Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes

The course introduces students to the principles of computational thinking. Programming methods and computational principles are introduced in a problem-driven way using Python and making extensive use of Python libraries. Upon completion of the course, students:

• will have an understanding of the role computation plays in solving scientific problems
• will value computation as foundational tool in scientific discovery
• will have explored the impact of different algorithms on efficiency and performance
• will have understood and applied basic programming principles
• will have a basic understanding of programming allowing the exploration of other programming languages

Students will be able to:

• Analyze and abstract a problem
• Design and implement an effective software solution for scientific problems
• Effectively use modules of software libraries described by functional specifications
• Understand the use and functionality of basic data structures
• Write programs that accomplish useful goals; and visualize the results appropriately
• Read and adapt existing programs
• Have a basic understanding about the limits of computation and intractible problems