AP Computer Science A Semester 2

Enrollment Message

Indiana Online cannot administer the AP Exam. Students need to register with their school of record to take the AP Exam. Student computers should be equipped with Oracle Java SDK. We are using the Netbeans IDE (Interactive Development Environment) in the course videos, but the student may use an alternate IDE, of which many are available online for free download to a computer.

Course Description

Computer science is the Math of the 21st century.

Part 2 of College Board’s AP Computer Science course concentrates on key concepts in modern software engineering and application design and prepares students to take the AP Computer Science exam.

All of the lessons are aligned to College Board’s AP Computer Science A course, as described in the AP Computer Science Course and Exam Description. Vocabulary, professional software engineering techniques and interpretation of requirements are taught and tested in the modules.The language used is Java and the paradigm is Object Oriented Programming, although the skills built in this course apply to other modern languages and platforms. This course is a big asset for students considering computer science, informatics or engineering in college. This computer science course follows the curriculum outlined by College Board. The lessons are aligned to the course objectives for AP Computer Science A as described in the AP Computer Science Course and Exam Description. Each unit demonstrates design, logical reasoning and problem solving, through the use of the Java computer programming language, while using an Object Oriented Paradigm. Vocabulary and content knowledge are emphasized and assessed throughout the course.

• Counts as an elective for all diplomas
• Fulfills a science course requirement for all diplomas
• Qualifies as a quantitative reasoning course
• Satisfies the requirement for high schools to offer at least one computer science course each year

Note If students plan to take the AP Exam, they must register for the AP Exam at their school of record. Indiana Online cannot administer the exam.

Course Goals

Upon completion of the course, students will…

• using software engineering abstractions like classes, methods and collection data types to store and model information in a computer system 
• interpreting requirements of a computer system and mapping those requirements to a software solution, using the tools provided by the programming language and platform
• interpreting and answering key questions in preparation for the AP exam

Students will be aware of modern considerations in computer science, through a series of pertinent research projects. These research units deal with dependencies on computing in the modern world, and with privacy, security, and ethical issues.

College Board and Exam Description

• AP Computer Science A

Units of Instruction

• Unit 6 Array Data Structure
• Unit 7 ArrayList
• Unit 8 2D Array
• Unit 9 Inheritance
• Unit 10 Recursion

Grading/Evaluation

Indiana Online does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue transcripts or diplomas. A final score reported as a percentage of total points earned will be sent to students upon completion of a course. Your school of record can also access this score within the Student Information System, Genius. The final score will be shown as a percentage in Canvas and Genius. The student’s school of record will determine the letter grade based on their specific grading scale.

Students must complete at least 70% of the course and take all parts of the final exam(s) to have a score reported to their school of record. Failure to meet these requirements will result in a score of 0 reported to the school of record.

Assessments

Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, teacher-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building and other forms of authentic assessments. The course includes the following assessments

• 21 Assignments
• 22 Quizzes

Teacher Contact Response Time

Students can use email or the private message system within Genius or Canvas to access highly qualified teachers when they need teacher assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside Canvas. The Teacher Information page of their course may describe additional communication options.

The teacher will respond to student inquiries (email, text, call) within one business day. Assignments will be graded and posted within two business days.

Expectations for Academic Conduct 

Student Handbook 

It is your responsibility to read the student handbook to understand all aspects of taking an online course including expectations for academic conduct. Contact your teacher if you have any questions. 

Assistance for Students with Accommodations

Indiana Online supports an inclusive learning environment for all students. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that hinder your full participation, such as inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned videos and podcasts, reasonable accommodations can be arranged.

Technology

Technology Requirements 

Students will require a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube. Please review the Indiana Online’s Technology Requirements.

Technical Skills Needed 

Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to

• download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
• download and install software
• use a messaging service similar to email
• communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
• open attachments shared in messages
• create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
• save a file as a .pdf
• copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
• insert images or links into a file
• search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
• work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
• activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
• use presentation and graphics programs
• follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
• use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
• create and maintain usernames and passwords

Technical Questions?  Please contact the Indiana Online Helpdesk.