[Edu-sig] Python for CS101

[Dan Crosta]

As a follow up note to my earlier comments, it might be worth
considering why the current language (at Swat, currently C, but
transitioning to Java) is used in the intro course? Certainly C at least
is a language worth knowing as a computer scientist, but need it be
introduced to students who've never used anything other than Windows or
Mac OS? Probably not. Are there any good reasons why such a low-level
language ought to be taught in the intro-intro course, other than that
the faculty probably know it pretty well? I see it fitting in nicely as
a mid-level class, or even as a task students take on when in a class
that requires knowing C (my experience has been that picking up a new
programming language is time consuming but not that difficult).

Swat at least wants to keep a one-track intro to the department, but I'm
not as certain that's the right choice, since it seems important to
recognize the two primary experience levels incoming students have: none
and some. Students in the none category are likely to be scared off by C
-- a friend of mine this year who I encouraged to take our intro class
was scared off exactly for this reason after 2 classes. Students in the
second category have probably already programmed in C (or now, what with
the AP, Java) and would either not take the class, or gain little from
it. One of our intro class used to be taught in Scheme, which leveled
the playing field among the two groups of students, and taught good
recusive practice to all rising CS students.

Java seems unlikely to help in either of those ways, and, at least as
far as I know, is not even one of the primary research languages. OK,
now I'm just complaining about Java, so I'll stop.

dsc