Original title: A must-read for students in grades 8 and above, this AP course takes you to zero-based introductory programming!
Introduction As a preparatory course popular in North America, AP exam scores can not only be exchanged for college credits, but also have a super important bonus point for the application. For Chinese students, AP Computer Science (hereinafter referred to as AP CS) is very popular because of its high 5-point rate and strong practicality. Almost every science and engineering student will choose to prepare for AP CS to add points to their applications.
So, what is the difference between the two different courses in AP CS - AP CS-A and AP CS-P (Science A and Principles of Science)? What kind of students are suitable for studying for exams? Today we will answer this question for you.
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AP CS Overview
American universities have generally regarded students' performance in AP exams as the basis for measuring their ability to study in college, so test scores have become one of the most important factors in many college admissions considerations. Not only American universities, but Canadian universities also value this achievement very much.
In addition, since 80% of engineering courses will use computer programming skills, AP CS has become a must-have for students who want to apply for science and engineering. For Chinese students, AP CS is also a relatively easy subject to get 5 points.
AP CS is divided into AP CS-A and the newly offered AP CS-P, commonly referred to as Computer Science A and Computer Science Principles.
AP CS-A is very familiar to Chinese students, and many people take this exam to add points to their science and engineering background. In contrast, the new AP CS-P courses are less popular. But in fact, the benefits of this course are a lot, especially for students who have not really decided their future direction and want to cultivate their computer thinking ability, this course is really suitable.
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What is the difference between AP CS-A and AP CCS-P?
How to choose?
First, AP CS-A is a traditional computer science course, while AP CS-P is a course to study computer principles. The former mainly learns Java programming, while the latter is more inclined to theoretical knowledge.
Second, AP CS-P learns computer logic thinking in addition to basic computer programming skills. It can be said that AP CS-P is stronger than AP CS-A in general learning of computer logic thinking and informatization. One focuses on depth and the other focuses on breadth. The two are not mutually exclusive, but complement each other.
Furthermore, the original intention of AP CS-P is to let more middle school students learn computers, have basic computer skills and apply them to all walks of life. Therefore, unlike AP CS-A, which is specially designed for intensive programming language training for science and engineering, AP CS-P can adapt to different disciplines and different occupational needs to a greater extent.
The detailed difference between AP CS-A and AP CS-P can be seen in the figure below☟
(Translation summary based on College Board content)
In short, AP CS-P courses are relatively less difficult, do not have specific requirements for the language and tools used, and cover a wider range of content; while AP CS-A is more focused on the learning of computer programming languages, aiming at Learn JAVA in depth and in detail.
Although there is no official learning order for these two courses, due to the breadth of knowledge and low difficulty of AP CS-P, it is usually recommended that students learn AP CS-P first, and then AP CS-A, which is not only easier, but also able to learn about AP CS-P. I have a clearer plan for my future.
▷For senior students, they must first consider their future professional direction. If you must learn science and engineering, then the traditional AP CS-A will be more helpful. If you haven't determined the direction, you can consider learning AP CS-P, so that even if you take the direction of finance, management, or even literature, history and philosophy in the future, certain computer knowledge will be helpful to you. What's more, taking AP courses can also be exchanged for college credit.
▷For students in lower grades (grades 8, 9, and 10), AP CS-P is not only suitable for difficulty, but also gives students a clear concept of computer learning. It is very wise to start computer programming from this subject.
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How to Study and Prepare for AP Exams
The preparation process for the AP computer course exam is similar to other AP courses. The most effective method is to study the basic knowledge + practice with real questions. Most high schools generally teach for one academic year. The first semester of the AP computer course focuses on learning basic knowledge, and the second semester is aimed at preparing for the exam.
If the school does not offer AP computer courses, it can generally be prepared by self-study or online courses.
At the request of parents, we have brought AP CS-P online learning courses for students who are interested in computer programming☟
The course is designed according to the teaching content of the College Board, with a total of 12 lessons, each of 3 hours, which is very suitable for students who want to have a broad understanding of computer knowledge.
Course Outline
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■Class 1：Introduction
Exam info. Diagnostic test. Example online submission.
■Class 2：Exploration Performance task
Requirements, Research planning. Brainstorming topics.
■Class 3：Create Performance task
Requirements. Software Development/engineering basics.
■Class 4：Big idea topic: Abstraction
Extra topics: computing history, basic computer architecture
■Class 5：Big idea topic: Data and Information
Extra topics: DataBase basics
■Class 6：Big idea topic: Algorith
Extra topics: analysis, optimization etc.
■Class 7：Big idea topic: Programming
Extra: software development tools, Open source, Version Control systems.
■Class 8：Big idea topic: Internet, Online security, privacy
■Class 9：Data mining, AI/Machine learning
■Class 10：Media, entertainment, VR, IoT
■Class 11：Big idea topic: Global Impact Extra topic: IT industry, disruptive technology, social, politics
■Class 12：Practice exam.
适合学生
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Students who want to study a broad range of computer knowledge
Students planning to prepare for AP CS-A in the future
Requirements: 8th grade and above
Consultation method
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Add WeChat Assistant No. 2 (newpathway2)
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