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From: melissa@cca.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc,comp.edu
Subject: Re: How to teach computers
Message-ID: <12556@cca.CCA.COM>
Date: Mon, 26-Jan-87 19:47:20 EST
Article-I.D.: cca.12556
Posted: Mon Jan 26 19:47:20 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 28-Jan-87 18:42:12 EST
References: <2030@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu> <269@rabbit1.UUCP>
Reply-To: melissa@CCA.UUCP (Melissa Leffler)
Organization: Computer Corp. of America, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 28
Xref: watmath comp.lang.misc:203 comp.edu:66

[Doesn't the line eater ever get full?]

In article <269@rabbit1.UUCP> barber@rabbit1.UUCP (Steve Barber) writes:
>Garry Wiegand writes that the course he took in comparative programming
>languages was a positive experience, and I'm sure it was: for a CS major.

	I think we are talking about two kinds of courses here.  For a CS 
major, I agree with Mr. Wiegand: I would much prefer a comparative programming
course.  A non-CS major could be taking the course for a number of reasons,
ranging from trying to decide whether to go into CS, taking it because he/she
is entering a related field, wanting to know something about computers, or
because it fit into his/her schedule.  For these students, I think a course
based upon one language, and basic programming skills, is more appropriate.
	So, if both courses are offered, the first being a required course 
for CS majors, and the second being a general course, geared towards non-CS
majors, the students could pick and choose.  In this scenario, those thinking
of becoming CS majors would have to make a choice, since in taking the non-CS
major course, if they then decided to go into CS, the class wouldn't count for
CS credit.
	When I went to Boston University, they had two d coursesifferent, 
except that the first CS class wasn't a comparative class; it was plain old 
Pascal.

		-melis

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The debris of thoughts grown stale, and platitudes too often repeated...