With covid striking and many schools going virtual, new computer science seminars have been released to cover concepts left out in the shorter curriculum.
As schools adapt to this shorter curriculum, they have cut out many concepts to fit into the compressed time frame. One of the many classes that was forced to implement curriculum changes is the Computer Science class taught by Mr. Edward Krikorian. Although the curriculum has been shortened, the teachers and students felt that the computer science community should still have the option to further explore their ideas.
“The Programming Seminars that we run at the Computer Science Club are focused on teaching our members new programming skills, “ junior Havish Netla said. Students are able to further delve into concepts that they learned in class in these seminars.
Students don’t have to be enrolled in a computer science class to join these seminars.
“Anyone can join our seminars,” Netla said. “Right now, our seminars are geared more towards beginners who are interested in learning the fundamentals of JavaScript.”
This is a perfect opportunity for people with no prior knowledge of coding, as they will be introduced to the basics and can grow their knowledge.
Currently, there is one seminar with a focus on the foundations of javascript. The seminar meets once a week on asynchronous Wednesdays from 2:00-2:45 pm through club-organized Google Meet sessions.
More seminars are said to be on the way in the near future, including one focusing on Computer Sciences and Applications (CSA) prep.
“The CSA Prep Class will be focused on teaching students taking POJO (Plain Old Java Object, which is Java code without any special restrictions) or communicating sequential processes (CSP) and are interested in taking CSA next year,” Netla said.
There will also be an emphasis on American Computer Science League (ACSL). This new course could prove incredibly useful, as ACSL is widely recognized as a very difficult topic, so having an extra way to improve upon it could be beneficial.
Many students have joined this seminar to enhance their coding abilities. These seminars offer practical ways to use and examine the intricacies in the world of coding.
“I joined the computer programming seminars so I could understand how to code and to learn the basics of programming which would help me make apps, websites, and programs,” freshman Suhas Chokkaku said. Learning these skills can be extremely useful, especially today in the modern world where so many things rely on a source code behind them.
“The seminar was well taught, and I learned all of the basics of using javascript (Lists, Conditional structures, Variables, functions, etc),” freshman Tobi Ijiyemi said. These basic steps are very important as they are the base and driving force behind more complicated codes and projects. Without the proper foundation and background knowledge, one may find it more difficult to concur a more difficult task.
There are many many aspects to coding, and this seminar gets students exposed to them.
“The components I find interesting are the multiple actions you can code and program. I was surprised by how apps today function really well, and I wanted to learn how they work. The seminars are a great way for a beginner to learn,” Chokkaku said.
Coding can be a very interesting topic just based on the sheer number of options coders can do with their skills. Students with coding knowledge are able to apply their knowledge by making a website, or by even getting a bot to master a strategy game. There are almost infinite possibilities with coding, with so many different aspects that can be explored and mastered.
Coding is everywhere around us, from running away from the imposter in Among Us to taking an English quiz on Canvas. Code goes into creating all of these, and without the proper code, they would not function properly. These seminars are here for us to explore the basic world of coding and to expand students’ knowledge of them. The seminars provide a learning environment where students may find a hidden interest they never knew they had that, which could end up helping to build the future.