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A balanced approach to first-year computer science

Published:01 March 1992Publication History
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Abstract

We describe a first-year course sequence for computer science majors that covers most of the traditional first-year concepts, providing a balance between formal analysis and software synthesis, with examples and assignments in three high-level programming languages: Pascal, Scheme (a lexically scoped dialect of Lisp), and C. We argue that this balanced, tri-lingual approach promotes more effective pedagogy and provides students with a broader foundation than does an all-formal, all-programming, or single-language focus.

References

  1. 1 Computer Science: an Overview, third edition, by J. Glenn Brookshear (Benjamin Cummings, 1991) Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  2. 2 Programming for People/Pascal, by David G. Kay (Mayfield, 1985);Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  3. 3 The Little Lisper, third edition, by Daniel P. Friedman and Matthias Felleisen (SRA, 1989).Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  4. 4 The Scheme Programming Language, by R. Kent Dybvig (Prentice-Hall, 1987). Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  5. 5 Programming in C, by Lawrence H. Miller and Alex Quilici (Wiley, 1986).Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  6. 6 From Pascal to C: An Introduction to the C Programming Language, by Douglas L. Brown (Wadsworth, 1985). Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  7. 7 C as a Second Language for Native Speakers of Pascal, by Tomasz Miildner and Peter W. Steele (Addison-Wesley, 1988) Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  8. 8 Scheme and The Art of Programming, by George Springer and Daniel Friedman (MIT Press/McGraw- Hill, 1989). Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library

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  1. A balanced approach to first-year computer science

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        • Published in

          cover image ACM SIGCSE Bulletin
          ACM SIGCSE Bulletin  Volume 24, Issue 1
          March 1992
          313 pages
          ISSN:0097-8418
          DOI:10.1145/135250
          Issue’s Table of Contents
          • cover image ACM Conferences
            SIGCSE '92: Proceedings of the twenty-third SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education
            March 1992
            332 pages
            ISBN:0897914686
            DOI:10.1145/134510

          Copyright © 1992 ACM

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          Association for Computing Machinery

          New York, NY, United States

          Publication History

          • Published: 1 March 1992

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