Modern programming languages – characteristics and recommendations for instruction

Academic Information Technology (IT) programs often introduce or revise courses that teach programming languages. They name these courses differently. A title frequently mentioned in these courses is “modern programming languages.” Although the word “modern” may sound like the most recent, the actual aspects of what programming languages meet the definition of “modern” may need clarification. The set of requirements for classifying a programming language as “modern” may need to be defined more clearly, and instructors may ensure that all features are at least explicated in some detail, even if they are not within the scope of a particular course in a language. This paper reviews features and criteria that may need to be fulfilled by a programming language to be considered as “modern”. It is expected that most languages will fulfill all these criteria. However, their strengths will vary across different features. Instructors and practitioners may need to rank order the most important criteria for selection of a language for instruction and development purposes.