Learning two programming languages in one semester does not adversely affect undergraduate biomedical engineering student performance

摘要

As the challenges that biomedical engineers are required to solve grow more complex and multidisciplinary, we should adjust their undergraduate education to match. Recently, computer programming has become integral to the duties of all engineers, and with current trends in engineering technology and manufacturing (e.g., the "maker movement," the proliferation of data-gathering sensors on consumer products, etc.), this trend is likely to accelerate even more in the coming future. In addition, computer programing has become an essential part of data analysis and simulation in biomedical research. As interacting with computing-enable devices becomes easier and more prevalent, it is possible that engineers will graduate with the ability to quickly navigate user interfaces but without a detailed, theoretical knowledge of computing fundamentals. Especially in the rapidly-evolving, multidisciplinary field of biomedical engineering (BME), there is constant pressure to add new subjects to the curriculum and shorten the amount of time given to each topic. When teaching the principles of programming to non-computer science students, it is important to focus on broad, widely applicable concepts (i.e., computational thinking), rather than become mired in the application and syntax of one specific language.