EDUCATIONAL PEARL "Little language" project modules
John Clements, Kathi Fisler · 2010
Many computer science departments are debating the role of programming languages in the curriculum. These discussions often question the relevance and appeal of programming-languages content for today’s students. In our experience, domain-specific, “little languages” projects provide a compelling illustration of the importance of programming-language concepts. This paper describes projects that prototype mainstream applications such as PowerPoint, TurboTax, and animation scripting. We have used these exercises as modules in non-programming languages courses, including courses for first year students. Such modules both encourage students to study linguistic topics in more depth and provide linguistic perspective to students who might not otherwise be exposed to the area. 1 Studying the design of (domain-specific) languages Students (and some faculty!) sometimes wonder why the standard computing curriculum includes a course on programming languages. In their eyes, most employers have settled on a small, slowly changing pool of general-purpose languages that share a common programming idiom. Languages that do not fit this model,