Assessing the quality of programs: a topic for the CS2 course

  • Authors:
  • Dean Sanders;Janet Hartman

  • Affiliations:
  • Applied Computer Science Department, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois;Applied Computer Science Department, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois

  • Venue:
  • SIGCSE '87 Proceedings of the eighteenth SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education
  • Year:
  • 1987

Quantified Score

Hi-index 0.00

Visualization

Abstract

Measuring the quality of programs is commonly discussed at widespread intervals in the computer science curriculum. Because discussions of quality are fragmented, the students do not develop a set of criteria by which they can evaluate the quality of a program. Since an assessment of quality must depend on the specifications that are set forth before the programming begins, it is important for students to be aware of the various criteria by which a program can be evaluated. Various measures of quality can be introduced in the CS2 course. These include evaluating the utilization of resources by a program, evaluating the correctness of the program and examining various human factors associated with program development and maintenance. Students should be provided with activities which allow them to explore and practice using thecriteria for evaluation in each context. Ultimately the development of skills in evaluating program quality will make students more effective programmers.