Computer programming
Computer programming on time-shared computer systems was included in the curriculum both for its own importance and for understanding numerical methods. The first course introduced flow charts and the notion of algorithms. The beginning portion of the fourth-year course was devoted to introducing the BASIC programming language, with an emphasis on fundamental control flow statements, continued use of flow charts for design, and numerical programming applications. Interactive teletype interfaces on slow and erratic dial-up connections, with troublesome paper tape for offline storage, was the typical physical environment.