6 Organization of This Document

The various concepts (i.e., ideas) to potentially be covered are partitioned into modules. A module is very broad in scope and consists of numerous topics. [Note: Can I suggest that we use the term “area” or “unit” instead of “module”? I think that these other choices are better and also avoid any potential confusion over what is meant by “module” (i.e., C++ term versus plain English term).]

For each module, topics related to the module are identified. Then, for each topic, learning outcomes are specified. In order to address a wide variety of courses on C++, each topic is addressed at three proficiency levels. These proficiency levels allow each topic to be covered at more than one level of detail. This allows target audiences with different background and learning objectives to be accommodated. The three proficiency levels are as follows:

• foundational. This level gives the learner the idea that a facility exists, what benefits it offers, and the basic ways of using it. [Note: Isn’t this just “novice”/“beginner”?]
• main. This level shows mainstream uses and techniques. For abstraction and organizational mechanisms it also demonstrates how to build them. This level should also give the learner a basic (but not detailed) understanding of how a facility might be implemented so that the learner can have a first-order understanding of any costs involved. [Note: The term “main” is not very descriptive/helpful. Could I suggest using “intermediate”?]
• advanced. This level gives information suitable for an expert. For most topics there is an expert level of knowledge that most programmers rarely need and techniques that require detailed understanding of language rules or library implementation.

The remainder of this document is organized as follows. The various topics are listed grouped by module. In cases where a topic might be classified into more than one module, the topic is listed under the module of most direct relevance. This is done in order to avoid duplication of content. (In the case that a topic is equally relevant to multiple modules, the decision of which to select is made by a proverbial coin toss.) The order in which modules and topics are presented is not meant to imply any order of coverage in a course. The order in which items are listed is essentially arbitrary.