Computer Science and Software Engineering (PLTW-CSE)

 

Course Description: 

Students work in teams to develop computational thinking and problem solving skills. The course covers the College Board’s new CS Principles framework. The course does not aim to teach mastery of a single programming language but aims instead to develop computational thinking, to generate excitement about the field of computing, and to introduce computational tools that foster creativity. The course also aims to build students’ awareness of the tremendous demand for computer specialists and for professionals in all fields who have computational skills. Each unit focuses on one or more computationally intensive career paths. The course also aims to engage students to consider issues raised by the present and future societal impact of computing. Students practice problem solving with structured activities and progress to open-ended projects and problems that require them to develop planning, documentation, communication, and other professional skills. Problems aim for ground-level entry with no ceiling so that all students can successfully engage the problems. Students with greater motivation, ability, or background knowledge will be challenged to work further. The course is designed to cover all learning objectives in the College Board’s 2013 draft CS Principles framework. In specific CSE projects and problems, students create artifacts and associated writing for CS Principles performance assessment tasks. Alignment with CS Principles Learning Objectives and with CSTA Level 3B Objectives is indicated in the PLTW CSE Curriculum Framework at the activity level. Alignment with NGSS, Common Core, and other standards will be available through the PLTW Alignment web-based tool. Activities, projects, and problems will be provided to the teacher in the form of student-ready handouts, teacher notes, and supplementary materials, including code, instructional videos, and online practice questions as appropriate. The course is planned for a rigorous pace, and it is likely to contain more material than a skilled teacher new to the course will be able to complete in the first iteration. Building enthusiasm for rigorous computer science among students is a primary goal of the course. Teachers are encouraged to emphasize content that will be fresh and exciting to students, and the course is structured to facilitate local adaptation to a particular group of students' prior knowledge and experience.

 

Articulated: No

UC "a-g" approved: Yes

 

Offered at school: