[IP] Re: U.S. colleges retool programming classes - Yahoo! News

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Craig Partridge <craig@aland.bbn.com>
Date: June 1, 2007 9:32:29 AM EDT
To: dave@farber.net
Cc: Andrew Hunt <andy@pragprog.com>
Subject: Re: [IP] Re: U.S. colleges retool programming classes -  
Yahoo! News


> I try hard to produce books and related materials that are actually
> useful to practitioners in the field, and every week for the last
> eight years I get mail thanking us for our efforts, and asking, "why
> don't they teach this stuff in school?"
>
> And that's a good question.  Why not, indeed?

Because it costs money that universities aren't normally prepared/able
to invest.

Context: I've had teaching positions at three of the top 10 computer
science programs in the country.  My teaching style reflects the  
undergrad
education I got, which if one were to summarize in a sentence runs
"You don't understand the concept until you've produced a clean,
concise, maintainable program that implements the concept."
[Which is still some distance from what I believe Andy Hunt's trying  
to teach
but is on the path.]

So I teach courses in which the students write programs so they can
truly master the material.  I average a program every two weeks.
Programs tend to run 20 pages in length and I like to get assignments
back before the new one goes in.

150 students times 20 pages is 3,000 pages to grade (and to give really
good feedback you have to read every page -- not just test the code).

Experience suggests this requires one grader for every 20 to 30
students.  Some top schools will give that to you (but you often
have to apply pressure).  Most schools won't or can't.  And if they
don't -- you can't do labor intensive teaching like this.

Craig Partridge
craig@bbn.com


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