Incorporating an object-oriented programming language into the first year of a software engineering education

Abstract

Describes how the object-oriented implementation language C++ has been incorporated into the first year of the software engineering curriculum in the School of Computer Science and Computer Engineering at La Trobe University. The reasons for choosing an object-oriented language are discussed, as well as the reasons for selecting C++ in particular. A revised course structure is presented that is based on an exercise in evaluating both the strengths and weaknesses of C++ as a first-year language. The resulting course structure provides a better learning framework for software engineering students.