Rice Education Lecture Series
Rice University Education Lecture Series

Goranka Bjedov

Assistant Professor
Department of Freshman Engineering
Purdue University

Should Engineering Students Be Taught a Programming Language?

Abstract

The majority of schools offering engineering degrees expects their students to complete at least one course in programming in a high-level language (such as FORTRAN, Pascal, C, or even C++). In many cases, these courses are offered in the first year curriculum. Such courses have traditionally been justified as teaching logical thinking and problem solving, while providing the students with tools they will use as practicing engineers.

These goals can be achieved more readily through the use of modern mathematical software tools such as MATLAB, Mathcad, Mathematica or Maple. Such tools are more powerful and easier to master than a traditional programming language, allowing students to solve interesting and challenging problems earlier in the course of their studies. Consequently, there is little reason to teach traditional programming languages to engineering students, and there are many reasons not to.

Despite these facts, engineering schools persist in teaching high-level programming languages to their students, and are not likely to change this in the immediate future. This talk examines the real reasons for this behavior, and the level of success of the currently implemented solutions.

Thursday, April 17, 1997 @ 4 p.m. in Duncan Hall 1070
Reception in Duncan Hall 1049 following the talk

Dr. Bjedov's agenda for April 17 & 18.