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Syntax seems like a stupid thing to test in university level courses. That's trade school stuff. And I don't mean that as a criticism of trade schools, they jus
by nradov 7mo ago
Syntax seems like a stupid thing to test in university level courses. That's trade school stuff. And I don't mean that as a criticism of trade schools, they just have a different focus.
- tehjoker 7mo agoKnowledge is built on foundations. Knowing syntax in one language is necessary to be able to do anything practical, which interacts with theory. You build valuable schema of the world by iterative theory and practice.
- nradov 7mo agoNah. Syntax is trivial and irrelevant for teaching CS theory.
- robryan 7mo agoWould you say the same thing for teaching math or music?
- icelancer 7mo agoLambda calculus?!
- eudamoniac 7mo agoDo you think spelling is trivial and irrelevant in a foreign language class?
- WoodenChair 7mo agoSyntax is not the focus of your testing, but it’s often a pre-requisite to be clearly and accurately speaking the same language. Think not of taking off points for missing a semicolon but instead understanding the difference between the syntax for a method call and a property access. The different syntax conveys different meaning and so we should expect some basic level of accuracy to the language in question. At least that’s how I see it.
- hsbauauvhabzb 7mo agoMarking at scale is hard to maintain that consistency though. It’s not whether the exam writer sees it that way, it’s whether the markers understand intent and objective over pedantic nuance
- nradov 7mo agoOK I'll bite. What's the difference between a method call and a property access? And why would that matter for pedagogical purposes?
- lupire 7mo agoSyntax is a stupid thing to test in trade school. That's compiler stuff.