Textbooks: under inspection

Abstract

Textbooks are an important resource in tertiary education, particularly in Introductory Programming. In many university courses they form the basis of curriculum. But how good are the texts being used? Can they be relied on for skills required for students' later study and employment? Do they earn the high price tag publishers place on them? The 2003 Introductory Programming Census of Australian and New Zealand universities' courses revealed texts in use. This paper objectively compares these texts, differentiating them according to content and features, ACM/IEEE curriculum compliance and problem solving approach. This review found large variation in the texts reviewed. Many texts rely on examples to fill content. Few texts attempt to comply with curricula recommendations. Few contain a continuous instruction in problem solving.