Building Java Programs: A Back to Basics Approach
by Stuart Reges and Marty Stepp
Authors' official companion web site
Authors' official companion web site
Welcome to the official authors' companion web site for Building Java Programs: A Back to Basics Approach. This textbook is designed for use in a first course in computer science. We have written it for a broad audience, not just for computer science majors. We have class tested it with thousands of undergraduates at the University of Washington, most of whom were not CS majors.
If you are a University of Washington student, you should purchase the latest edition of the textbook, ISBN 0536240167, from the UW Bookstore. Students at other schools may purchase the book from their university's bookstore or online from sites such as the following:
Our book uses a "back to basics" approach that stresses fundamentals first. We know from years of experience that a broad range of scientists, engineers and others can be taught how to program in a procedural manner. So our book begins with a traditional procedural approach. Once we have built a solid foundation of procedural techniques, we turn to object oriented programming. By the end of the course, students will have learned about both styles of programming.
Back to Basics in CS1 and CS2, presented at SIGCSE '06 by Stuart Reges
Our book is also problem-centered. Rather than just describing programming constructs, we talk in detail about how to apply each construct and where a novice is likely to go wrong when learning how to use each new construct. All of our early chapters end with a comprehensive "case study" example so that students can see how to apply the new concepts to a mid-sized program. At the University of Washington, we cover a chapter each week and have a different programming assignment each week to allow students to practice the new concepts.
Finally, our book is layered in the early chapters so that students don't become overwhelmed. Teaching a novice to program is like building a house of cards. Each new card has to be placed carefully. If you rush the process and try to place too many cards at once, the entire structure collapses.
Please also visit Addison Wesley's official promotional web site about our book, linked below.
I believe this book delivers on its title. It is a well written book that focuses on the basics of learning a programming language without getting lost among "hot" topics like OO, IDE's, or GUI's. I will be switching my classes to this book.
[This book is] very clear and appropriate for the level of a college freshman or intro learner to Java™. It is obvious that the authors teach the course and understand the needs of the students.
I like [the authors'] story-telling writing style, which is very appropriate for the novices. Important concepts are gradually introduced with an appropriate logic of precedence.
[The] reading level for general introductory programming course is ideal, [and the book is] well-suited for non-computer science students... Concepts are discussed in a crystal clear fashion so students should be able to answer questions.
The liberal use of graphics, including those created with text, is a powerful technique for helping learners to understand algorithms, concepts, etc... The figures greatly enhance the corresponding narrative... perhaps one of the text's strongest features.
[The text is] very readable. I like the carefully done examples [and] that previous examples are repeated so the reader doesn't have to page back to find it.
The author[s have] chosen wisely to present enough material without trying to include everything.
[The book] flows smoothly from one topic to another... The authors intentionally produce 'buggy' programs to demonstrate common errors. I like this, and I feel that most textbooks only show 'masterpiece' programs.
If you'd like to get in touch with the authors to learn more about the textbook, please contact us at the following email addresses:
We look forward to hearing from you!
-- Stuart and Marty
If you'd like an instructor sample copy of the book, please contact your Addison Wesley representative at:
Building Java Programs: A Back to Basics Approach (official Addison Wesley web site)