Transitioning to OOP/Java — A Never Ending Story

Changing the introductory programming course from a traditional imperative model to an object-oriented model is not simply a matter of changing compilers and syntax. It requires a profound change in course materials and teaching approach to be successful. We have been working with this transition for almost ten years and have realized that teaching object-oriented programming is not as simple or “natural” as some proponents claim. In fact, it has proven difficult to convey to the students the advantages and methodologies associated with object-oriented programming. To help ourselves and others in a transition like this we have developed a number of “course design principles” as well as teaching methods and examples that have proven to have positive influence on student learning outcome.