The Innovative use of Software in Teaching Computer Programming

9354598 Popyack我们正在开发一种新的教学方法来教授“计算机入门”课程，以适应不同课程的学生的需要。这一方法基于以下原则：所有课程的学生都迫切需要理解计算机编程的概念，特别是在科学和工程领域。许多专业的学生可能不再需要知道如何用传统的块结构语言(如Pascal)编写程序。今天有大量的软件被广泛使用，这些软件允许用户用专门的内置‘宏语言’编写程序。通过使用具有可编程功能的强大的、用户友好的软件来教授编程概念，允许用户立即编写产生不平凡结果的程序。这提供了比传统方法更强的学习编程的动力。此外，计算机编程的基本概念(如变量、分支、迭代等)可以使用各种常用软件包的复杂功能，例如文字处理程序、电子表格和数据库，轻松地进行说明和实现。我们方法的主要目的是教授编程概念和技术，而不仅仅是如何使用软件。学生可以接触到所有语言共有的各种功能，从而促进他们学习一门通用语言或他们在科学、工程或教学领域的教育和职业生涯所需的新的创新软件。*y

9354598 Popyack We are developing 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: 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. 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). There is a wealth of software in wide use today which allows the user to write programs in specialized built-in 'macro languages'. Teaching programming concepts through the use of powerful, user-friendly software with programmable features allows the user to write programs immediately which produce non-trivial results. This provides stronger motivation to learn programming than traditional approaches. Moreover, the essential concepts of computer programming, (such as variables, 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 are 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. ***y