Design patterns

Abstract

The field of software patterns has seen an explosion in interest in the last three years. Work to date has been on the recognition, cataloging, and finding of patterns with little attention to the use of patterns, especially by students and practitioners not well-versed in object-oriented technologies. This project addresses pattern use through the development of several programming and pedagogical frameworks that supply support for using patterns throughout a computer science curriculum. Although we do not claim that patterns are Brooks' silver bullet [10], their use can help cope with the accidental complexity of software development and, we argue, their use is essential for a successful adoption of object-oriented techniques in academic computer science programs. This project addresses practical concerns of the computer science and software engineering communities in using, teaching, and learning patterns. In this paper we argue that patterns are an essential programming and pedagogical tool and report on our work in making them accessible to the educational community.