Engineering literacy and computer science 1

Experience gained from running a new computer science 1 (CS1) course for the first time is reported. Some 350 students from different facilities of the University of Western Sydney-Nepean studied the new CS1. The learning environment, in its laboratory component, was based on DECstations 5000/20. The content of the software strand of the course was a typical, Pascal-based, introductory presentation of programming concepts, while the content of the computer system part was relatively new. It formed a platform for the introduction of engineering issues into the CS1. A progression of functional models first introduces simple computer components, and later leads to a complete system, presented in two variants: as a hardwired and a microprogrammed computer.<>