Speaking as someone who has changed his own oil more than once: if I needed to know how to do that in order to operate my car, that would indeed be bullshittery. I benefited in no way whatsoever from changing my own oil. It was, as it turned out, simply a very- low- ROI- recreational activity.
The point here isn't that the command line is bullshit. Knowing how an engine lubrication system works isn't bullshit... for a mechanic. But it is a waste of time for a cab driver.
So considering the OP is an "Assistant Professor of Computer Science University of Rochester" please refine your analogy whether his target audience falls closer to become the cab driver or the mechanic?
Edit: quoted below OP's case:
>> Write a piece of prototype computer software that demonstrates the feasibility of a novel idea."
>> Write a piece of prototype computer software that collects, processes, and analyzes data to produce novel insights about some topic"
Nonsense. The standard writing tool in mathematics and computer science is LaTeX, which has plenty of bullshittery of its own. Most researchers will generally be suspicious of a Word-produced paper, since it usually will come from crackpots.
The point here isn't that the command line is bullshit. Knowing how an engine lubrication system works isn't bullshit... for a mechanic. But it is a waste of time for a cab driver.