New department in the High School

Computer science has been offered at ASL for approximately 15 years. Since that time, offerings have blossomed from two sections of electives attended by a handful of students, to 10 courses covering not only coding but also engineering design, art and code, game design, digital electronics, and much more. Supporting this growth now requires the coordination of five different instructors, which has led to the designation as a new academic department in the High School for 2022-23. What’s more, the department is working to support computational thinking and computer science awareness in the Lower and Middle schools.

There are three full-time computer science teachers, Mr Collins, Mr. Choi and Ms. Piloto. Ms. Stallings teaches a robotics elective in addition to managing middle and high school robotics, and Mr. Niemi and Mr. McCarty teach engineering design classes from the MILL.

Getting with the program
More than just coding, computer science involves the study of computation and its application in the world. Aspects of computer science include the study of programming languages, the design and analysis of algorithms, the development of intelligent systems, and the design of electrical hardware on which computation is to be performed. Learning to break down really big problems into manageable chunks (problem decomposition) is a major component of computer science and a key skill. Thinking through the necessary steps needed to complete a task and the order in which they need to be performed (algorithm development) is a second learning outcome. Recognizing patterns in solutions to problems and applying those solutions in new contexts is a third skill students develop. Finally, thinking at the right level of detail needed to solve a problem (abstraction) is a lasting benefit from computer science education.

21st-century thinking
Intelligent systems and the algorithms that drive them pervade our society, influencing the news we see, moderating our connections with loved ones and friends, managing public health, transportation and logistic systems, and more. Our view of the world is shaped by these algorithms and the way they collect and process information. Having a basic understanding of algorithms is therefore critical knowledge for effective citizenship. Furthermore, computer science provides insights into how we might design technology to address the political, cultural and ecological challenges of this century. Even if a student just completes just one programming course at ASL, they will leave thinking about the world a little differently.

Ms. Piloto enthuses, “We're very excited about computer science becoming a new department because we can now focus more on curating our courses to be as relevant as the ever-changing technological world. We will also learn how to best fit the needs of our students with regard to university choices, and have them feel confident and prepared to go out into the world.