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From: rcs00455@zach.fit.edu (Kevin Anderson /ADVISOR Engle)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: Ada in undergraduate courses: who knows where?
Keywords: Ada, Software Engineering, College
Message-ID: <1807@winnie.fit.edu>
Date: 9 Jan 91 15:19:47 GMT
References: <2491@sparko.gwu.edu> <00942667.2BF2DA80@uno.edu>
Sender: usenet@winnie.fit.edu
Reply-To: rcs00455@zach.UUCP (Kevin Anderson)
Organization: Florida Institute of Technology, ACS, Melbourne, FL
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>


    I am a freshman at Florida Institute of Technology in (sunny)
Melboure, Florida.  This year FIT started a new program in it's Computer
Science department called "software development".  The program, in which
I am enrolled, is basically a degree in Software Engineering.  It can't
be called that until it's been accredited, and first they need to have
a standardized program, but maybe some day...  Anyway I'm also told, but
am not sure, that this is the first undergraduate program in Software
Engineering.  Well?   I've done Pascal, C, FORTRAN, Lisp and Assembly
programming in high school (Thomas Jefferson Hihg School for Science and
Technology.  How many other high schools have a Supercomputer?), but were
using Ada for all our courses at least until Junior Year.  The choice of
language seems obvious given the program I think.  I choose to enter this
program because I think that the process of software development needs to
have a stronger foundation in mathematics and engineering techniques,
just like Civil or Mechanical Engineering.  Software today needs to be
engineered, with engineering checks and balances, defined by an engineering
discipline.  We need to get to the point where a Software Engineer writes
a program almost the same way a Civil Engineer builds a bridge.
    Anyway, the program is being taught by Dr. Harlan Mills (IEEE and
IBM Fellow).  From what I've heard, you should of heard of him.  Actually,
three other professors are helping him teach the courses (one lab instuctor
and two other professors) and together they also wrote the book for the
first quarter.  I thought that some people out there might be interested
in knowing about this, and since you were talking about using Ada at
colleges....  Besides, I think we need to start seeing some support for
this program and maybe others like it.

					
					Kevin Anderson  
					rcs00455@zach.fit.edu