Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!haven!adm!xadmx!gviernes@dca-pac.dca.mil
From: gviernes@dca-pac.dca.mil (Glenn P. Viernes (BBNCC))
Newsgroups: comp.lang.pascal
Subject: Re: CS-1
Message-ID: <19573@adm.BRL.MIL>
Date: 11 May 89 19:49:43 GMT
Sender: news@adm.BRL.MIL
Lines: 30

I'm a systems analyst and a former full-time college instructor (former because
it didn't pay well enough).  So I've worked on both sides of the Education-
to-Industry interface.  I saw many students who automatically threw code at the
symptoms of a problem, and unfortunately I continue to see computer scientists
who persist in the same 'freshman' practice.  It is these same 'professionals'
whose egos are threatened when asked to describe the problem in 25 words or
less.  Colleges are the best place to acquire new tools for solving problems,
however they are the worst place to get a solid foundation in problem analysis
and solution strategy.  I'm refering to all disciplines.  This is not an
acceptable situation. (I'm now getting off my soapbox.)

The most important lessons I learned in CS-1 are as follows:

Module 1:  How a Computer thinks and communicates.  Why?

Module 2:  The Types of Problems Computers can solve.

Module 3:  How to translate a 'human' problem into computer solvable problems.

Module 4:  A computer language is just a means of communicating with a
           computer.

If you have the freedom to effect a change, change in the direction of problem
analysis.


Glenn Viernes
NOC Analyst

Disclaimer:  I am not a spokesman for my employer...  They won't let me!