Shaping a Modern Programming Paradigms Course for Advanced University Students

Programming is one of the core disciplines in Computer Science (CS) and Computer Engineering (CE) courses, and it is increasingly permeating the curricula of other study programs. After undergoing an introduction to programming and a course on object-oriented programming, some students will attend an advanced course on programming languages, where features of different programming paradigms are discussed, with an emphasis on the semantics of execution. Due to the emphasis on theory aspects, such courses often employ old or experimental languages that have little practical application, resulting in low engagement of students. Unfortunately, most of the research work focused on introductory programming, which has a more established syllabus and larger possibilities for interventions. In this paper we analyze the current status of the programming languages course at our university, and we investigate possibilities for renewing the syllabus with modern languages and tools. We first review the current topics addressed by the course, and then we discuss possible content changes with the aim to shape a more engaging course. The paper ends with a plan for implementing and evaluating the new version of the course starting from the next academic year.