Thread: UML and C++: Your Thoughts

  1. #1
    CS Author and Instructor
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    Smile UML and C++: Your Thoughts

    We are starting to focus at school for the fall semester. We debate every year about about how much OOAD we should cover.

    My question: Do you use OOAD and UML at work or at school?

    Note: Probably not at most high schools and places that teach C++ in non OOP way (procedural)

    Your thoughts would be appreciated.
    Mr. C: Author and Instructor

  2. #2
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    The Java instructor at college was big on UML. It was helpful, but we just learned basics.

  3. #3
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    If you're talking about introductory or even 2nd level courses, I think you should concentrate on syntax and procedural programming first, and don't overwhelm students with ideas they are not ready for.

    I've completed 2 semesters of C programming plus 1 semester of Data Structures using C++. We were first exposed to concepts of OOP in the Data Structures course (the main emphasis of that course was abstract data types). I think I've gotten a pretty decent working knowledge of C and C++ basics.

    But after reading your question I had to do a google search to find out what in the world you were talking about. To be perfectly frank I'm not aware of having ever seen the terms OOAD and UML until right now. And I don't fault my school for having omitted those concepts from the curriculum. If anything, I think we should have spent even more time on C++ syntax before having to apply it to ADTs. We certainly didn't need to be distracted with OOAD and UML (whatever they are).

    Now, at this stage I am probably ready to investigate those concepts on my own, so thanks for pointing them out. Imho, at the introductory levels you might want to mention them, but not much else.

  4. #4
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    In my opinion it is a good thing to let students use UML to describe their software designs. At my work I use UML a lot and most literature on software engineering and object oriented programming uses UML, it is currently the standard modelling language.

    Also since object orientation is very popular these days and will probably be for a long time, just look at the still growing popularity of C++ and Java. So in my opinion it is also a good thing to teach students about how to develop object oriented software. So OOAD is also a good thing.

    Here is a link to an overview of object oriented analysis and design methods:
    http://mini.net/cetus/oo_ooa_ood_methods.html

    A link on UML, from the OMG site:
    http://www.omg.org/uml/

  5. #5
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    IMHO, you should teach it but not over do it. You can teach them it so that they have organized projects, but don't get so wrapped up in it that they don't learn the actual language they are in the class for.

    Just my 2 cents.

  6. #6
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    >they don't learn the actual language they are in the class for.

    I agree, things like UML and OOAD should be taught in a software engineering or general programming class, not in a specific language class, that would be too much.

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