Course Description
Lectures:
- Mon/Wed/Fri 10:00 – 10:50 AM, Herzstein 212
Labs:
- Mon: 2:30 – 4:00 PM, Symonds II
- Tue: 2:30 – 4:00 PM, Symonds II
- Wed: 3:00 – 4:30 PM, Symonds II
Who should take COMP 140
COMP 140 is an introductory course designed for any student interested in using computation to enhance their problem solving abilities. No prior experience in programming is necessary. Mathematics at the high school level (e.g., algebra, trigonometric functions, geometry, elementary probability concepts) will be assumed.
Course Perspective
No profession unleashes the spirit of innovation like computer science and engineering. Think of Google, Facebook, Twitter, eBay, Wikipedia, Stanley, Roomba, Second Life, WoW, Farecast, NOAA’s hurricane prediction, Microsoft’s surprise modeling, each of which is less than a decade old. From research to real-world applications, computer scientists constantly discover ways to improve lives by creating bold new solutions that connect us to information and to each other in unexpected, forward-thinking ways. Few professions can turn ideas into realities so quickly. Few have such a direct and positive effect on people’s everyday lives. Come, join us, and together we will study the foundations of computational thinking by designing and building solutions to meet the needs of the 21st century.
Course Goals
My primary goal is to make you a computational thinker. In her inspirational essay on this topic, Jeanette Wing, the director of CISE at the National Science Foundation defines computational thinking as solving problems, designing systems, and understanding human behavior by drawing on concepts fundamental to computer science. Computational thinking is about conceptualizing and representing problems, and thinking at multiple levels of abstraction. It is much more than being able to program a computer. Computational thinking complements and combines mathematical and engineering thinking. It is a way to make you a better problem solver, not a way to make you think like a computer. To quote Wing, “We humans make computers exciting. Equipped with computing devices, we use our cleverness to tackle problems we would not dare take on, and build systems with functionality limited only by our own imaginations”.