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Computer Programming Standards

Started by shinryuu Sep 19, 2000 at 10:35 AM 2 replies 1k views

Original Post

Sep 19, 2000 at 10:35 AM

I''ve been reading the "Ugh...C++ in HighSchool" thread, and realize that we need to come up with a proposal for national educational standards for computer programming. In my high school, we learned programming Sophomore year. We learned LOGO, which is a sorry excuse for a language. We learned Pascal durig the second semester. People in the CS program had to take Pascal and VB during the Junior year. Only in the senior year, if you take the AP course, do you learn C++. A bunch of students there really think that the standards should be changed. This is my proposal: There should be placement tests to see how much you know about computers in high school. If you know nothing, then you need to take an introductory course to computing. If you know how to use computers, but don''t know how to program at all, then a course should be taught in which you learn QBasic, and then Visual Basic, so you can get at least a little bit familar with aspects of programming in DOS and Windows. The next course should be C/C++. The course after that should go into the advanced programming topics, maybe even asm. What does everyone think would be a good national curriculum for the teaching of computer science at our schools?

capn_midnight

Sep 19, 2000 at 11:41 AM

personally I am opposed to the school system in its current state. i think the teaching style should be completely revamped.
As for a programming curriculum, I think Qbasic should be skipped because it isn''t really used in anything. Alternatively, java-script could be taught, it has a lot in common as far as structure with C/C++, plus it''s real easy to learn and rather versital considering what it is. You would probably have a half semester course on HTML, and that would be a prerequisit for the java-script class.
As to a placement test, I think it should test problem solving skills, algebraic skill, arithmetic skills, and for advanced programming (C/C++) geometry and trigonometry skills.
Commenting should be emphasised but not required. Commenting is kindof like keeping a journal, I don''t think you can force someone to do it and get very good results.

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STVOY

Sep 19, 2000 at 1:08 PM

Well Now,

Programming isn''t even mentioned in high school (11-16 yrs old). Then at 16 when I went to college I learned Pascal and simple Assembly together and Binary, Octal and Hex. Then in the 2nd year you learn C and some simple C++. Meanwhile you are taught how to build machine all about the hardware and peripherals in detail. And how every important component works. Plus advanced number systems and more assembly. Also prepared for a range of jobs and are given 3 months experience on placement. Thats all I can think of for now.

STVOY

Mega Moh Mine!!

The Yipsilon Home Page (Under Construction)

STVOY

Sep 19, 2000 at 1:14 PM

Well Now,

All of the above prepares you for a standard IT job. There are variations of computers at college though:- Computer Studies which I mention above, Multimedia or IT Hardware. Either a job or you can choose to go on to university where you can learn more than triple that amount in advanced languages and AI things like that. By the time you finish all education after university you''ll be 21, and hopefully know a lot more than whe you left High school. So you see you can leave High school knowing the basic spreadsheet stuff and come out a fully qualified games programmer.

STVOY

Mega Moh Mine!!

The Yipsilon Home Page (Under Construction)

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