CSC 533: Organization of Programming Languages
Spring 2012
Class Presentation
In the last two weeks of the semester, you will be expected to present a
20-30 minute lecture on a scripting programming language. Working in a team of two
or three people, you will
research a particular language and present an overview to the class. Language options include
Python, Ruby, Perl, PHP, R, and Lua. Your team must have your language choice approved
by the instructor before proceeding.
The format of the presentations is up to you, although the following
content should be included: an overview and history
of the language, its design goals, language features (including binding choices, memory
management, and support for abstraction), sample code, and real-world applications.
The presentation will be graded both on content and the quality of the
presentation. You should utilize some form of presentation software
(e.g., PowerPoint) so that your presentation can be made available for all
students in the class to review. The following intermediate checkpoints
are enforced to provide constructive feedback in the development process:
- February 23
- By this date, you should have organized your team, selected a language, and received
approval for your language from the instructor.
- March 22 (worth 10 pts)
- By this date, you should have researched the language and obtained hands-on experience
developing code in that language. You will meet with the instructor and give an
informal overview of the language, commenting on issues that will eventually go
into the presentation.
- April 5 (worth 20 pts)
- By this date, you must have the content of your presentation completed
(e.g., your PowerPoint slides) and handed in. The instructor may
make suggestions as to changes or additions in the content of the presentation.
- April 12 (worth 20 pts)
- By this date, you must give a practice presentation for the instructor.
The instructor may make suggestions for improving the delivery of the presentation.
- April 17-24 (worth 50 pts)
- In the last two weeks of the semester, you will be expected to present your language to
the class.