Universities may not be keeping pace with science software developments

A consortium of educators from all over the world claims that university courses may not be doing as much as they should to ensure students are trained for developments in science software and other areas of technology.

James Collins, a faculty member at the Arizona State University (ASU) school of life sciences, explains that innovation, by its very nature, requires continual progress to be made.

"Innovation is not just an idea, but it is a process that links a few to many individuals," he says.

"In a rapidly changing world the process of discovery itself is also changing rapidly."

He adds that it is important that students should be able to keep pace with these developments in order to "keep up" with the changing nature of science.

ASU is just one institution contributing to the Curriculum Reform Forum, whose manifesto includes the observation that curricula and research are typically kept separate at higher education bodies - which could be denying some students the chance to gain experience using science software.