Computer science defended

On top of Darrel Ince's proposal (MM, March 10) to disband computer science departments came news of the poor showing by those departments in HEFCE quality assessments. Readers leapt to the subject's defence.

Huw Richards reported (THES, March 17) the low rate of success of computer science departments in the Higher Education Funding Council for England teaching quality assessments. He particularly noted "there were also problems with dissemination of good practice. More than 30 per cent of reports cited the need for more effective means of sharing teaching and learning materials as well as good practice".

In that same week the Computer Science Discipline Network, partly funded by the Department of Employment and based at the University of Kent (whose computer science department was one of the excellent 10 per cent) launched its mailing lists for sharing of good practice in the teaching and learning of computer science.

Details can be obtained from S.A.Fincher@ukc.ac.uk and interested parties can subscribe to the list by mailing: list-manager@ukc.ac.uk with the message: subscribe csdn-teaching.

Sally Fincher

Moderator, CSDN Rutherford college extension University of Kent