Design patterns for the data structures and algorithms course

Abstract

Design patterns have recently emerged as a vehicle for describing and documenting recurring object-oriented designs. More significantly, they offer up a long-awaited framework for teaching good software design. This paper espouses the use of object-oriented design patterns in the teaching of the second course in computer science, viz., the data structures and algorithms course. To use design patterns effectively, it is necessary to present the various data structures and algorithms in a common programming framework. This paper also espouses the use of a single, unified class hierarchy and the commitment to a single design throughout the teaching of the second course.