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Editor's Pick Open Navigation Menu The Huntington News * CAMPUS * CITY * SPORTS * LIFESTYLE * OPINION * MULTIMEDIA * PRINT * ABOUT * DONATE * More The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University The Huntington News Open Search Bar Search this site [ ] Submit Search Open Navigation Menu The Huntington News * CAMPUS * CITY * SPORTS * LIFESTYLE * OPINION * MULTIMEDIA * PRINT * ABOUT * DONATE * More The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University The Huntington News Open Search Bar Search this site [ ] Submit Search Recent Stories The Doghouse cheers on the team as captain junior forward Jack Williams lines up to play. The Northeastern men's hockey team was handed a disappointing 5-0 loss by the University of Massachusetts Amherst Minutemen Jan. 10 at Matthews Arena 'They played big boy hockey, and we didn't': Northeastern's hot and cold weekend split against UMass brings two shutouts and messy play January 13, 2025 Carl Stephen Ell poses for a headshot in 1948. Ell was Northeastern's second president and served from 1940 to 1959. Photo courtesy Northeastern University Library, Archives and Special Collections. Who was 'Mr. Northeastern?' January 13, 2025 Natalie Larranaga dribbles past the defenders Nov. 14, 2024. Larranaga notched 10 points against UNCW Jan. 12. Women's basketball takes frustrating loss to UNCW January 12, 2025 JB Frankel strategizes with coach Brian McDonald Jan. 4. Frankel earned two steals and nine points against Stony Brook Jan. 11. Huskies split basketball conference games on the road January 12, 2025 GET OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: Email Address * [ ] [ ] [Subscribe] Decorative Background Got an idea? A concern? A problem? Let The Huntington News know: TIPLINE Op-ed: Northeastern's redesign of the Khoury curriculum abandons the fundamentals of computer science Derek Kaplan, contributor January 3, 2025 The exterior of the Khoury College of Computer Sciences building. The college recently announced changes to its curriculum, phasing out core classes such as Fundies 1, Fundies 2 and Object-Oriented Design. Jessica Xing The exterior of the Khoury College of Computer Sciences building. The college recently announced changes to its curriculum, phasing out core classes such as Fundies 1, Fundies 2 and Object-Oriented Design. On a university level, what makes for a good computer science curriculum? One of the most common career paths for a computer science major is as a software developer. An effective university curriculum must prepare computer science students with the skills needed to be successful in their careers as developers. The field of software development, however, changes faster than the Boston weather. A curriculum focused on current industry trends risks becoming obsolete before students even graduate. So how can Northeastern teach students skills that will stand the test of time? The university, which recently announced it would completely overhaul its curriculum, must carefully and thoughtfully consider this question. A good computer science curriculum must emphasize fundamental principles that are widely applicable, enabling students to easily adapt to new technologies in the field they are entering. It must teach students how to think about software and how to problem-solve. This is exactly what Northeastern's current curriculum strives to do. Fundamentals of Computer Science, or "Fundies," as it is popularly known, teaches systematic program design through the design recipe, which provides a consistent formula for tackling unfamiliar problems. The design recipe breaks down a problem into small, achievable steps, of which the first few require students to think carefully about the problem before writing code to solve it. Core classes such as Fundies 1, Fundies 2, Object-Oriented Design and Software Development focus on training students to reason about code, rather than to mindlessly write it. Of course, the curriculum is not perfect; no curriculum will ever be. But students' criticisms of these courses often fundamentally misunderstand their purpose. I have often heard computer science students complain that Fundies 1 teaches Racket instead of a "useful language" like Python. But the point of Fundies is not to teach Racket -- it is to teach program design skills that can be applied using any programming language. Racket is just the tool it uses to do so. A student who does well in Fundies will have no difficulty applying the same skills to Python or any other language. And with how fast the tech industry changes, is it really worth having a course that teaches just Python when tomorrow, some other language might dominate the industry? Our current curriculum focuses on timeless principles rather than fleeting trends. But now, during the worst tech job market in over two decades, Khoury College of Computer Sciences plans to abandon the approach that has consistently equipped its graduates for success. The college's proposed overhaul will phase out Fundies 1, Fundies 2, and Object-Oriented Design, replacing them with entirely new courses. The new courses will primarily teach Python, and the college claims it is an added bonus that Python "is currently the most requested language by co-op employers." But we should not teach a language simply because it is currently popular in industry -- we must choose a language with real pedagogical merit. Racket was chosen because it has "teaching languages" that can gradually introduce features as students are taught the relevant design principles. While the new curriculum begins in Pyret, which is similarly designed for teaching purposes, it will quickly transition to Python in the first course. Python does not have anything similar -- students must be taught complex features upfront, before they learn the design skills to cleanly and effectively use those features. Additionally, Khoury said students will be allowed to place out of the new courses with AP Computer Science credit. The current curriculum does not allow this for a good reason: The AP courses do not teach systematic design skills and thus are not equivalent to our introductory courses. Fundies 1 and 2 provide practice applying design principles to small problems, preparing students to design larger pieces of software in Object-Oriented Design and Software Development, as well as on co-op. If students are allowed to skip the introductory courses, they will struggle to succeed in more advanced courses and in their career. Taken together, the announced changes make it clear that while Khoury may pay lip service to the design recipe, it is not committed to maintaining systematic program design as a central aspect of the curriculum. This is a grave mistake. The program design skills that our current curriculum emphasizes are "what distinguishes a garage programmer from a serious software developer," in the words of the Fundies 1 textbook. If Khoury abandons its design-oriented curriculum, it will fail in its duty to properly prepare students for their careers as serious software developers. It seems a major impetus for this change is a desire to make the core curriculum easier. I know one professor who has been telling students that the college wants to reduce the number of students who withdraw from Fundies 2 and Object-Oriented Design. While this is an understandable sentiment, it would be a mistake to remove the most important parts of the curriculum to do so. As a former teaching assistant, or TA, for Object-Oriented Design, I have seen many students struggle through the class. But I have also seen those same students become better programmers because of what they learn in that class. The "code swap" at the end of the semester, where students are required to build upon other students' code, is one of the assignments students struggle most with -- but it teaches them how to work in a codebase written by someone else, which they will have to do throughout their careers. Additionally, for many students, the class provides their first experience working on a large software project, much like those they will work on during their co-ops. Watering down the curriculum would not benefit these students. Is the purpose of a university to hand out grades or to educate students? At the very least, Khoury administrators should consult with experienced teaching assistants about any planned changes to the core curriculum. TAs have a unique perspective -- we have taken these courses ourselves and have also helped other students succeed. We know firsthand what works, and we can help ensure the core principles are not compromised while allowing for changes that benefit students. I love Northeastern and have never regretted my decision to attend college here. But if Khoury abandons the valuable principles of the current curriculum, I will not be able to recommend in good conscience that prospective computer science majors apply here. I will not be able to recommend in good conscience that employers hire software developers from here. If Khoury makes these changes, it will be the beginning of the end of Northeastern's computer science program. Derek Kaplan is a fourth-year computer science major. He can be reached at [email protected]. 67 Like This Story Share on Facebook Share on X Email this Story Print this Story About the Contributor Jessica Xing Jessica Xing, Photo Editor Jessica Xing is a fourth-year graphic design major with a minor in journalism. This will be her fourth semester as photo editor, after having served as deputy photo editor and design editor. She is excited to continue working with photographers to create dynamic and engaging photos for The News in her final semester. You can follow her on Instagram @jessx.photo. More to Discover More in Op-eds The entrance to the Richards Advising Center. For the 2023-2024 academic year there were 18 advisors for 3,865 undergraduates in the College of Science. 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Northeastern men's hockey splits final 2024 weekend, earns third at the Ledyard Classic Masai Troutman holds the ball as he figures out his next move. Troutman earned 17 points against Northwestern. East fails to conquer west: Huskies face tough loss against Northwestern A "Northeastern University" sign on Northeastern's Boston campus. Faculty Senate members overwhelmingly voted to create a committee to review Northeastern's freedom of speech policies, among other changes, at a meeting Nov. 20. Northeastern faculty vote for formation of academic freedom committee, increased influence in policymaking The Northeastern Club Figure Skating team poses for a group photo after their Holiday Show Dec. 4. The team was riding high after finishing sixth place out of 24 teams at the Nov. 10 Violet Ice Classic, gathering a team record of 186 total points. Photo courtesy Sydney Ciardi, Red and Black. Northeastern figure skating hosts a talent-full holiday showcase to end the semester Northeastern club sailing poses for a photo. The men's and women's teams both qualified for nationals for the first time this past spring. Photo courtesy Northeastern Club Sailing. Men's and women's club sailing teams shoot for success The Huntington News is dedicated to serving the Northeastern University community with original, professional reporting and creating an environment in which student journalists can learn from one another. Support an independent, free press at Northeastern University with your donation today. Donate The Huntington News The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University Facebook Instagram X Tiktok YouTube Email Signup * General Inquiries + Northeastern University + 120 Lake Hall, Boston, MA 02115 * Who We Are + About Us + Staff Directory + Board of Directors * Connect + Contact Us + Submit + Join * Support + Donate + Advertise (c) 2025 The Huntington News. 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