Production quality simulators should be written in C++. This is an undergraduate class in which most of the students have very little programming experience. It is far beyond the scope of the class and their typical limitations to expect them to do it in all in C++. Also, when using Numpy data structures for the numerics, Python can compete with other compiled languages in terms of speed. Especially when development time, readability, testing, documentation, and developer community (i.e. access to help) are taken into consideration.

PGE 323M Reservoir Engineering III (Simulation) Well at anyrate, thank you very much for these videos.

In addition to publisher's comment, I would like to add one thing: Being "faster" does not always mean... wait for it... being faster. When you are coding a "small" program, it is applicable to use the efficient language. However, nowadays, with our very advanced computer hardwares (even PCs of today has more CPU power and/or RAM than of a supercomputer from previous decade), the real bottleneck becomes "development" phase. That is why, it is much easier to develop things with Python than it is with C++ since the syntax is much more simple and there is a universal guide for coding (e.g. PEP-8). I am not saying that Python is superior to C++ or vice versa. But being "fast" is just a trait and traits are useful only when they meet the objectives. When you need 1000 engineers to develop something together, fast, you might need Python over low level languages (Big C fan professors will execute me for me saying C is a "low-level" language, but here it goes :) ) and when you have a long time to develop a robust software, you might pick C++, FORTRAN etc.