Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ncis.llnl.gov!ncis!afit-ab!wbralick
From: wbralick@afit-ab.arpa (William A. Bralick)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: Teaching computer science.
Message-ID: <819@afit-ab.arpa>
Date: 18 Jan 89 04:03:27 GMT
References: <576@blake.acs.washington.edu>
Reply-To: wbralick@blackbird.afit.af.mil (William A. Bralick)
Distribution: na
Organization: Air Force Institute of Technology; WPAFB, OH
Lines: 74

In article <576@blake.acs.washington.edu> mcglk@blake.acs.washington.edu (Ken McGlothlen) writes:
>Here at the University of Washington, we have a rather interesting
>situation.
>
>I spend part of my time playing impromptu computer tutor for a
>number of students taking computer courses.

Is this a (paying) job, or are you doing it from charitable impulse?
If it is a job, I sympathize with you, but I am happy for the students
who are fortunate enough to have your assistance.  If your are doing 
this out of a charitable impulse, then, while I laud your motives, I
would suggest that you might be exacerbating the problem. How?  By acting
as a buffer for the professor in question.  If he had to deal with all
these questions himself, he might alter his teaching style.

>This doesn't typically
>bother me very much, but there are two courses in particular, taught
>by the same teacher, which has caused me quite a bit of concern--
>especially as I'm considering a teaching career myself.
>

Hmm... I hesitate to bring this up, but if you are interested in a 
*teaching* career then you will need to look at "smaller" schools.  If
you are interested in a *research* career, then you should look at 
the "larger" schools.  I have been told that by going to a *teaching*
school, one subjects oneself to teaching 3-4 courses per semester
and consequently having little time for any research.  Of course,
by going to a *research* school, the pressure is so fierce to publish,
that research demands as much time as you can give it, thereby reducing
your ability to teach effectively.

My question for the general audience is, which schools out there
provide a balanced opportunity for tenure-track faculty to both research
and teach? 

>
> [conserving bandwidth ...]
>
>Now, the professor in question has opted to teach in Ada.

Which I do not think is an appropriate *introductory* programming 
language.  I think that a previous course in the fundamentals of
programming in a language like _Pascal_ should be a prerequisite
to a course in software engineering with Ada.

>
> [conserving again ...]
>
>If I'm wrong--if this *is* a good approach--could someone please set
>me straight, and tell me why?

(1) Ada is inappropriate for an *introductory* programming course.
Modula-2 is better, but I still think that Pascal is the best for an
*introductory* course.

(2) Using standard reusable components in Ada is a good idea, if
you have a relatively complete set (e.g. Booch's reuseable components).

(3) In an introductory programming course (or even later courses), it
*is* appropriate to constrain the student to use certain libraries
(much better if "standard" as mentioned above), and to follow rigid
style and coding conventions.  Why?  Because, unless they are destined
for a life in academia, or working out of a "garage" the students will
need to adhere to some institutional coding and style conventions.
Just try to maintain (not to say grade) code written for a large
project written in a plethora of different styles, you can go crazy
in a hurry!

Regards,
-- 
Will Bralick : wbralick@afit-ab.arpa  |  If we desire to defeat the enemy,
Air Force Institute of Technology,    |  we must proportion our efforts to 
                                      |  his powers of resistance.
with disclaimer;  use disclaimer;     |               - Carl von Clauswitz