Reference

Last updated on 2024-09-20 | Edit this page

References

Computational thinking

  1. 2006 Wing, Jeannette M. “Computational Thinking”, Communications of the ACM, March 2006, Vol. 49 No. 3, Pages 33-35. DOI: 10.1145/1118178.1118215.
  2. British Broadcasting Corporation BBC Bitesize. KS3: Introduction to computational thinking.
  3. Computational thinking for high school teachers
  4. Introduction to Computational Thinking for Every Educator
  5. Exploring computational thinking
  6. Computational thinking concepts guide
  7. Exploring computational thinking
  8. Computational thinking - video

Learning to code

There are many courses, MOOCs and other online lessons on learning to code, whether that be in Python, R, or something else. Find one that suits you.

Python

  1. Automate the boring stuff with Python
  2. Introduction to Python
  3. Learn Python

R

  1. R for data science
  2. Learn R programming
  3. R tutorial

General courses (free)

  1. Software Carpentry
  2. The Programming Historian

Paid courses

  1. Udemy
  2. Codecademy
  3. DataCamp

Glossary

Abstraction
Abstraction involves reducing a problem’s complexity by focusing solely on the most important details. For example, a model is an abstract representation of a real system. The use of variables in algebra or computer programming is another example. Abstraction can also be called generalising.
Algorithm
An algorithm is a series of steps that must be followed in a specific order to solve a problem. When you plan a route home from work or cook a recipe, you are executing an algorithm. Providing a solution to a problem in the form of an algorithm makes a process repeatable and reproducible by others.
Automation
Automation can involve using a computer program to perform repetitive tasks or calculations. By making processes reproducible, algorithms are a key enabler of automation.
Coding
Another word for computer programming, i.e. writing computer code that instructs a computer in what to do.
Decomposition
Solving a complex problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable tasks. This is also called factoring.
Pattern matching
Pattern matching identifies specific patterns within data, regardless of where the pattern might occur. In contrast to pattern recognition, pattern matching only identifies exact matches. Regular expressions can be used to specify these patterns.
Pattern recognition
In computational thinking, identifying patterns or connections across the different parts of a larger problem is one of the keys to solving it. Our brains are excellent at spotting patterns and similarities, making it easier to use previous experience and methods to come up with solutions.
Regular expressions
Often abbreviated to regex, regular expressions can be used to specify exact search patterns within data. Such patterns are generally used for search or search and replace operations within data, e.g., searching for postcodes, telephone numbers, names, chemical formulae and so on.
Programming
Another word for coding.
Value
In programming, a value is an entity that can be manipulated by a program. It is usually a number (a whole integer, e.g. 10 or a floating point number, e.g. 5.126), a single character, a string of characters or a list.
Variable
In programming, a variable is a kind of ‘container’ for a value or a range of values that are swapped in and out as a program runs.
Workflow
A workflow is a series of sequential steps to accomplish a specific task.
Working with data
Working with data frequently involves computational thinking. Collecting data, analysing data, and visualising data can all help you break a problem down.