[Year 12 SofDev] Pseudocode standards

[Matheson, Heath A]

Hi Mark,

One of the things I like about the pseudocode questions in the exams is that they have been around long enough for me to be certain of their structure, formats and conventions. I feel if we push any changes uncertainty and ambiguity may return and we already seem to be dealing with enough of that with the new study design this year!

Hey, did anyone else have a battle this afternoon insisting that the end of the world (unless of course you are a chosen one) was not an excuse for not submitting homework on Monday?

Heath

From: sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au [mailto:sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au] On Behalf Of Mark KELLY
Sent: Thursday, 19 May 2011 3:39 PM
To: Year 12 Software Development Teachers' Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Year 12 SofDev] Pseudocode standards

Thanks for the feedback, John.  I find the meaning of '=' is clear in context.  There's a big difference between
A=4
and
IF A=4 THEN...

At least in VB there is.

Actually, the main reason I hate <-- is because it's so difficult to insert into documents such as exams.  <-- (as plain text) looks like an obscure "less than and less and less" operator, and the only way I know to insert a real arrow character is to use Wingdings or a codepage from Arial or some other typeface, which may not supported by all computers.

In Word I use Insert > Symbol but I wonder if that will render properly on Macs or other platforms.  Can anyone confirm whether Word characters can be ported?

Let me try to stick a left-arrow here and see if it renders properly on people's computers... I'm using gMail's rich text editor.

Arial or Calibri - character U+2190 (using Windows Character map) is after this colon:←
Can everyone see a left arrow?

Cheers
Mark

On 19 May 2011 14:31, John Schwartz <jschwartz at parade.vic.edu.au<mailto:jschwartz at parade.vic.edu.au>> wrote:
For me, one of the reasons for pseudocode is to help students transition between their, usually rather poorly expressed, idea for the algorithm and the code. For this reason I like to see a reasonable standard structure which more or less matches the code structure they will use. It gives us a good point of discussion as to how the program needs to be written and how the algorithm works.

I also like the <-- structure because it allows for the varied usages in different languages and distinguishes clearly between assignment and equality.

John

John Schwartz
Parade College
1436 Plenty Road
Bundoora, Victoria, 3083
Phone: 03 9468 3300
Fax: 03 9467 3937
e-mail: jschwartz at parade.vic.edu.au<mailto:jschwartz at parade.vic.edu.au> | web: www.parade.vic.edu.au<http://www.parade.vic.edu.au/>

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark KELLY [mailto:kel at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au<mailto:kel at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au>]
Sent: Thursday, 19 May 2011 12:13 PM
To: Year 12 Software Development Teachers' Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Year 12 SofDev] Pseudocode standards

Hi Alan. I agree with you.  Pseudocode needs to be easy to interpret (which is partly why I think showing assignment with <-- is not a good idea).
But to make pseudocode more concise, I'd like some higher-order constructs.  At the moment we're basically using flowchart-level structures whereas we could step up to the more elegant basic N-S shapes.

Cheers
Mark

On 19 May 2011 11:35, Allan Barnes <abarnes at aiet.com.au<mailto:abarnes at aiet.com.au>> wrote:
> In my opinion pseudocode serves two purposes - it serves to
> demonstrate to fellow programmers the intent of my program, and it
> also serves to demonstrate to the user what the program will basically
> do. It is in essence an English-ised version of the code. It doesn't
> need to have a specific structure or construct because it is not code
> and does not need to be universal. It is there to communicate to
> people who don't want to read the lines of code written in code what
> the program will do, so it has a purpose, but a limited and defined purpose.
>
> Of course I did my post-grad study some years back now so the
> programming environment has changed a lot, but I think pseudocode still has a purpose.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Kind regards
>
> Allan Barnes, CEO
> Australian Institute of Education and Training P.O. Box 171 Brunswick
> West 3055 Melbourne, Victoria
> Ph: (03) 9387 2051
> FAX: (03) 9387 3470
> Mobile: 0409 428 221
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au<mailto:sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au>
> [mailto:sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au<mailto:sofdev-bounces at edulists.com.au>]
> On Behalf Of Mark KELLY
> Sent: Thursday, 19 May 2011 10:50 AM
> To: Year 12 Software Development Teachers' Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [Year 12 SofDev] Pseudocode standards
>
> I'd be interested in hearing the opinions of the quiet people who
> subscribe to the list.  If you're quiet because you're worried about a
> bad reaction, please rest easy.
>
> This list is officially unicorns and rainbows for all contributors.
> We encourage all input, and enjoy any on-topic spirited debate that
> does not become acrimonious or personal.
>
> So please chip in. Most of the talent on the list is the hidden 90% of
> the iceberg...
>
> Cheers
> Mark
>
>
> On 18 May 2011 11:16, Mark KELLY <kel at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au<mailto:kel at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au>> wrote:
>> Hi Claudia and all
>>
>> Is there any news on what pseudocode we can expect to be "standard"
>> in SD exams?  Until recently there wasn't even a FOR structure in
>> pseudocode,
> but
>> it's there now (Q4 in the sample questions) - a good move.
>> What other structures and syntaxes does VCAA consider appropriate?
>  <snip>
>
> --
> Mark Kelly
> Manager of ICT, Reporting, IT Learning Area McKinnon Secondary College
> McKinnon Rd McKinnon 3204, Victoria, Australia Direct line /
> Voicemail: +613 8520 9085, Fax +613 9578 9253
> kel at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au<mailto:kel at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au> VCE IT Lecture Notes: http://vceit.com<http://vceit.com/>
> Moderator: IT Applications Edulist
>
> Want a good time? Call 0112358. Ask for Mr Fibonacci.
>

--
--
Mark Kelly
Manager of ICT, Reporting, IT Learning Area
McKinnon Secondary College
McKinnon Rd McKinnon 3204, Victoria, Australia
Direct line / Voicemail: +613 8520 9085, Fax +613 9578 9253
kel at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au<mailto:kel at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au>
VCE IT Lecture Notes: http://vceit.com<http://vceit.com/>
Moderator: IT Applications Edulist

Want a good time? Call 0112358. Ask for Mr Fibonacci.

Important - This email and any attachments may be confidential. If received in error, please contact us and delete all copies. Before opening or using attachments check them for viruses and defects. Regardless of any loss, damage or consequence, whether caused by the negligence of the sender or not, resulting directly or indirectly from the use of any attached files our liability is limited to resupplying any affected attachments. Any representations or opinions expressed are those of the individual sender, and not necessarily those of the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.edulists.com.au/pipermail/sofdev/attachments/20110520/fcac070b/attachment.html