CPSC 110 V01 2015W

Computation, programs and programming play a vital role in the work of scientists, engineers, artists and other professionals: they allow us to organize, store, analyze and visualize information; create animations, music, and online communities; control devices in our environment; develop computational models and simulations; and much much more. The major goal of this course is to introduce students to the practice of systematic problem solving through the design of programs. The course will also help you understand more deeply how computation and programs work, and how they have the power to do what they do. Do you know how to design a computer animation? Or a multi-player game? Or how to combine information from sources like eBay and Google automatically? Or a game that runs on your phone? Do you know how to use the process of writing a computer program to better understand ecosystems or Translink schedules? This course will show you how—we will explore systems like these as part of our lab projects. The course presents an approach to systematic problem analysis and solution design, and prepares students for further course-based and/or independent learning of Computer Science skills and concepts. The course is designed to be interesting, accessible and useful to a wide range of students. No prior programming experience is assumed, and very little math and science background is required. This makes the course appropriate for all UBC students—CS majors and non-majors alike.