From: Elliot Temple <curi@...>
Date: 2006-05-16T06:57:53+09:00
Subject: University (was: begining programmer questions)


On May 15, 2006, at 2:16 PM, Justin Collins wrote:

> At my school, tree structures are introduced in the third CS class,  
> 'Data Structures'. It's likely that particular class would be  
> required for both (in my hypothetical curriculum :)

This is totally off topic (so i've changed the subject), but learning  
implementation details, like AVL trees, -- which I can easily look up  
myself if I ever want to --  is one of the main sorts of things that  
made me quit University. (also there was the java)

this was aggravated by things like being asked, on tests, to  
implement data structures with pen and paper. and then being graded  
on syntax. *glare*. but anyway...

under my ideal curriculum, students wouldn't be told "learn this" or  
"learn that" for specific details. they would instead be given  
interesting problems to work on, and teaching would focus more on  
general methods of solving problems. so, for example, instead being  
taught AVL trees and given a practice problem where the solution is  
an AVL tree, they'd be given a problem with a non-obvious solution  
and taught how to figure out what data structure to use (and how to  
look up or otherwise learn an implementation).

-- Elliot Temple
http://www.curi.us/blog/