Controversy on how to teach CS 1: a discussion on the SIGCSE-members mailing list

ABSTRACT

A discussion took place on the SIGCSE mailing list in late March of 2004 that raised important issues on how to teach introductory courses using Java. This article attempts to summarize several of the important points raised during this discussion, among them whether or how objects should be taught early or late in a CS 1 course, or indeed, whether object-oriented languages should be postponed until a second course.

REFERENCES

• 1: Kim B. Bruce , Andrea Danyluk , Thomas Murtagh, A library to support a graphics-based object-first approach to CS 1, Proceedings of the thirty-second SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer Science Education, p.6-10, February 2001, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
• 2: {BFG+03} O. Berge, A. Fjuk, A. K. Groven, H. Hegna, and J. Kaasbll. Comprehensive object-oriented learning - an introduction. Journal of Computer Science Education, 13(4):331--335, 2003.
• 3: {BK04} David J. Barnes and Michael Klling. Objects First with Java: A Practical Introduction using BlueJ. Prentice Hall /Pearson Education, 2nd edition, 2004.
• 4: {Boa03} The College Board. Marine biology simulation case study. available on-line, 2003. http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/compsci a/case.html.
• 5: {BSRP04} Joseph Bergin, Mark Stehlik, Jim Roberts, and Richard Pattis. Karel J. Robot: A gentle introduction to the art of object-oriented programming in Java. Unpublished, 2004.
• 6: Stephen Cooper , Wanda Dann , Randy Pausch, Teaching objects-first in introductory computer science, Proceedings of the 34th SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education, February 19-23, 2003, Reno, Navada, USA
• 7: {For04} ACM Java Task Force. Taxonomy of problems in teaching Java (draft), 2004. http://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~eroberts/java/java-problem-taxonomy. html.
• 8: {MB02} Jeffrey J. McConnell and Debra T. Burhans. The evolution of CS1 textbooks. In Proceedings of the Frontiers in Education, pages T4G-1--T4G-6, 2002.
• 9: Eric Roberts, The dream of a common language: the search for simplicity and stability in computer science education, Proceedings of the 35th SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education, March 03-07, 2004, Norfolk, Virginia, USA
• 10: Eric Roberts, Resources to support the use of Java in introductory computer science, Proceedings of the 35th SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education, March 03-07, 2004, Norfolk, Virginia, USA
• 11: Eric Roberts , Antoine Picard, Designing a Java graphics library for CS 1, Proceedings of the 6th annual conference on the teaching of computing and the 3rd annual conference on Integrating technology into computer science education: Changing the delivery of computer science education, p.213-218, August 18-21, 1998, Dublin City Univ., Ireland
• 12: Richard Rasala , Jeff Raab , Viera K. Proulx, Java power tools: model software for teaching object-oriented design, Proceedings of the thirty-second SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer Science Education, p.297-301, February 2001, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
• 13: {TRSH99} Franklyn Turbak, Constance Royden, Jennifer Stephan, and Jean Herbst. Teaching recursion before iteration in CS1. The Journal of Computing in Small Colleges, 14(4):86--101, 1999.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  J. Computer Applications
  J.1 ADMINISTRATIVE DATA PROCESSING
      Subjects: Education

Additional Classification:
  A. General Literature
  A.2 REFERENCE

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

General Terms:
Documentation

Keywords:
CS 1, Java, controversy, pedagogy