Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!mcnc!duke!jbd
From: jbd@duke.cs.duke.edu (Joanne Bechta Dugan)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: teaching CS to first year undergrads
Message-ID: <9696@duke.cs.duke.edu>
Date: Tue, 26-May-87 11:16:09 EDT
Article-I.D.: duke.9696
Posted: Tue May 26 11:16:09 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 28-May-87 02:07:47 EDT
Distribution: na
Organization: Duke University CS Dept.; Durham, NC
Lines: 28

I'll be teaching an introductory course to the first-year undergrads
this fall, and would appreciate some advice.  I've taught upper-level
undergrads and first-year grad students before - I've never taught
first-year undergrads.  Are there any special suggestions (warnings?)
you'd like to pass along?

Duke has recently re-vamped the undergrad CS curriculum, and awards 
both the BA and BS degrees.  The new curriculum starts this fall.
The BA degree is mostly intended for people who want the be "computer literate,"
(business/management students) but who are not really computer SCIENCE students.The BS degree is for the more analytically oriented, those who would make good 
system programmers and/or graduate students.  

(No flames please - I've tried not to inject any value judgements, but I
probably have not succeeded)

Anyway, the course that I'll be teaching is a new course that is
intended for those who will be working toward the BS degree (many will be
dual majoring in EE, I expect).  I haven't chosen a book yet, so suggestions
here are welcome too.  I'll probably use Pascal for the sake of uniformity 
(Pascal is used in the other intro course, intended for BA students).

Thanks in advance,
Joanne
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joanne Bechta Dugan                  CSNET: jbd@duke
Computer Science Department          ARPA:  jbd@cs.duke.edu
Duke University                      UUCP:  {ihnp4|decvax|mcnc}!duke!jbd
Durham, NC 27706, USA                Phone: (919) 684-3048