A Formal Language Selection Process for Introductory Programming Courses

Abstract

The selection of a programming language for introductory courses has long been an informal process involving faculty evaluation, discussion, and consensus. As the number of faculty, students, and language options grows, this process becomes increasingly unwieldy. As it stands, the process currently lacks structure and replicability. Establishing a structured approach to the selection of a programming language would enable a more thorough evaluation of the available options and a more easily supportable selection. Developing and documenting an instrument and a methodology for language selection will allow the process to be more easily repeated in the future.This set of criteria, as well as the instrument designed around it, are designed to be extensible, allowing revision of both the criteria and the process as new programming paradigms and languages are introduced and old ones fall out of favor. It is hoped that this formal method will yield the structure and repeatability missing from existing approaches.

The History of Computer Language Selection

“…Recent studies have examined a variety of factors that must be taken into account, and while pragmatic and pedagogical concerns are still near the forefront, they must be tempered by an awareness that other factors impact the selection process. The bottom line is that academics must carefully assess the best interests of the students, weigh all variables in the language selection process such as those listed by Parker et al (2006aParker et al ( , 2006b, and choose a language accordingly. As Johnson (1995) points out, "the greatest danger to our university system is the lemming-like rush to do the same thing, to be one with the crowd, to be part of the current fashion industry of computing".…”

“…Finally, Gee, Wills, and Cooke (2005) pointed out another trend that is becoming increasingly evident (and controversial), that is, the use of scripting languages to teach programming concepts because they provide "not only a proper programming environment but also an instant link into the formation of active web pages". Parker et al (2006aParker et al ( , 2006b) examined a multitude of studies, including many of those mentioned above, and presented a set of criteria for use when selecting a computer programming language for an introductory programming course, and developed an instrument that allows weighting of each of those selection criteria to specify their relative importance in the selection process.…”

“…As noted earlier, Parker et al (2006aParker et al ( , 2006b) propose a set of criteria for the selection of a programming language in an academic setting. Their work is based on papers by researchers in both Australia and the United States.…”

Python como primer lenguaje de programación textual en la Enseñanza Secundaria

“…Aunque se puede seguir un proceso formal y bien estructurado para la selección del lenguaje empleado en la introducción a la programación (Parker, et al, 2006), ya existen multitud de experiencias y estudios que avalan las ventajas de Python como candidato bien posicionado.…”

Teaching Business Programming Using Games: A Critical Analysis

“…Literature cites two fundamental issues related to teaching programming: the selection of a programming language and the most effective approach for teaching computer programming (Al-lmamy, Alizadeh & Nour, 2006;Ottaway, & Chang, 2006;Parker, Chao). We focus on the teaching approach, which continues to be problematic as educators experiment with various paradigms in an attempt to enhance engagement of students.…”