The Use of C# as a First Programming Language

This paper examines the use of the C# programming lan- guage for a first course in computer programming in an en- gineering curriculum. C# is an object-oriented program- ming language that incorporates language features from C, C++, Java, and Delphi. The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Waterloo has been using C# in its Introduction to Computing course for the past two years. This paper summarizes the experi- ences of the students, staff, and instructors with respect to the use of the C# language. The strengths and the weak- nesses of the C# language are exposed. The goal of this pa- per is to provide practical insight into some of the unique features of the C# language based on actual classroom ex- periences. This paper does not attempt to advocate the use of C# for a first course in computer programming. It sim- ply presents the pros and the cons of the use of the language in a classroom so that instructors may make an informed de- cision.