UCLA introductory programming classes should focus more on Python, not C++
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Re: UCLA introductory programming classes should focus more on Python, not C++
#2Guido van Rossum's tweet: https://twitter.com/gvanrossum/status/969443110735331328
Re: UCLA introductory programming classes should focus more on Python, not C++
#3I would like to point out before this discussion moves too far along that UCLA does in fact have an introductory programming course which is taught using Python: http://web.cs.ucla.edu/classes/enroll/97/
Students that are unfamiliar with programming are encouraged to take this course before the C++ course.
Re: UCLA introductory programming classes should focus more on Python, not C++
#4I think fundamentals of programming should be more emphasized not the language itself.
Re: UCLA introductory programming classes should focus more on Python, not C++
#5I’m quite surprised they are still using c++. I thought most schools switched to java by or in the first half of the oughts.
Re: UCLA introductory programming classes should focus more on Python, not C++
#6It makes a lot of sense for non-CS students to be able to learn CS using Python.
For CS students, there's a good argument for starting with the fundamentals and adding abstractions later. It's not the only way to learn it, but if the CS department wants to start there for CS students, that's reasonable.
Re: UCLA introductory programming classes should focus more on Python, not C++
#7UCLA is one of the biggest users of CoCalc.com. They use CoCalc extensively to teach a course called "LS30: Mathematics for Life Sciences". Well over 1000 students a year in this course program in Python for hours every week (via SageMath Worksheets) in a lab and at home. The content is really beautiful, and teaches ideas from Calculus in a much more hands on and motivated way. Expanding Python education at UCLA would definitely help support the LS30 sequence.
(Disclaimer: I started SageMath and CoCalc.)
Re: UCLA introductory programming classes should focus more on Python, not C++
#8Who is the author that makes them an authority on this? I couldn't find much, but it looks like they are just a student or journalist that writes opinion pieces. Shouldn't the professors designing the courses have much more say than someone that does not appear to be an expert?
Re: UCLA introductory programming classes should focus more on Python, not C++
#9I’m quite surprised they are still using c++. I thought most schools switched to java by or in the first half of the oughts.
What does it even mean for a school to 'switch' languages? When I did my bachelors it was straight up a new language in each class, at the discretion of the prof in charge. Intro class homework was in Java, data structures was in C++, operating systems was in C, digital logic design was in Verilog, bioinformatics was in Python, ...
Re: UCLA introductory programming classes should focus more on Python, not C++
#10I would like to point out before this discussion moves too far along that UCLA does in fact have an introductory programming course which is taught using Python: http://web.cs.ucla.edu/classes/enroll/97/ Students that are unfamiliar with programming are encouraged to take this course before the C++ course.
That kind of defeats the argument of the article then.