Grade 11/12 Computer Science Feedback
From ACSEWiki
Today's question refers to the Grade 11 and 12 Computer Science courses. The proposed course expectations can be viewed at: http://curriculum.org/edu/tech/computerstudies.shtml
The questions dealing with these courses are as follows:
- Do you feel the scope and depth of the expectations are appropriate for each of these courses?
- Is the content appropriate to prepare students the a university program of study?
- Is there a clear difference between the expectations of these courses and their college level counterparts?
- Any philosophical issues?
Response from Dave Laemers: +2
As a new teacher these expectations read much better than the old ones. The categories are more intuitive and appropriate to prepare for what I learned at University. Specifically, the focus on algorithm design and problem solving seems appropriate as this was strongly emphasized in my first year of University.
Notes:
* The addition of Object Oriented language into the Grade 11 course I believe is very appropriate so we can start talking about these fundamental concepts before students get to Grade 12 and really start to use them. * The focus on projects is another key component that makes it clear how these courses should be taught. * The progression from Grade 11 to Grade 12 seems very clear and appropriate. I am still concerned about students entering the Grade 11 course without any experience as there is no prerequisite and this looks to be a very heavy course. However, since there is an alternative college level maybe this problem won't be as pronounced, especially if teachers and guidance counselors work together to get students into the appropriate course.
