Just Say 'A Class Defines a Data Type'.
The article discusses the lack of education regarding data types in computer science courses. The author suggests few computer science students can accurately define data types. A data type describes how entities are represented and utilized by algorithms and are defined by classes including program...
| Published in: | Communications of the ACM Vol. 51; no. 3; pp. 19 - 22 |
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| Format: | Article |
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Association for Computing Machinery
Mar2008
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| Summary: | The article discusses the lack of education regarding data types in computer science courses. The author suggests few computer science students can accurately define data types. A data type describes how entities are represented and utilized by algorithms and are defined by classes including programming languages like Java that are oriented around objects. Abstract data types (ADTs) can be particularly difficult for computer science students to comprehend, leading to a focus on objects in computer science education. The author comments that the educational focus on objects may limit effective teaching regarding computer algorithms. |
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