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When I was asked to teach Ruby on Rails at Columbia University I observed that a significant number of the skills required to become a successful professional in the industry are acquired on the job and aren't being taught in school. Many of us professionals thrive on open source software and on sharing code, but academia is not always teaching this type of resourcefulness to students. This presentation will cover lessons learned from the experience teaching in my alma mater's CS program, how I developed a hacker-centric curriculum, and how we as hackers can fix this. Help us caption & translate this video! http://amara.org/v/FG94/
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In the video "Microtalk: Hacking the Academic Experience," Emily Stolfo discusses the significant gaps between academic computer science education and the practical skills needed in the industry, as informed by her experience teaching Ruby on Rails at Columbia University. She explores how traditional academic environments often fail to equip students with the resourcefulness and practical skills necessary for success in tech roles, as these are typically acquired through real-world programming jobs. ### Key Points Discussed: - **Teaching Experience**: Emily shares her journey as a Ruby on Rails instructor and reflects on the lessons learned during her three semesters of teaching, emphasizing how most of her programming skills came from professional experience rather than academic learning. - **Hacker-Centric Curriculum**: She introduces a revised curriculum aimed at addressing the gaps in traditional education by incorporating 'hacker habits' that prioritize practical learning. - **Internet as a Resource**: One habit involves treating the internet as a primary educational resource—students are encouraged to seek answers online before asking questions, promoting independent research skills. - **Debugging Skills**: Students learn the importance of debugging unfamiliar code, as Emily assigns practical tasks that require them to identify and fix issues without pre-written solutions, thus enhancing their problem-solving skills. - **Real-Life Projects**: By making the class structure more project-based, students focus on solving real problems, culminating in the development of a collaborative application. Engagement with hands-on projects helps them understand user-centric design. - **Community Engagement**: Emily stresses the value of community involvement, urging students to participate in coding communities like Stack Overflow and local Meetups, thereby encouraging networking and collaboration. - **Critical Evaluation of Resources**: She instructs students to critically assess the legitimacy and reliability of online code samples and Ruby gems, stressing accountability in using external resources. ### Conclusions: The video underscores the necessity for educational institutions to adapt their curricula to better prepare students for the workforce. Emily calls for a collaborative effort between educators and the hacker community to foster knowledge sharing, suggesting avenues for professionals to teach and mentor emerging developers through various platforms and initiatives. Ultimately, the discussion highlights the potential for bridging the gap between academia and practical skill development in tech careers.
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