ISTE

Computer Science Symposia

Computer Science & Information Technology Symposium 2003

Session Presentations

Object Oriented Design—Think Big
by Timothy A. Budd

Object Oriented Design can and should be taught as an independent topic to the instruction of a specific programming language, such as Java. In this presentation I will illustrate a language neutral introduction to the primary OOP concepts, and then continue with an example exercise in OOP design. In the process, I will illustrate how working with designs that are much larger than students are actually able to program can help solidify the concepts of classes, encapsulation, composition, inheritance, and interaction.

Commentary:

Budd put forward the idea that we are now in the third era of computer science, where the emphasis is on the move toward a service-centered view of computing which is fundamentally different than what has happened before. In order to encourage students to more accurately view programming as a means of solving specific problems elegantly and efficiently, he argues that students must be taught design before they begin to program. Doing so, he says, would give them a better understanding of what it means to be object oriented, and allow them to appreciate why OO languages are designed as they are.

 

Hosted by ISTE and ACM , and sponsored by Microsoft (R) .

For more information, please contact Linda Keller, Project Manager, ISTE at: lkeller@iste.org.