all Computer Science classes are year-long & weighted tech electives
Start with Introduction To Computer Science or AP Computer Science?
It can be difficult to determine which computer science course you should start with. Both courses are weighted classes. In general the Introduction to CS class is for students with little or no programming experience that wish to get a broad exposure to various concepts and several languages and environments, whereas the AP CS class is for students that are pretty sure they will continue in Computer Science and have a good idea of what to expect.
The Introduction to Computer Science course gives students a broad overview of computer science and an in depth exposure to procedural programming in Python. The course teaches students how solve problems logically and efficiently, as well as be persistent debuggers. The course does not require or expect any prior programming experience. The course introduces programming concepts using Scratch and Jeroo before an in depth study of fundamental procedural programming concepts and data structures in Python. Furthermore the course covers various text and graphic data representations as well as programming Google Apps (using Javascript) and Arduinos (using C++). Website for last year’s class. Students receive college credit for this class via ATC.
The AP Computer Science course gives students a rigorous study of object oriented programming and various searching and sorting algorithms using JAVA exclusively. Students have the option of taking the AP test in May. Whereas many students have successfully taken AP CS as freshmen and/or with little or no prior programming experience, it will make the course more challenging. Website for last year’s class.
Course Descriptions
Introduction to Computer Science ( overview )
Grade Placement: 9–12 Credit: 1.0
Prerequisite: None
Computer Science underlies most innovation today, from biotechnology to cinematography to national security. Computer science teaches students to break larger problems into smaller more manageable pieces, logical reasoning, and persistence in problem solving – all valuable beyond the classroom. No prior programming experience is required or expected! The course first explores fundamental programming concepts using graphical programming languages. An in-depth study of the general-purpose Python language includes writing encryption and text analysis programs. Students will work together in pair programming for a many of the projects.
AP Computer Science ( overview )
Grade Placement: 9-12 Credit: 1.0
Prerequisite: Introduction to Computer Science or Programming experience suggested
Do you enjoy puzzles or solving logic problems? Want to find faster or more efficient ways to get things done? Computer Science underlies most innovation today, from biotechnology to cinematography to national security. The AP Computer Science course is an introductory course in computer science. Because the design and implementation of computer programs to solve problems involve skills that are fundamental to the study of computer science, a large part of the course is built around the development of computer programs that correctly solve a given problem. These programs should be understandable, adaptable, and, when appropriate, reusable. At the same time, the design and implementation of computer programs is used as a context for introducing other important aspects of computer science, including the development and analysis of algorithms, the development and use of fundamental data structures, the study of standard algorithms and typical applications, and the use of logic and formal methods. In addition, the responsible use of these systems is an integral part of the course.
Digital Electronics ( overview )
Grade Placement: 10–12 Credit: 1.0
Prerequisite: Introduction to Computer Science or AP Computer Science or Teacher Approval
The transistor, arguably the single most important invention in the last 100 years, has ignited a series of changes that changed the way people do their jobs, pay their bills, communicate, as well as educate and entertain themselves. Starting with the fundamental concepts of electricity and circuit analysis techniques, students will learn how transistors operate and can be used to construct everything from simple logic gates to complex processors. Students will explore resistive, capacitive, basic arduino, and many logic circuits in hands on projects and simulations. Students will work in small groups and utilize a breadboard, a multimeter, an arduino, an oscilloscope, the SPICE circuit simulator, a logic simulator, a logic analyzers, and a FPGA programming platform in their projects.
Web and Mobile Applications ( overview )
Grade Placement: 10–12 Credit: 1.0
Prerequisite: Introduction to Computer Science or AP Computer Science
Moving beyond the static pages of the early web, today’s dynamic internet is based on serving web applications to users. Starting from the basics of how the web works, students will learn how to implement and deploy their own web applications. The projects will address password security as well as issues in scaling a web application to support large numbers of users. Topics covered include HTML, CSS, HTTP, JavaScript, cookies, processing user input, using databases, as well as security protocols and user verification. With mobile phone sales soon exceeding 2 billion units per year, mobile applications are in high demand. Develop real applications using Android Studio that run on your phone.
Advanced Computer Science ( overview )
Grade Placement: 10-12 Credit: 1.0
Prerequisite: AP Computer Science
Algorithms and data structures emphasizes the following topics: data structures, abstract data types, recursive algorithms, algorithm analysis, sorting and searching, and problem-solving strategies. This course introduces students to the concept of data structures through abstract data structures including lists, sorted lists, stacks, queues, deques, sets/maps, directed acyclic graphs, and graphs; and implementations including the use of linked lists, arrays, binary search trees, M-way search trees, hash tables, complete trees, and adjacency matrices and lists. This course introduces students to algorithms design including greedy, divide-and-conquer, random and backtracking algorithms and dynamic programming; and specific algorithms including, for example, resizing arrays, balancing search trees, shortest path, and spanning trees.
Independent Study
Grade Placement: 11-12 Credit: 1.0
Prerequisite: Must be preceded by Advanced Computer Science and either Digital Electronics or Web & Mobile Applications or by only Advanced Computer Science with teacher approval. Can be taken concurrently with Adv Computer Science, Digital Electronics, or Web & Mobile Applications.
If you have exhausted the entire Computer Science Curriculum at LASA and you want to explore more about Computers then this course is the right fit for you. Students write a software or hardware project proposal and then work on their projects. They also have to present their work to their peers and teach each other more complex Computer Science concepts.