Course Objectives and Expectations:

Computing has changed the world in profound ways. It has opened up wonderful new ways for people to connect, design, research, play, create, and express themselves. However, just using a computer is only a small part of the picture. The real transformative and empowering experience comes when one learns how to program the computer, to translate ideas into code. This course will teach students about programming, using Snap! But this course is far more than just learning to program. We'll focus on some of the "Big Ideas" of computing, such as abstraction, design, recursion, concurrency, simulations, and the limits of computation. We'll also cover some beautiful applications of computing that have changed the world, talk about the history of computing, and discuss where it might go in the future – and how you can shape that picture!

The class is hands-on. Each week there will be a lecture introducing one of the “big” ideas of computing and a programming exercise. Students will be assigned one lab assignment for homework each week as well.

Upon entering CS 101, students should know how to:

• open and save files,
• connect to the internet, and
• use a web browser.

Students may or may not have:

• prior experience writing computer programs

Upon completing CS 101, students should

1. understand abstraction, loops, conditionals, lists and recursions
2. understand the concept of an algorithm and how to estimate algorithm complexities
3. understand the social impact of computing
4. know how to design and code small-size programs both in teams and on their own.