[aleph_minus_one]

> “Here’s a simple database that doesn’t support indexes. We’re going to query it and it will be painful. Then you’ll extend the database with a b-tree index.”

Because this is in my opinion a too complicated project for many computer science students (of a non-elite university). In other words: this looks like a great project to "weed out" students who should better not study computer science. Lectures/projects to weed out unusuitable student seem not to be accepted in the academic environment in the USA.

[haskellandchill]

Not really. I had projects like that at Georgia Tech, I know Carnegie Mellon, MIT, Stanford, etc have similar.

[aleph_minus_one]

That is why I wrote "(of a non-elite university)".