Investigating the impact of adopting Python and C languages for introductory engineering programming courses

Programming is one of the most fundamental initial skills for engineering students. Institutions that offer engineering courses have the challenge of deciding how to deliver this subject since it requires unique thinking from students. This paper addresses the impact of adopting C and Python program...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Computer applications in engineering education 2023-01, Vol.31 (1), p.47-62
Main Authors: Balreira, Dennis G., Silveira, Thiago L. T. da, Wickboldt, Juliano A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Colleges & universities
Data analysis
Data structures
education
Engineering
Engineering education
Learning
programming courses
Programming languages
Python
Students
teaching
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Summary:Programming is one of the most fundamental initial skills for engineering students. Institutions that offer engineering courses have the challenge of deciding how to deliver this subject since it requires unique thinking from students. This paper addresses the impact of adopting C and Python programming languages in introductory programming courses for engineering students. A case study was conducted in the university's introductory programming course, analyzing student data. This approach divides the students into two groups according to the programming language: C and Python. Data were gathered and analyzed about their learning experiences through questionnaires, assignment scores, and students' questions posted in the class online forums. The experiment was repeated in two consecutive semesters. The main results favor Python regarding learning confidence, motivation, and general programming design decisions while favoring C for the easiness of learning data structures. This study may be helpful for institutions considering designing a new introductory programming course or redesigning existing ones.
ISSN:1061-3773
1099-0542
DOI:10.1002/cae.22570