RAD Studio XE5 for effective programming training

As an evangelist of Embarcadero, I communicate with programmers quite intensively and to the limit of my physical abilities. Traffic is approximately 1000 people per year. At seminars, teachers who use Delphi and C ++ Builder in training approach me. After getting acquainted with the capabilities of RAD Studio XE5, they ask: "Is it possible to see a list of weighty arguments in favor of Delphi and C ++ Builder specifically for education?" The question is clear. For years, people have been using these products to teach programming, watching how their students from scratch reach a good level in terms of self-development. But the “struggle” between technologies is also waged in the field of education, and new-fangled hobbies and catchy products with an unreasonably inflated image negatively affect people who are far from the educational process, but affect decision-making.

In the context of the ever-increasing role of teaching programming at all stages - from the school bench to the university - it is very important to choose an effective software environment. Consider in this capacity the IDE integrated development environment and language basis using the example of RAD Studio XE5, which consists of Delphi XE5, C ++ Builder and HTML5 Builder. Accordingly, the language tools of this package solution are Delphi / Pascal, C / C ++ and a number of popular languages ​​and technologies for Web development. This combination is very effective if the goal of programming training is to create universal knowledge and skills necessary to create modern software (software) in the widest possible range of students.

The environment and programming language for developing primary skills based on elementary knowledge should provide the minimum possible threshold of entry. This is not just about school education. University students of any specialty are required to have an idea of ​​how modern software is developed. On the one hand, it is important for training at least competent users of already created systems. On the other hand, practically any sphere of human activity, including humanitarian fields, with in-depth study requires the development and use of complex application software. Jurisprudence, linguistics, sociology, political sciences, etc. in the modern form, they mean the specialist’s ability to see and understand the algorithms implemented in the program form behind the functionality of the systems used.

Familiarity with programming languages ​​should take place at school. But for various reasons, very many students begin their studies at universities, having a very distant idea of ​​programming, at least they do not know how to create applications on their own. Speaking of mass IT education in terms of learning programming, one does not need to proceed from the assumption that there is any knowledge. That is why it is necessary to develop a unified approach to teaching programming at school, and in the secondary specialized, and in a higher educational institution. Once again, the goal is to raise the general level of programming knowledge and application development skills among all students nationwide. The author’s methodologies and targeted programs for the development of the most gifted students are not applicable in relation to the general level.



An almost ideal solution is to start training in Delphi with the subsequent expansion of experience through the use of C ++ Builder for mastering professional skills and training specialists who possess the most popular software creation technologies. The programming learning process is divided into two complementary steps:
  • primary skills and basic knowledge in Delphi;
  • Professional training and reaching the highest level in C ++ Builder.

Let us consider in detail this approach in order to increase the load on both students and the teaching staff.
The ideal language for learning programming in Delphi XE5 is Pascal:

Delphi is based on Pascal, a special language for quickly learning programming, so it has a simple and intuitive syntax that is not overloaded with special characters and does not require learning unobvious and hard to read sequences.

The language features of Delphi / Pascal are such that they use easy-to-read and interpretable character sequences as keywords. This allows you to “pronounce” the texts of programs, and this is supported when using Delphi / Pascal.

Do not forget about the teachers. When performing practical tasks and laboratory work, it is common practice to synchronously check and identify, as well as correct errors in students' program code. Normal mode implies that the teacher in the computer classroom is in a standing position behind the student’s back at the computer, moving from one to the other. The sharper and clearer the keywords, the easier they are to distinguish. The harsher and simpler the typical language constructs are, the less time is spent helping the student to detect and correct errors. It also helps to reduce the strain on the teacher’s organs of vision.

Pascal-based Delphi has a very low entry threshold. A visual environment that supports formatting, syntax highlighting, and debugging. The environment is ergonomically balanced and comfortable for both beginners and experienced users.

Delphi belongs to the family of RAD tools. Manual input of program text is combined with interactive manipulations with ready-made components. The teacher can vary the methodology, starting with both “clean” programming and “quick development”. It all depends on the age, psychophysical characteristics of a particular group of students. You can even divide a single lesson into two parts - “classical programming” and interactive learning in a game form to maintain concentration.

The current version is Delphi XE5, but it supports the work in the mode of "canonical" training examples a la console application with text or file input / output.

Delphi XE5 has an integrated set of visual 3D components. Programming truly becomes interactive. This is not a "tedious typing of the program", but a live interaction with the development environment. Part of the time can be devoted to “drawing in 3D” at design-time, then you can go to programmatically dynamically create scene objects in runtime, then add animation effects to design-time, and then programmed reactions to user actions.

Delphi is based on traditional Pascal, so many examples are easily ported to the new version of XE5. Pascal training materials can also be used in XE5 with very moderate modifications. Any development of teaching materials is easily feasible on the basis of the existing very extensive base of examples and educational literature.

Pascal-based Delphi is a professional development language. Millions of code lines, commercially successful applications, a wide range of application areas. The language capabilities of the modern version of this language do not limit students to the implementation of educational examples. You can use generalized programming techniques and advanced RTTI.

Delphi XE5 allows you to create applications for mobile systems. Now, none of the students will feel doubt about the relevance of the technology being studied. An Android phone, tablet, iPhone or iPad - these modern iOS and Android devices can be programmed in Delphi / Pascal.

Delphi provides early youth employment. Upon graduation, due to simplicity and accessibility, which is the key to obtaining reliable practical use skills, graduates can already independently create practically meaningful applications, including interaction with the DBMS at the component level.

Delphi eases design training early on. Easy-to-learn language, complemented by visual components for quick interface development, built-in capabilities for interacting with databases - all this forms a technological environment that allows you to almost instantly switch from case studies to the implementation of interesting projects.

Delphi helps stabilize curricula and programs through the ability to conduct multi-platform development for Windows, Mac OS, iOS and Android. If you study a separate language or technology for each platform, then you should plan training in the following areas:
  • one semester C;
  • one semester of C ++;
  • One Java semester
  • one semester C #;
  • one semester of Objective-C.

This is quite justified for specialized educational institutions or relevant specialties in universities. But this is completely unacceptable for ordinary engineering specialties, medical universities, humanitarian universities, where only 1-2 semesters are allocated to computer science? For schools, with the exception of specialized ones, this is also unacceptable.

Delphi is a universal environment that is invariant with respect to the platforms for which the application is being created. You can add new software / hardware platforms based on their popularity in the market. The curriculum, the number and content of laboratory work remains unchanged, adjusted for consideration of the features of the new platform, which within the framework of a single tool does not require significant time costs.

Delphi for teachers and educators promotes the universalization of their own knowledge. At the current pace of development of IT-technologies, there is a great danger that students can outperform teachers by knowledge. Let it be only a superficial acquaintance, shallow skills, formal methods - there is always a risk of losing your image. With Delphi for Windows, Mac OS, iOS and Android, the teacher feels secure, because The latest and latest operating systems and devices are not a problem. Almost any modern and fashionable device brought by students to an educational institution can be programmed on the basis of a single code.

Delphi as a unified technological environment promotes cooperation between teachers and students. The working group can be formed from students of any level, graduate students and teachers. The situation of loss of continuity is excluded when a junior student is instructed to continue the work of a graduate student, but all the time is spent on mastering a new language (Java or C ++), and the actual work of modernizing the algorithmic filling of the system is doomed to failure. The unity of the language and the tool, accessible to everyone, starting from school, is the key to success in creating a common base of source codes and the possibility of moving from the “educational application” to the “scientific project” level.

Pascal-based Delphi is not a “lifelong” binding to this particular technology. C ++ Builder is a visual rapid development environment built on the same principles as Delphi. Students who have mastered Delphi, almost instantly adapt to C ++ Builder and begin to learn the specifics and capabilities of professional C / C ++ languages.

C ++ Builder should be considered as the next stage after learning Delphi programming technologies.

C / C ++ is one of the most common programming languages, but they were originally designed for already trained developers with experience. It is extremely important here that the gradual presentation of the material with the maximum study and consolidation of the knowledge gained on specific examples.

Case studies should be as clear as possible. Abstract tasks demotivate students, and the visual environment of C ++ Builder with ready-made components for quick development allows you to maintain interest in performing practical tasks.
Using C ++ Builder as a continuation of work in Delphi saves time on adapting students to the new environment. All emphasis is placed on the syntactic features of C / C ++, rather than the general principles of building applications.

Studying and implementing standard algorithms in parallel with familiarity with the C ++ programming language significantly increases the burden on students. If the algorithms have already been mastered, and the skills for their implementation have already been developed, then learning C ++ is significantly accelerated.

The complexity of the C ++ syntax is greatly compensated if students are already able to independently develop applications and debug them. Then Delphi becomes a very convenient and useful environment for acquiring general programming skills, and the transition to C ++ Builder is a way to further improve knowledge. It is possible that this will be implemented in the form of elective classes or additional subjects in specialized classes at the school or special courses of choice at the university.

The educational and methodological base for working in Delphi is easily portable to C ++ Builder, while retaining most of the illustrative examples of prototyping real applications. A typical method for quickly getting to know C ++ Builder is to complete tasks already completed in Delph, as visual components and methods of interacting with databases remain the same.

After learning the basics of programming in Delphi and improving your development skills in C ++ Builder, you can use HTML5 Builder as part of RAD Studio XE5. HTML5 Builder is a convenient visual environment for web development, including HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript and PHP. This approach will allow us to consider a wide range of modern programming technologies for creating applications for Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Android, as well as client and server web applications.

RAD Studio XE5 with Delphi XE5 and C ++ Builder in its composition is a set of ideal learning environments for programming, which can easily be adapted to various educational institutions, their profiles, the level of initial training of students, teaching methods, as well as learning goals and objectives - from initial acquaintance to professional skills.

If the curriculum involves the use of previous versions of Delphi and C ++ Builder, then when RAD Studio XE5 is delivered, access to them is open, including: Delphi XE4, Delphi XE3, Delphi XE2, Delphi XE, Delphi 2010, Delphi 2009, Delphi 2007, Delphi 7 , C ++ Builder XE4, C ++ Builder XE3, C ++ Builder XE2, C ++ Builder XE, C ++ Builder 2010, C ++ Builder 2009, C ++ Builder 2007, C ++ Builder 6. This allows you to update the curriculum to use the XE5 versions without violating the current educational process, gradually updating the content of courses and filling in practical work up to mobile development for iOS and Android.

With RAD Studio XE5, the continuity of teaching materials, educational literature and educational plans and strategies is maintained, which is extremely important, because More than 70% of schools in the Russian Federation use Delphi / Pascal in teaching. But more complex C / C ++ programming languages ​​are also available in continuing to improve skills and develop knowledge, along with web programming technologies. When creating applications for various platforms, such as Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Android, as well as web applications, curricula become relevant, and students are guaranteed to be in demand as having received a universal education in programming.

Embaradero Simplifies RAD Studio XE5 Educational License Delivery from the point of view of students' access to the described products for self-preparation, homework and course / diploma design outside the walls of the educational institution and using personal computers.

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