The development of a course covering scripting languages and their applications

  • Authors:

  • Charles N. Stevenson

  • Affiliations:

  • Salem State University, Salem, MA

  • Venue:
  • Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges
  • Year:
  • 2012

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Abstract

Our newly developed course introduces students to the design and use of scripting languages for web development and rapid prototyping. The course also seeks to improve student understanding of language design and construction by exposing them to the different language paradigms found in the three languages Perl, JavaScript, and Python. The course includes lectures and assignments on topics common to these scripting languages such as regular expressions and web protocols. Since the introduction of the course, increasing numbers of students are now using a scripting language for their senior project, rather than a compiled language such a Java or C++. Students are able to make faster progress in their senior projects because the use of these languages enables them to spend more effort on problem solving and less effort on getting their programs to work. Their successful experiences in prototyping applications mirror many current industrial practices.