Objects first - does it work?
Frances K. Bailie, Mary F. Courtney, Keitha A. Murray, Robert Schiaffino, Sylvester Tuohy · Journal of computing sciences in colleges · 2003
Many colleges and universities have switched to Java as the language in CS1 and CS2. The object-oriented paradigm, and Java in particular, fosters an approach that starts with classes and objects from the first day and introduces basic programming constructs such as conditionals and loops as needed to solve specific problems. This methodology is foreign to those who have been teaching introductory programming for more than five years but seems to work for students who have no prior background. This panel will explore the question of whether or not the approach is the most effective way to teach the art and science of programming.