope that more students and teachers can work together after reading this book to make their dreams a reality as soon as possible. (Welcome to Microsoft Asia Research Institute for internship and innovation)

 

Yan Xin
R & D Manager | Technical Innovation Center of Microsoft Asia Research Institute
August 2009 in Beijing

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