Executive summary

Executive summary

Readability of text

Hanly

Kalin

Comparison

Chapter problems

Hanly

Kalin

Comparison

Code examples

Hanly

Kalin

Comparison

Recommendation

Table of Contents

Introduction

The two books compared will be: Problem solving and program design in C written by Jeri Hanley and Elliot Koffman, and Programming in ANSI C written by Martin Kalin and Richard Johnsonbaugh, The comparison will be of these three criteria.

Readability of text

Chapter problems

Code examples

Lastly I will give my recommendation for the most appropriate textbook, based on the criteria and there analysis.

Criteria

For students who are learning a computer programming language for the first time it is very important that they have a textbook that has very specific information. But is written in a manner that is conducive to them learning and being able to remember what is being taught to them for future use in continuing courses. I have chosen these three specific criteria to evaluate the two textbooks to ensure that the student will be able to meet these requirements.

Readability of text

Readability of text is one of the most important things that a textbook must have. If the text is too complicated or written at a higher level than what the student is used to without proper explanation it can make the student lose interest in the subject matter, causing them to do poorly in the class. On the other hand if the text is written in a manner that is very elementary then the student will take for granted what they are learning and may also do poorly in the course.

Chapter problems

Chapter problems are essential to the student learning curve. Adequate chapter problems will ensure that the student has the opportunity to practice what they are being taught in class. These problems can also be a great learning tool for such things as learning syntax, being able to evaluate incorrect statements, and evaluating functions. Without adequate problems the student will be unprepared for what may lie ahead.

Code examples

In a computer programming language the written code is the most important feature that a textbook must have. Without adequate examples the student will not learn the proper information to continue with there education. The complexity of the code is also a very important factor in the textbooks. The code should be written in a progressive manner so that the student will feel confident in the code that they are using leading them to be able to write code on their own.

Analysis

Readability of text

Hanly

The readability of the text in this book is exceptionally well done. It is written in a way that the student can follow it and learn from it. It takes a very progressive approach to the way that it is written. The text starts with very basic information and terms giving the reader an adequate amount of information to be able to assure that they understand what it is that they are reading. When terms are introduced in the text they are bolded and defined in the left margin so that the students will know what they are, and how they apply to the text they are learning. As the text progresses into more complicated forms of the programming language it ties the text from earlier chapters together with the current text by referencing (i.e. in chapter five it says see chapter two table one) the material and showing a direct link between the two topics. The book also makes good use of examples. When learning a situation you will need to write a piece of code on, the book will give you an example of a problem statement, then tell you what is needed to make the example statement work.

Kalin

The readability of the text in this book is well done. It is also written in a way that the student can follow it and learn from it. It takes a more aggressive approach to the material making it harder to comprehend the beginning text. Although it does use bolding for words that are introduced, and also defines them in the left margin of the text, it however does not ensure that the student will feel comfortable with what it is they are looking at. It moves from step to step very quickly and if you do not pay close attention in the reading you will find yourself back tracking to ensure that you properly understand what it is that you are doing. The text however does not have adequate examples for the student to know the situation that they are writing the code for. It simply has the code and the problem off to the side. The text also uses referencing back to previous chapters to ensure that the student does have adequate resources to know what they are looking at.

Comparison

Both of the books use bolding for new terms as well as defining them. Both of the books make good use of referencing back to a previous chapter to ensure that the student knows what they are looking at. Both are very challenging books that offer excellent example for the user. The Hanly book is better for readability it goes through things in a more thorough manner, but not in a manner that causes the reader to be lackadaisical. It also makes great use of written examples of what circumstances you would write a specific set of code, showing the reader the direct relevance to what they were learning. I would recommend the Hanly book for readability of text.

Chapter problems

Hanly

Chapter problems in this textbook are done in a manner that the student is both challenged and rewarded. They are separated by questions at the end of every section as well as being at the end of the chapter. The problems at the end of the chapter are called quick check and are accompanied with the answers so the student will be able to ensure that they get the correct answer (see figure 1). The problems in the text progressively become more difficult the further you go in the book, making them an excellent reference for the students to use and learn from.
(Figure1, example of end of chapter answers from Hanly)

Kalin

Chapter problems in this textbook are sufficient for the student who has no ambition to know anything outside of the challenges of the book. There are no brain teaser problems that make the student think about what they would do in a situation that they don’t necessarily cover. The chapter problems are separated into end of section problems, and end of chapter problems. Unfortunately the end of chapter problems are mainly just code practice problems (see figure 2). The book does not do a good job of ensuring that the student has a good feel for the verbiage that is used in the text, and feels comfortable using it. The only answers to the questions are in the back of the book and those are only the odd numbered ones.


(Figure 2 sample problems from Kalin)

Comparison

Hanly used a wide variety of questions that challenged the student as well as ensuring that they knew what it was they were looking at. Kalin did not do this the questions were only directed at the specific material covered and did not stray from that. Hanly gave answers to the quick reference problems at the end of the chapter enabling the student to look without having to flip to the back of the book. Kalin the end of chapter problems were unfortunately mostly coding problems. The text did not ensure that you knew the language that you were using, just that you knew how to write the code. You also had to flip to the back of the book in Kalin to find the answers to a specific question causing the student to lose his place. My recommendation based on the chapter questions criteria would be Hanly.

Code examples

Hanly

The code examples used in the textbook do a very good job of illustrating what the text itself is explaining. There are small sections throughout the chapters that are called program comments, which give the student an example of the syntax used, and then an example of the code that it would be used in (see figure 3). As the text becomes increasingly difficult the program comments become much more in depth allowing the student to get a good example of what it is they will be doing. The authors also make good use of diagramming specific sections of code so the student will know exactly what goes where and why. Without things like this the student could easily become lost or confused as to why certain syntax was used. The code is broken up into very distinct section using different colors so that the student will know exactly how to follow where the code is going and why. Allowing the student to get a better understanding of what it is they are trying to accomplish.

(Figure 3, example of program comment)

Kalin

The code examples used in the textbook offer an adequate amount of examples that go along with the corresponding text. They are broken into example numbers so the student knows that they are for the section they have read (see figure 4). The text makes good use of corresponding text boxes in the right margin with a line to specific syntax so the student knows where it came from. There is also good supporting text inside of the code examples to support the students needs and questions. The code examples also make good use of referencing prior examples to be able to relate the two topics together. A very important thing when trying to see how a lengthy program is written.

(Figure 4, code example from Kalin)

Comparison

Both books make good use of the written code; Hanly uses the program comment. Where as Kalin uses the text inside of the code itself to assist the student. I think using program comments was a much more effective to present a specific item in a piece of code. So the student is able to make a direct link and it will stick in their mind. Both texts used small boxed that were linked to some sort of syntax inside of the text. This is effective but can be hard for the student to follow some times. Both books set the code apart as some sort of example. I think that Hanly uses a better way by dividing off from the page and giving it a corresponding figure number. Students are more used to associating things like this with something titled figure versus example. It would be my recommendation to choose the Hanly book based on the criteria of code examples.

Conclusion

In the recommendation report you have just read, I discussed three key points of the textbook that need to be focused on to ensure that the students have sufficient knowledge upon completion of the course EECE 1207. These three criteria were in the analysis section.

Analysis

Readability of text

In the readability of text section I made the recommendation that the Hanly book was better suited for students than the Kalin book was. Due to the book going through in a more thorough manner, as well as making great use of written examples and how those would apply to the written code.

Chapter problems

In the chapter problems section I made the recommendation to choose the Hanly book. The textbook made much better use of the examples that were given to ensure the student could answer a wide variety of questions. Also having the answers for the quick set questions at the end of the chapter so you did not have to flip to the back of the book, made it easier for the student so they would not get lost.

Code examples

In the code example section I made the recommendation to use the Hanly book. The textbook makes a clear distinction between the code and the text of the book. Leading the student to a clearer understanding of how the syntax and the examples go together. By being able to make this distinction the student will have a much greater potential to retain the information instead of just copying the code that is in the text.

Recommendation

After careful consideration and reviewing specific criteria between the two textbooks. I came to the recommendation that the Hanly book is a much more effective textbook for student to learn the C programming language. It is a challenging book as well as having an easy to understand flow. The examples are set out in a way the student can easily distinguish what they are and how they correspond to the text they have just read. Hanly textbook is much more effective for a professor to teach C to student who may have never seen it before.

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