A Concept-First Approach for an Introductory Computer Science Course

Authors

Linda P. DuHadway, Utah State University
Stephen W. Clyde, Utah State UniversityFollow
Mimi Recker, Utah State UniversityFollow
Donald H. Cooley, Utah State University

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges

Volume

18

Issue

2

Publisher

Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges

Publication Date

2002

First Page

6

Last Page

16

Abstract

Several weaknesses have been identified to the programming-first approach often used in introductory computer science courses. Despite these weaknesses, programming continues to be the central focus in CS1 for many institutions. This paper proposes a concept-first approach that can be integrated into existing programming-first curriculum.The approach is based on three principles: a) drawing from the students' everyday experiences to introduce new ideas and skills; b) allowing students time to acquire a foundation in these concepts before introducing a high-level programming language; and c) separating fundamental concepts from language syntax. A feasibility study for integrating this new approach in a CS1 class at USU is described.

Comments

Originally published by the Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges. Publisher's PDF available through remote link.

Recommended Citation

DuHadway, L, Clyde, S., Recker, M., & Cooley, D. (2002). A concept-first approach for an introductory computer science course. Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, 18(2), 6-16.