Programming Logic and Visual Basic .NET

Thad CrewsComputer Information SystemsWestern Kentucky University

Prentice Hall PHITLas Vegas, NVApril 3, 2004

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.Albert Einstein(1879 - 1955)

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Working IT professionals benefit from the advancement of modern programming languages, tools, and paradigms. However, these same advancements create significant challenges for faculty who design and teach introductory programming courses

Complicated Syntax

Overwhelming Environment

50% D/F/W

10 pounds of material in a 5 pound bag

(PLUS) Jobs being outsourced overseas

In a nutshell…

The March of Progress

266 pages

1536 pages

What Is a Faculty Member to Do???

Industry is driven by professionals and their needs, not academics and our needs. Therefore expect more of the same…

More powerful tools and environments

More students making Ds, Fs, and Ws

More programming jobs being outsourced overseas

ACM/IEEE Computing Curriculum 2001 Report

“Programming courses often focus on syntax and the particular characteristics of a programming language, leading students to concentrate on these relatively unimportant details rather than the underlying algorithmic skills. This focus on syntax details means that many students fail to comprehend the essential algorithmic model that transcends particular programming languages.”

ACM/IEEE Computing Curriculum 2001 Report

Computing Curricula 2001http://www.computer.org/education/cc2001/final/

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“Once students have a solid grasp of the algorithmic foundations and the range of data and control structures […], they can then move on to a more conventional language, either partway through the first course or, at the latest, the beginning of the second course. Because students have experienced a wider range of both data and control structures early, their later progress through conventional programming work can occur more rapidly and class time can be more explicitly focused on issues of effective programming practices and systematic debugging skills.”

Teach Logic Before Syntax

There is a growing movement to teaching programming logic and design skills rather than emphasizing the mastery of syntax for a particular programming language de jour. One of the classic tools for this is the flowchart.

Code vs. Flowchart – An Experiment

IF A < D THEN PRINT AELSE PRINT D IF B < C THEN PRINT B ELSE PRINT C END IFEND IF

Code vs. Flowchart – Correctness

0

1

2

3

Simple Medium Complex

FlowchartProgram

(significant at p < 0.002)

Code vs. Flowchart – Confidence

1

2

3

4

5

Simple Medium Complex

FlowchartProgram

(significant at p < 0.003)

Code vs. Flowchart – Time

0

25

50

75

100

125

150

175

Simple Medium Complex

FlowchartProgram

(significant at p < 0.000)

Executable Flowcharting Projects

The results strongly support the general consensus that flowcharts are valuable for novice students. However, flowcharts become powerful educational tools when they are executable, providing students with immediate, accurate feedback on the logic and design of their solution.

Visual Logic

Visual Logic (Current Status) Enhance I/O (dialog, console, file)

Conditions

Loops

Procedures

Parameters (pass by Value, pass by Reference)

Arrays

Graphics

Multimedia

Debugging Support (breakpoints, variable watch, stepping)

Intuitive Interface

Great Tool… Now what???

I was using early versions of Visual Logic in my intro programming courses back in 1998. We would spend about 5 weeks on programming fundamentals and 11 weeks using the traditional text…

“Because students have experienced a wider range of both data and control structures early, their later progress through conventional programming work can occur more rapidly and class time can be more explicitly focused on issues of effective programming practices and systematic debugging skills.”

Computing Curricula 2001, p. 32 —

Support Material For First 5 Weeks

Interview

Case Study Scenario

Ask the Author

Tips

Mentor/Manager

Topic Summary

Quick Check

Case Study Solution

Enhanced end-of-chapter Material

Experiences

“Middle Value”

“Procedures and Graphics”

“More Experimental Findings”

“Diversity of Students (CS-Majors & Novices)”

“When to teach Objects?”

“The Power of .NET”

Programming Right From the Starthttp://www.prfts.com