Encourage new CS students to break away from the habit of using an interface to solve computer problems.

  • Beginning students' previous problem solving interactions with a computer are typically exclusively with the interface, such as "refreshing the browser or restarting the computer."
  • When students don't break past the habit of relying on an interface, "the underlying layers [of a computer] remain opaque and are not used in problem-solving." (Kolikant 546)

More about this tip

External Source

"Computer science as a cultural encounter" by Yifat Ben-David Kolikant, under "Two computer-oriented cultures"