From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,13717fdb90d942 X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: Ehud Lamm Subject: Re: Would someone help a struggling ADA student Date: 1998/10/17 Message-ID: #1/1 X-Deja-AN: 402301713 References: <6v3c4q$890$1@news.campus.mci.net> <6vaj7d$nht$1@owens.ridgecrest.ca.us> <6vatvr$329$1@nnrp1.dejanews.com> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Organization: The hebrew University of Jerusalem Mime-Version: 1.0 Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Date: 1998-10-17T00:00:00+00:00 List-Id: On Mon, 5 Oct 1998 dewarr@my-dejanews.com wrote: > > If indeed this is an algorithms or AI course (the only types of course for > which an assignment like this would be appropriate), then I see no reason to > force students to write in a particular language, since in that context, > language is secondary. > I am afraid I don't completly agree. Theoretically you are right, but in practice things get more complicated. You learn the niches of the language, and the special advantages (and disadvantages...) it has, only from really trying to solve problems on your own. I don't think exercises this complicated should be the norm, but one such exercise per course, is a "Good Thing"(tm). This is esp. so when you try to teach people a little SE along the way (see long thread on this right now). If students are only exposed to small and simple problems, they may learn the syntax, but not the design philosophy the language supports best. One more thing. We all assume that the teacher didn't give enough background in order to make the exercise managable. This assumption may be wrong... Ehud Lamm mslamm@pluto.mscc.huji.ac.il