[Year 12 SofDev] Pseudocode standards

Wed May 18 19:41:15 EST 2011

Hi Mark and so many others

"questions so much richer and potentially more challenging"  --> surely you really don't mean that for the exam?

the ones on the exam are difficult already ... is the average result for those questions >60%  ?
Your students might find them easy ... BUT across the state that is just not the case.

Please read the last twenty years of examiner's reports, look at the level of difficulty of coding questions and see what I mean.

BTW   the assignment operator  is = in some languages  is := in others, the equivalence operator is = in some languages and == in others
Staying with something like <-- is at least unique. I know we can say other words but at least it is not confusing !!!!!!

Andrew

Andrew Shortell
Heidelberg Teaching Unit in 2011

On 18/05/2011, at 3:24 PM, Mark KELLY wrote:

> Hi Andrew.  I realise VCAA has a very clear understanding of how pseudocode fits into their philosophy of assessment. I just think the existing pseudocode is totally undocumented (we only understand VCAA's style guide from past experience) and it's extreme simplicity does not really server modern languages any more.
> 
> Sure pseudocode concentrates on basic programming constructs, but would it really hurt if some proper I/O and control structures were included: the standard features that every programming language in the world has?
> 
> It could make questions so much richer and potentially more challenging.  With the current pseudocode set, VCAA is playing Scrabble with 5 tiles instead of a full rack.  Yeah, that analogy sucked bigtime...
> 
> I'm mainly bringing this up because it's never been discussed to my knowledge, and I think it's time it was.
> 
> Cheers
> Mark
> 
> On 18 May 2011 15:05, Andrew Shortell <shortell at get2me.net> wrote:
> Hi Mark
> 
> Before we get too carried away with producing a complex definitive set of constructs I would like you (and everyone else too) to carefully read the examiners’ reports since 1991 about the question(s) involving writing pseudo code or reading pseudo code and flowcharts and Nasty spiderman diagrams and match them up to the questions themselves.
> 
> Then consider carefully the level at which these questions have had to be pitched to elicit a reasonable spread of results. (an average of 50% of the available marks is nice )
> 
> One needs to carefully consider the purpose of VCE
> 
> CATs/SACs/projects are very different to exams
> 
> My 5c worth (given that the face value is nearly less than the metal in it!)
> 
> Andrew
> -- 
> Andrew Shortell
> 
> mailto:shortell at get2me.net 
> Heidelberg Teaching Unit
> Ph 9470 3403
> Fax  9470 3215
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On 18/05/11 11:16 AM, "Mark KELLY" <kel at mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au> wrote:
> 
> Hi Claudia and all
> 
> Is there any news on what pseudocode we can expect to be "standard" in SD exams?  Until recently there wasn't even a FOR structure in pseudocode, but it's there now (Q4 in the sample questions) - a good move. 
> What other structures and syntaxes does VCAA consider appropriate?
> 
> Just as the lack of complex structures in flowcharts result in primitive and bulky representations of design, a pseudocode lacking important programming primitives must hamstring the potential of pseudocode-based questions.
> I suggest we need some more powerful data and control structures in our pseudocode that better reflect the standards seen in all modern languages.
> The exact naming is neither here nor there as long as they're intelligible to everyone...
> 
> = for assignment.  Why do we persist with  <- when it's not used in any language and is so hard to typeset for printing??
>  
> IF-ELSEIF-ELSE-ENDIF (including AND/OR as logical operators)
> 
> The three basic loops...
> FOR-NEXT
> DO-WHILE
> LOOP-UNTIL (or REPEAT-UNTIL like last year's exam had)
> 
> I'd like pseudocode to be able to declare variables and arrays.  It's a vital programming concept...
> DECLARE var AS type
> DECLARE array(a,b) AS type
> 
> Add some decent I/O operators...
> INPUT (from keyboard) and READ (from a file)
> DISPLAY (onscreen), WRITE (to file) and PRINT (to paper)
> OPEN - CLOSE text file
> MESSAGEBOX  - hell, our language has to be GUI but there's no GUI support in the pseudocode. 
> 
> One major omission in current pseudocode is the concept of modularity: I've never seen a subprogram or function call.  
> We could really improve the power and reality of algorithms by allowing modularity with
> CALL subprogram(parameters)
> SUBPROGRAM(parameters)-END SUBPROGRAM
> FUNCTION(parameters)-END FUNCTION (with RETURN value)
> 
> And if the examiners want to introduce new functions all they have to do is explain them before using them. It's not too hard.
> 
> Have I left out any important programming concepts you think we could use in pseudocode?
> 
> -- 
> 
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> 
> -- 
> Mark Kelly
> Manager of ICT, Reporting, IT Learning Area
> McKinnon Secondary College
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