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“计算机入门”课程，适合学生在不同课程的需求。这种方法基于以下原则：所有课程的学生都迫切需要了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。 有大量的软件在广泛使用的今天，它允许用户编写程序的专门内置的“宏语言”。 通过使用具有可编程功能的功能强大，用户友好的软件来教授编程概念，允许用户立即编写产生非平凡结果的程序。这比传统方法提供了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）可以使用诸如字处理器、电子表格和数据库之类的各种常用软件包的复杂特征来容易地说明和实现。我们的方法的主要目的是教编程概念和技术，而不仅仅是如何使用软件。学生接触到所有语言的常见功能，从而促进通用语言或新的，创新的软件，他们将需要追求他们的教育和他们的职业生涯在科学，工程或教学的学习。 *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