APCS Exam Prep
Course Title: AP Computer Science
Teachers: See Instructor Bio
College Board Accreditation: Approval Pending
Textbook and other learning resources:
Blue Pelican Java
Think AP Java
DESCRIPTION
This is a Software Engineering course which follows the curricular outline from the College Board APCS overview
Requirements for the Students
The course is geared towards students with no prior computer programming experience. Students are expected to have taken algebra and have some computer literacy; for example, they should be comfortable installing and using new software packages. Students should have their own laptop, home internet access, and email.
The goals of the course are:
- Introduce the students to computer science
- Teach the Java programming language
- Teach CS principles; such as logic, abstraction, recursion, and modularization
- Expose the students to the software development process
- Examine some of the societal impacts of computing
- Prepare the student to score well on the APCS exam
- Prepare them for more endeavors in CS; such as individual projects, or more coursework
Students will work with the Eclipse IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for developing their Java code.
Eclipse is a very popular platform for Java development. It includes an editor, syntax checker, debugger, document generator, and more.
Eclipse is free and runs on all major operating systems.
Outcomes for the Students:
On successful completion of the course, the student will receive a Certificate of Achievement from BATA. The student is encouraged to apply for independent study units from their high school; citing the body of work the student has completed and recommendations from the course instructors.
The ultimate goal is to score well on the APCS exam. Most universities recognize a score of 4 or 5 for college credit.