Effective step-by-step Java education

Building Java Programs: A Back to Basics Approach introduces new concepts and syntax using a spiral approach, ensuring students are thoroughly prepared as they work through CS1 material. Through the first four editions, Building Java Programs and its back-to-basics approach have proven remarkably effective.

The 5th Edition has been extensively updated with incorporation of JShell integration, improved loop coverage, rewritten and revised case studies, examples, updated collection syntax and idioms, expanded self-check and programming exercising sections, and new programming projects.

Also available with MyLab Programming

MyLabTM is the teaching and learning platform that empowers you to reach every student. By combining trusted author content with digital tools and a flexible platform, MyLab personalizes the learning experience and improves results for each student.With MyLab Programming, students work through hundreds of short, auto-graded coding exercises and receive immediate and helpful feedback based on their work.

About our authors

Stuart Reges is a Principal Lecturer in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington. He manages the introductory programming classes, participates in the design of undergraduate curricula and is involved in K to 12 outreach. He held similar positions at Stanford University and the University of Arizona in a career spanning 30 years. In 1985 he won the Dinkelspiel Award for Outstanding Service to Undergraduate Education at Stanford. In 2012 he won the Distinguished Teaching Award which is the highest award given by UW for teaching.

Marty Stepp is a computer science lecturer at the University of Washington where he teaches intro programming, web programming and software engineering. Google highlighted his web programming resources in their Google Code for Educators initiative, and he was featured as the Seattle PI’s “Geek of the Week.” Stepp is the lead author of Web Programming Step by Step, with Jessica Miller and Victoria Kirst from the University of Washington. He is also coauthor of Building Java Programs: A Back to Basics Approach with Stuart Reges. Stepp wrote an online tool for practicing Java problems to accompany the Java textbook, called Practice-It!. He is also first author of Computing Fundamentals with C#.

From 2004 to 2006, Stepp worked as a computer science lecturer at the University of Washington, Tacoma. Before that he spent a year as a developer at Microsoft on the Excel team. Stepp got a master’s degree in computer science at the University of Arizona in 2003. He has done research in geometric algorithms and security, taught several courses as a graduate student and was a teaching assistant for several years.