The forgotten majority of computing have-nots

Abstract

People have falsely regarded the computing working environment as dedicated to the confines of a building with availability of electricity, high-speed info-structure, and the latest computer technology. In reality, there are many computing have-nots in the real world living in challenged computing environments. Current computing curricula are designed to prepare graduates for more urban and best-case business scenarios where learning takes place within campus boundaries. To prepare computing graduates better to survive in harsh environments and to contribute meaningfully to society, their learning should also take place out of the classroom and into challenged computing environments where active and experiential learning could take place. Confronted with the harsh realities of life, students learn quickly to adapt themselves for survival and for their future career. Many generic skills can be reinforced here to make computing graduates more versatile, entrepreneurial, effective, and ever ready to face the real world.