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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!sjuvax!bobgian
From: bobgian@sjuvax.UUCP (B. Giansiracusa)
Newsgroups: net.cse
Subject: CS for non-majors
Message-ID: <654@sjuvax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 15-Nov-84 19:08:41 EST
Article-I.D.: sjuvax.654
Posted: Thu Nov 15 19:08:41 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 17-Nov-84 03:45:30 EST
Organization: Saint Josephs Univ. Phila., Pa.
Lines: 33

>   From: bbanerje@sjuvax.UUCP (B. Banerjee)

>   Usually, we get 3 classes of students...

There is a fourth class:  those with NO prior exposure, who never even
THOUGHT of themselves as using a computer, but who are curious about it.
Some of them become fine hackers, given time!

>   The person teaching it this semester is teaching it in Lisp.

I am said person.  One project team today just completed a story generator
in Lisp (plot represented as a finite-state machine).  Of course, I helped
"just a little", but it is amazing that these former technophobes could
end up really liking CS theory and Lisp in just two months.

>   I)  All students essentially start out on an equal footing.  Forth is
>   sufficiently unlike BASIC, that prior exposure to BASIC won't 
>   provide an immediate advantage.

One of my reasons also - for choosing Lisp.  It helps cure BASIC brainrot.

>   II) Forth can effectively encourage a top down design approach.

Ditto for Lisp.

>   III) Forth is a capable language which they can use for non-trivial
>   programming at a later date (I don't like BASIC too much).

Ditto for Lisp.

I too am interested in how others have fared in similar endeavors.

   Bob Giansiracusa	 { allegra | burdvax }!sjuvax!bobgian