Java, Java, Java: Object-Oriented Problem Solving

Reviewed by Onyeka Emebo, Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech on 12/28/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The text adequately addresses areas under Object Oriented Programming using Java as a Programming Language for Introduction to Computer Science courses. It gently introduces basic concepts in computer, objects and java using problem solving approaches and gradually builds up to more advanced Java technologies in such a simplified manner that can be easily understood. The text also provides a table of content at the beginning and a summary of points for each chapter with exercises.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The text content is accurate, without errors and unbiased. There is however some links that needs to be updated.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

While the field of computer science with particular emphasis to programming as it relates to this text is constantly evolving, the approach taken by this text to teach the essentials is likely to persist. The code, tested in Java 8, should continue to work with new Java releases. Updates to the text can be done easily by the way it has been written.

Clarity rating: 5

The text is written in a clear and easy to understand manner. The objectives, explanations, examples and exercises are clear and easy to follow. The codes are well commented to aid readability.

Consistency rating: 4

The text is highly consistent in both structure and terminology. It starts each chapter with objectives and outline and concludes with summary, exercises and solutions. However, some codes within the chapters are put in figures while others are not, this could be confusing.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is divided in 17 chapters (0 - 16) and 8 appendices (A – H). Each chapter is further divided into sections and subsections. This breakdown makes it easier for instructors to apportion sections to students at different times within the course.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The text is organized in a manner that is logical and it flows well from section to section. The structure makes navigation from chapter to chapter easier.

Interface rating: 3

I reviewed the PDF version and it looks good to a large extent. The links in the table of contents are working properly. There are clickable links within the text to different figures, sections, such as appendices, and external websites. However, there are some issues with some figure titles, e.g., figure 12, 1.10, 2.7, 2.10, 2.14, etc. are cut off. Some hyperlinks for some figures missing e.g., figure 2.8 and some figures don’t have titles.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The text contains no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text is culturally neutral. The examples are unbiased in the way it has been presented.

Reviewed by Ghaith Husari, Assistant Professor, East Tennessee State University on 4/17/20

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This book covers Object-Oriented Programming under JAVA. It introduces the concepts of object-oriented programming and they are used for problem-solving. This book covers all the relevant areas of Object-Oriented Programming under Java. Also, it covers more advanced topics such as socket programming and algorithms.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The Object-Oriented concepts and implementation example shown in code samples are accurate and easy to learn as the code samples are aligned with the concept being discussed. Some links and URLs are out-dated but they have little to no impact on student learning. However, I would add a note that says "some of the links and URLs might not up-to-date. However, they can be found using search engines if necessary"

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Programming languages get updated regularly to include new and easier functions to use. While it is impossible for a textbook to include every function, this textbook provides a great learning opportunity that allows students to build the muscle to be able to learn more about Java online. When it comes to Object-Oriented concepts, the book is extremely relevant and up-to-date

Clarity rating: 5

The textbook is very easy to understand and the code sample is both clear (code readability) and relevant.

Consistency rating: 5

The text and the terms it contains are consistent. Also, the textbook follows a consistent theme.

Modularity rating: 5

The textbook chapters are divided into sections and subsections that are shown also in the table of contents which can be used to visit each section.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The textbook consists of seventeen chapters that are organized in a logical manner. The more general concepts such as problem-solving and programing are placed at the beginning, then the chapters introduce the discuss Object-Oriented Programming come after the general chapters. The more advanced topics such as socket programming and data structures and algorithms come towards the end. This made a lot of sense to me.

Interface rating: 5

The textbook is easily accessible online and it can be downloaded to open with Edge or Adobe Reader without any problems.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No grammar issues have been noticed.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This textbook is neutral and unbiased.

Comments

None

Reviewed by Guanyu Tian, Assistant Professor, Fontbonne University on 6/19/18

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This textbook covers Object-Oriented Programming with Java programming language pretty well. It starts with the concept of Objects and problem solving skills and then dive into Java programming language syntax. Overall, it appropriately covers all areas of the subject including the main principles of Object-Oriented Programming and Java programming language. In the later chapters, this textbook also introduces advanced topics such as concurrent programming, network/socket programming and data structures. The textbook provides table of contents at the beginning and index of terms at the end. Each chapter also provides a list of key words and a list of important concepts and technique terms.

Content Accuracy rating: 3

The content of the textbook is mostly accurate. Many URLs linked to Java documentations and APIs are not up-to-date.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Many URLs to Java references are not up-to-date and many online samples are not accessible. Nonetheless, the concepts of Object-Oriented Programming and Java programming language syntax are mostly current. Any updates to the contents of the textbook can be implemented with minimal effort.

Clarity rating: 5

The text is easy to understand. However, some of the texts are not displayed on adobe reader.

Consistency rating: 3

The text is consistent in terms of framework. Each chapter starts with introduction to a problem, and then discussion and design of the solution with UML diagrams; then Java is used to implement the solution(s). However, there is some level of inconsistency in terms of Java code samples. For example, some Java code examples use appropriate indentations and new lines, but some examples do not. This may confuse students.

Modularity rating: 5

Each chapter is divided into different sections and subsections. A student can go to each section of a chapter by clicking it in the Table of Contents.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

The topics in this text book are organized in a reasonable order. It starts with general concepts of computer and program design, then Objects and Java Programming Language, and then advanced topics in computer programming. It would be better if the textbook starts with Java programming language and then principles of Object Oriented programming.

Interface rating: 3

Some of the texts are not displayed in the reviewer's adobe reader. Many diagrams and figures are poorly drawn. Overall, the interface of the book is one area that needs improvement.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

No major grammar issues has been noticed.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text of this textbook is a neutral and unbiased.

Comments

Overall, this textbook covers materials of Object-Oriented Programming with Java taught in first or second-year computer science course. However, the contents of Java programming language has not been up-to-date and the interface of the book is very poor compare to similar books the reviewer has used for learning and teaching the same materials. Some sample codes are not well written or inconsistent in terms of the use of indentation and new lines. Many URLs are obsolete and the web pages are not accessible.

Reviewed by Homer Sharafi, Adjunct Faculty Member, Northern Virginia Community College on 6/20/17

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The textbook includes the material that is typically covered in a college-level CS1 course. Using an “early objects” approach and Java as the programming language, the authors go over problem-solving techniques based on object-oriented programming principles. In addition to an Index of terms towards the end of the text, each chapter summary includes the technical terms used, along with a bulleted-list of important points discussed in that chapter.

Content Accuracy rating: 3

The computer science concepts and the accompanying sample code are accurate and error-free; however, the only issue is the fact that the URLs that make references to various aspects of Java, such as API documentation, JDK, and the Java Language Specification, have not been updated to reflect the fact that Sun Microsystems was acquired by Oracle back in 2010.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

Like other software systems, Java is updated on a regular basis; nonetheless, the computer science concepts discussed in the textbook are based on standard undergraduate curriculum taught in a CS1 course. Therefore, any updates to the textbook would need to be with regard to the version of Java with minimal effort.

Clarity rating: 4

The authors deliver clear explanations of the computer science concepts and the accompanying Java language features.

Consistency rating: 5

There is a consistent theme throughout much of the text: A topic is introduced and discussed within the context of a problem. Its solution is then designed and explained using UML diagrams; finally, Java is used to illustrate how the solution is implemented on the computer.

Modularity rating: 5

Each chapter is divided into sections that can easily be identified within the table of contents. Therefore, it’s fairly easy for a student to pick and choose a section in a chapter and work on the other sections later. Throughout each chapter, there are self-study exercises to incrementally test understanding of the covered material. Solutions to those self-study exercises are then provided towards the end of the chapter. In addition, each chapter includes end-of-chapter exercises that can be used to assess one’s understanding of the computer science concepts as well as the various features of Java.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The book consists of seventeen chapters; however, a typical CS1 course would need the material in the first ten chapters only, and those chapters are set up in a logical manner, allowing one to go through the material sequentially. Depending on how fast he first ten chapters are covered during the course of a semester, an instructor may choose from the last seven chapters in the text to introduce more advanced topics in computer science and/or Java.

Interface rating: 1

The textbook can be accessed online or opened using Acrobat Reader with no problem. There are no issues, as long as navigation is done one page after another manually. However, when browsing through the table of contents (TOC) or the Index, the entries are not set up using any live links. That is, you cannot click on a page number associated with an item within the TOC or the Index to go directly to that page.

Grammatical Errors rating: 3

This reviewer did not come across any such issues, while going through the text.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This is a computing textbook, where the contents are presented using technical terms. Culturally, the textbook is completely neutral and unbiased in terms of how the material is presented.