Data Structures will be offered at Northwood for the first time starting next school year.
After completing AP Computer Science A or a similar college-level class in Java, students may advance to this honors-level computer science course. Data Structures is similar but not identical to other computer science courses offered at Northwood; students explore deeper elements of coding through projects in Java, based on their prior learning that start from day one.
“The course gives students who want to go into computer science more of an edge before entering real world coding classes in college,” computer science teacher Catherine Cali said. “It’s also a safe place for these students to try out if they really want to pursue computer science later on through more technical understanding than what usual AP classes teach them.”
Student interest in computer science has grown significantly over the past 15 years, and computer science is currently one of the most competitive fields to major in.
Administrators wanted to meet the needs of students who are interested in a computer science career by giving them an edge over the typical high school student when applying to college.
Currently, Northwood offers two courses: AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A. AP Computer Science Principles is an introductory class that covers many computer science concepts at a college level, ranging from pseudocode and data compression to encryption and ethics. On the other hand, AP Computer Science A is an object-oriented class that utilizes Java to create molecular programs.
“The current courses offered at Northwood are a great introduction to computer science, but I feel like it doesn’t really give me the next step to expand my understanding,” junior Arnav Dhar said. “I’m excited to take Data Structures to explore different languages of coding next year.”
Students interested in computer science without any current knowledge or coding experience are encouraged to enroll in either of Northwood’s AP Computer Science courses.
Any students who have not taken AP Computer Science A on campus or scored at least a 3 on the AP exam should contact [email protected] to explore Data Structures as a class option for next year.
