Using literate programming to teach good programming practices

ABSTRACT

The ability to comprehend a program written by other individuals is becoming increasingly important in software development and maintenance. In an attempt to encourage undergraduate Computer Science students to write informative and usable documentation, the literate programming paradigm was incorporated into the teaching of one undergraduate Computer Science course at Augustana College. This paper describes the concept of literate programming, the experience of using literate programming to teach good programming practices, and the results from the experiment that showed that literate programming encourages more documentation.

REFERENCES

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.2 Computer and Information Science Education
          Subjects: Computer science education

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
        D.2.10 Design**
            Subjects: Methodologies**
      D.2.7 Distribution, Maintenance, and Enhancement
          Subjects: Documentation

  H. Information Systems
  H.1 MODELS AND PRINCIPLES
      H.1.2 User/Machine Systems
          Subjects: Human factors

General Terms:
Algorithms, Documentation, Experimentation, Human Factors