Literate programming as a mechanism for improving problem solving skills /
Software maintenance is becoming an increasingly important factor in determining software costs. Researchers are investigating methodologies for improving program development and documentation which may, in turn, reduce maintenance costs. The result of the design phase of software development affe...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
1995.
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=742144951&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | Software maintenance is becoming an increasingly important factor in determining software costs. Researchers are investigating methodologies for improving program development and documentation which may, in turn, reduce maintenance costs. The result of the design phase of software development affects the quality of the code which is written and implemented. The ability with which a programmer solves a given problem directly affects the quality of the program developed for the solution. An increasing amount of research is being performed in the area of problem solving and methods by which we teach novice programmers to solve problems. Many of the difficulties experienced by novice programmers are not a result of misunderstanding the language constructs, but a result of problems with forming a solution to the problem. The manner in which a novice programmer solves a problem will directly affect the program that is produced. Knuth coined the phrase "literate programming" to refer to programs which are meant to be read by humans, as well as executed by a computer. His WEB programming methodology was designed to encourage pseudocode development, stepwise refinement, and documentation of code, including the design rationale, prior to the actual writing of code. The methodology should also produce programs in which the documentation is highly correlated with the code. This research involved the adaptation of a methodology which can be used to improve the software development process and the evaluation of programs which are developed in introductory computer science courses. The methodology combines literate programming with the concepts of problem solving to capture, document, and emphasize the problem solving process. The production of well-designed, readable, maintainable software for the solution of problems is the goal. The methodology was tested and the results compared with previous introductory computer science classes. A group of novice programmers with limited programming experience utilized the methodology successfully in the development of problem solutions. The design solutions were then successfully used in the implementation of the accompanying programs. Since the implementation of the methodology was successful for the study, we feel the adaptation of the methodology is viable and should be tested in successive classes. |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Computer Science." |
| Physical Description: | xiii, 268 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilms Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references. |