Summary and Schedule
Computational thinking is an essential prerequisite for anyone wanting to learn to program computers and write code. This workshop will take you through the steps to develop a computational mindset. This lesson was initially conceived and designed by Belinda Weaver (ORCiD).
Learning Objectives
Once you have completed this workshop, you should be able to:
- Identify the steps involved in computational thinking
- Break a problem down into more manageable parts
- Develop a series of steps (an algorithm) to solve the problem
- Generalise the steps to make the algorithm re-usable (abstraction)
Prerequisites
To successfully complete this workshop you will need:
- A pen and paper
| Setup Instructions | Download files required for the lesson | |
| Duration: 00h 00m | 1. Introduction |
What is computational thinking? What are the four components of computational thinking? How can computational thinking help solve complex problems? Why is ethical consideration important in automation and algorithm design? |
| Duration: 01h 15m | 2. Exercise | |
| Duration: 02h 00m | 3. Computational thinking in practice |
What is the difference between programming and computational
thinking? How is computational thinking used in daily life? What are the steps involved in computational thinking? How can structure diagrams help in breaking down problems? |
| Duration: 02h 30m | 4. Computational thinking in programming |
Why is decomposition crucial in programming? How can we break down a problem like counting words in a text? What is the difference between linear and branching code? How can pattern recognition help in programming? |
| Duration: 03h 10m | 5. Pseudocode |
What is pseudocode and why is it useful? How can pseudocode help in planning a coding solution? What are loops in programming, and how do they work? How can variables and abstraction be used in coding? |
| Duration: 03h 55m | 6. Potential solutions to practice exercises | |
| Duration: 04h 05m | Finish |
The actual schedule may vary slightly depending on the topics and exercises chosen by the instructor.
This lesson does not require any technology.