University Students Need More Opportunities to Build Real Things

Education should give students knowledge, but it should also give them opportunities to use that knowledge.

For many university students, there is still a significant gap between completing coursework and solving problems in the real world.

Theory Is Important

A strong theoretical foundation matters.

Computer science students need to understand algorithms. Business students need to understand accounting and economics. Engineering students need mathematics and physics.

The problem begins when education stops there.

Students should also be challenged to ask:

How can I use what I know to create something useful?

Projects Create Different Skills

Building a real project teaches lessons that are difficult to reproduce in an examination.

Students learn how to:

• Work with other people
• Deal with incomplete requirements
• Make trade-offs
• Communicate ideas
• Handle failure
• Improve something through iteration

Those skills are valuable regardless of the career a student eventually chooses.

Universities Can Encourage This

Universities could create more opportunities through:

• Student research programmes
• Hackathons
• Startup competitions
• Industry partnerships
• Open-ended final projects