[Tutor] [OT] Programming practice was: Re: string list in alphabetical!

[bob gailer]

I am glad we are having this discussion. It helps me understand the 
plight of some of our posters.

I had the benefit of a good school system, plus attending a technical 
high school and a college of engineering.

In the early 90's I was an adjunct professor at the University of 
Denver's "University College" - evening school for adults seeking an 
MBA. Each class met for 2 hours once a week for 5 weeks. No labs. My job 
was to teach Pascal as a first programming language. My students had 
taken one prerequisite - Introduction To Programming. I built my class 
based on the students' having met the prerequisite. One class of mine 
were struggling with certain fundamental concepts. Turns out the Intro 
class had failed to do its job! One outcome is that I was fired for 
failing to teach Pascal.

BTW Python did not exist then, and I have always disliked Pascal.

As adjunct professor for a similar program at Regis University (Denver) 
I was given an Analysis class to teach. My supervisor created a brand 
new course. The first time I saw the materials was the first night of 
the class! No one had a chance to examine the materials beforehand! That 
class was -`difficult for me and the students.

On the bright side in the 80's I taught daytime adult classes in 
computing for the Boeing company. I was free to change classes that had 
poor materials to (IMHO) good materials. It was almost always fun and I 
almost always got really good evaluations.

I recall one student struggling with his first Basic program. I 
recommended he walk thru it line by line, and I demonstrated that 
technique. Amazed he exclaimed "In that much detail?".

-- 
Bob Gailer
919-636-4239
Chapel Hill NC