The INGRES Tutorial as a tool in teaching database theory (or, I can't believe it's not training)
Don Goelman · ACM SIGCSE Bulletin · 1996
The course in database principles is an example of a course in the computer science curriculum in which a balance is sought between theory and applications. With some exceptions, most computer science majors at the author's university prefer material which is oriented towards what they view as practical applications. At best, they tolerate the theoretical component of their courses. In particular, many who enroll in the database course hope to acquire expertise in particular software. One of the course projects has managed to finesse this prejudice by hiding some theoretical ideas in the benign cloak of an application.