[racket] Using separate files as modules with HtDP

From: Matthias Felleisen (matthias at ccs.neu.edu)
Date: Sun Nov 17 14:11:51 EST 2013

On Nov 17, 2013, at 1:27 PM, Norman Ramsey wrote:

> But my students have not once written 'require', nor
> have they ever seen *me* write 'require'.  Over the course of the
> term, there few functions that they see two or more times (search in a
> binary tree might be one), and no functions that they see defined over
> and over to the point of tedium.


1. We use 'require' after a few weeks (once we have outgrown 
high school material). 

2. Formulate assignments where they need to include the same
code over and over again. 

3. I expect questions from the brightest only but I have been
pleasantly surprised here. 


>> My personal preference is to (1) not have code from one assignment
>> be critical for the next one ... [this] is important for weaker
>> students.
> 
> I see merits both ways, and I tend to do some of each.  In real life,

It's a first-semester course. Yes, we can simulate some real
life experiences and yes, I like to do so too. No, we can't 
teach everything in one course, even though the *SL framework
enables us to teach the entire core of the curriculum. 


> code from last week can be critical for next week.  And I want to
> militate against an experience that is too common among university
> students: code is built, used, then thrown away and never examined
> again.

We have them react to code that they write four/five times this semester. 
We give them feedback, they need to switch partners, they need to 
explain code to each other and decide which code base to move forward
with. 

-- Matthias



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