CPSC 100 102 2021W
How have computers impacted the world around you, and how do they do it? In CPSC 100, you will learn how to ask questions so that a computational agent can process and answer them.
“Computational thinking is the thought processes involved in formulating problems and their solutions so that the solutions are in a form that can be effectively carried out by an information-processing agent” [Cuny, Snyder, Wing 10]. Computational thinking and its outcomes (i.e., computers, software, and their usage) are increasingly shaping the world we live in.
To be productive citizens of the 21st century, UBC students need to have the opportunity to learn concepts such as how data can be processed to gain insights, how computers use their data, and why computational thinking enables some amazing tasks (e.g., finding directions, sharing videos, and communicating instantly) but is as yet so bad at others (e.g., translating documents between languages).
CPSC 100 will give non-computer science majors key insights into
- the building blocks necessary for computational thinking,
- applications of computational thinking, and
- how computational thinking and its applications impact the world around them.
Students will explore the past, present, and future of computing, including projects that allow them to delve deeper into specific topics. While this course is open to all, the target audience is first-year students. The course has various group activities designed to support the integration of new students into the academic community.