WG211/M19Schultz

Teaching Program Generation to the Masses (all the Non-Computer-Scientists) by Ulrik Pagh Schultz

Any computer scientist should be familiar with and even comfortable with Program Generation from a compiler point of view, and indeed compiler projects, i.e., "mini Java" are common in most undergraduate CS programmes. But what and how should we be teaching if the goal is not "yet another mini Java compiler" but rather an understanding of program generation from a DSL engineering point of view? Moreover, what should we be teaching the large number non-CS engineers who are developing DSLs for program generation in a range of different domains?

In this talk I'll highlight personal experiences from teaching program generation and DSL engineering to non-CS students, working towards a longer-term goal of establishing a shared repository of materials that support teaching program generation and DSL engineering to non-CS students. The audience is encouraged to provide their favourite examples of what did (or did not) work well in similar teaching situations.