Abstract

The teaching of programming invariably forms an integral part of the content of first degrees in Computing and Information Systems. Traditionally the paradigm of structured or procedural design has pervaded the majority of these courses. In recent years a movement towards event-driven and object oriented models has been adopted by many institutions. This paper addresses the problems encountered in course delivery when making a fundamental change in underlying paradigm such as this. Using a case study, the authors have examined the extent to which the tools and techniques employed in the teaching and learning of traditional structured programming can be re-employed when alternative paradigms are adopted. It was found that difficulties were unexpectedly experienced by two groups of students in particular: those who were attempting to transfer existing conceptual and strategic knowledge of program design, and those who had only syntactic knowledge. As a consequence a set of program design tools has been developed with the aim of addressing these issues.