This project adapts an introductory programming course originally developed at Brown University for use at Rhode Island College. This course is characterized by extensive use of graphics, very early object-orientation (encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism are all taught before such traditional topics as arithmetic and flow of control), and a strong emphasis on design. The materials need to be adapted because the student populations are very different; the original course is a large lecture course, and the new course is divided into separate classes with a maximum enrollment of 26; and the new course has a weekly in-class lab. The original course materials, including several chapters of a text, a complete set of slides, and programming assignments, have been thoroughly tested during the past six years at Brown. These materials will both interest students and give them a strong grounding in object-oriented principles. The project includes a detailed evaluation of the resulting course. By adapting and generalizing these materials, the project makes them accessible to more colleges and even high schools, which could have a broad impact on the way introductory programming is taught. Moreover, the design and results of the evaluation could be useful even to institutions that choose a different approach to teaching this course.
