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=-0.4 required=5.0 tests=AC_FROM_MANY_DOTS,BAYES_00 autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,71c743c03ed191fe X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public X-Google-ArrivalTime: 2002-09-26 05:42:30 PST Path: archiver1.google.com!news1.google.com!newsfeed.stanford.edu!logbridge.uoregon.edu!snoopy.risq.qc.ca!newsfeed.news2me.com!newsfeed2.earthlink.net!newsfeed.earthlink.net!stamper.news.pas.earthlink.net!stamper.news.atl.earthlink.net!harp.news.atl.earthlink.net!not-for-mail From: "Marin David Condic" Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Subject: Re: Beginer problem: variable array size Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2002 08:42:09 -0400 Organization: MindSpring Enterprises Message-ID: References: <38993b18.0209191906.b56b982@posting.google.com> <1032533590.712308@master.nyc.kbcfp.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: d1.56.bd.e1 X-Server-Date: 26 Sep 2002 12:42:29 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 Xref: archiver1.google.com comp.lang.ada:29357 Date: 2002-09-26T12:42:29+00:00 List-Id: Do you expect to teach a student all of computer science in one assignment? :-) My point was that given some beginning level assignment ("Read in a bunch of numbers and sort them") I wouldn't find it necessary to add some additional requirement ("Don't create an artificial limit on input" - Although Tom Moran will observe that there always *is* a limit :-) to somehow or other make the exercise more valuable. If the language doesn't make that a trivial thing to do (perhaps because its arrays are naturally dynamic) then why add it to the assignment? The point of the exercise is probably to teach the student how to use the I/O of the language and give them some experience with sorting numbers. Do they *really* need to become human/machine interface experts on their second assignment? Probably not. Save *that* lesson for one of the more advanced courses - or at least until they've written a few more basic programs. And, no, I don't think students should only have one class in data structures and algorithms and never said that. Remember that the original illustration was given as a "typical" second programming assignment for a beginning student. At that level - and probably for many other levels of student assignments - its completely fair to artificially limit the problem so that the student spends his time focusing on the thing the assignment is supposed to illustrate rather than get him wrapped up in all sorts of side issues that expand the scope and make the job needlessly harder. Students are, after all, pressed for time and have other classes besides just this one beginning CS course, right? Have a little mercy on them. :-) MDC -- ====================================================================== Marin David Condic I work for: http://www.belcan.com/ My project is: http://www.jast.mil/ Send Replies To: m c o n d i c @ a c m . o r g "I'd trade it all for just a little more" -- Charles Montgomery Burns, [4F10] ====================================================================== Kevin Cline wrote in message news:ba162549.0209251937.5b4b8cef@posting.google.com... > > That's great, but it doesn't teach students to produce useful programs. > CS graduates need considerable experience using appropriate data structures. > One class in data structures and algorithms is not enough.