Eliminación de los ordenadores para enseñar análisis y concienciar sobre el valor de la profesión

Résumé

Computing engineers are perhaps the only graduates specifically trained in techniques for understanding the language of any person from any field, formalizing their problem domain, and clarifying it (often for the users themselves). That is a high-value skill. Surprisingly, computing engineering remains largely unknown to society, which is rarely aware of computing engineers’ main skills and attributes (minor) others to them. Even the students, overwhelmed by demanding technical topics, lose sight of their future role and are hardly able to detach from the most practical aspects of their job, especially the use of computers (both as mere users and as designers of a final system where those computers are to be used). Moreover, the mere presence of a computer in the classroom, which immediately offers any information with infinite versatility, brings a huge distraction and strongly shapes the work method. This paper describes a reflection supported by an experience of unplugged, paper-only activities in an analysis course, over a domain supposedly alien to the students’ background, with a triple goal: effectively teaching analysis, boosting awareness on the true practice of this profession, and practicing concentration.