[tsumnia]

It is possible with the help of flowcharts and pseudo-code; the issue I've run into many times is depending on the class, you'll lose student interest over not actually doing anything. If it is a matter of limited resources, ala no computers, then go for it, but looking back, I'd feel a little short-changed if I couldn't walk out of the class without a functional program, no matter how insignificant.

This is where I liked MIT's EdX course. Mostly Python interpreter, but around the end you were given a GUI simulation of controlling a Roomba. You wrote the Roomba's logic and then ran the simulation. You could walk away from the class and say 'Look at this... I built this'.

[ericHosick]

I do agree that there is really nothing to show that you've done: program wise. On the other hand, the students did learn a lot about critical thinking which, I feel, is a great start to programming.

This was also for a BIS degree (not a CS degree) which focused on the "business" side of information science: so most students weren't interested in coding (though I felt this was not to their advantage).

Really, it was a bit the fault of administration for placing the class in the first semester of the degree when students had not taken any programming classes yet.

[tsumnia]

I'm in the same boat, business side of IS, teaching Visual Basic.

If you don't mind me asking, what textbook did you use (or atleast company)? We use Cengage currently and I'm just appalled at some of the stuff I have to cover. I've been searching for a replacement.