The Innovative Use of Software in Introductory Computer Programming

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We propose the development of a new approach for teaching introduction to computing courses, tailored to the needs of students in different curricula. This approach is based on the following precepts: 1. There is a strong need for students in all curricula to understand the concepts of programming a computer, particularly in the sciences and engineering fields. 2. It may no longer be necessary for students in many majors to know how to write programs in traditional block-structured languages (such as Pascal). 3. There is a wealth of software in wide use today which allows the user to write programs in specialized built-in macro languages. 4. Teaching programming concepts through the use of powerful, user-friendly software with programmable features allows the user to write programs immediately which produce nontrivial results. This provides stronger motivation to learn programming than traditional approaches. Moreover, the essential concepts of computer programming, (such as variable, branching, iteration, etc.) can be readily illustrated and implemented using the sophisticated features of a variety of commonly available software packages, such as word processors, spreadsheets, and databases. The main intention of our approach is to teach programming concepts and techniques, not simply how to use software. Students will be exposed to the kinds of functionality common to all languages, thus facilitating the learning of a general purpose language or new, innovative software they will need for pursuing both their education and their careers in science, engineering, or teaching. This project will focus on two courses, a general introduction to scientific and statistical programming for science majors and an introductory programming course for computer science majors. It will focus on developing a set of modules to illustrate the programming concepts exhibited by various pieces of software in the Drexel "bundle" which each freshman obtains. In addition to the modules, examples and exercises will be created in the two subject matter areas.