[Novalug] Teaching Computers Science

[David A. Cafaro]

I gradauted with a Computer Engineering degree, but at the time had  
several options at my school.  In general there were four major  
options for those interested in working in the computing field,  
Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, and  
Business Information Systems.  Each had a focus ranging from a focus  
on the nitty gritting circuit level and low level machine code (EE),  
to business/enterprise system application and design (BIS or lovingly  
shortened to BS by the other three majors).  Electrical Engineering  
and Computer Engineering were both based under the Engineering School  
while Computer Science and Business Information Systems was under  
Liberal Arts.  In truth it didn't really matter as all took classes  
in either school, it only mattered in what background your advisors  
had.  That is where it may matter depending on what field of work  
your daughter is considering after graduation.

All four majors had to take an intro to programming class which was  
based on C or C++.  I would consider C/C++ training a fundamental for  
all those interested in a Computer Science based curriculum.  If you  
learn those you have a good foundation for moving to Java later, and  
understanding many of the fundamentals of most modern languages.  I  
would only recommend Fortran or Cobol being relevant if she was  
focusing on very specific areas of work, and in truth it would be  
limiting to do so.  If you understand how to program in C and C++ as  
well as the fundamentals of programming structures, you should be  
able to pick up and start work in most programming languages.  You  
won't be great at first, but you have the fundamentals to learn it  
and fairly quickly.  That's what a computer science degree is all  
about, getting the training and experience to "understand" computer  
systems and adapt.

If a school focuses on Visual Basic as the core programming language  
for classes, DO NOT BOTHER.  That would be a horrible language to be  
your first fundamental language class.  Though it is a VERY popular  
language in the commercial world, it is not a good language to learn  
the fundamentals of good programming design.  Visual Basic is a  
secondary class you take to be ready for employment, not for learning  
how computers work.

Pascal isn't to bad, it's the first language I learned in high  
school, but it's not a language I consider a good learning language  
for a CS degree.

Hope that helps some,
David


On Sep 26, 2007, at 9:47 AM, Dan Arico wrote:

> My daughter is thinking about doing a computer science major in  
> college. We've
> been looking over a lot of schools and I'm noticing a certain lack of
> consistency in the way it's taught.
>
> Some schools have CS as a separate major, while others include it  
> under math
> or engineering. A few courses appear to be consistent from school  
> to school,
> but the programming languages vary wildly.
>
> I've found several schools that use Visual Basic. Others use  
> Pascal. Most
> include C/C++. A few include assembler, but most do not. I've even  
> found one
> that teaches COBOL.
>
> Anyone have some thoughts about what ought to be included?
>
> Dan Arico
>
> -- 
> One OS to rule them all, One OS to find them,
> One OS to bring them all, and in the Darkness bind them,
> In the land of Redmond, where the Sales Reps lie.
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David A. Cafaro <dac at cafaro.net>
Cafaro's Ramblings:  www.cafaro.net