ALABAMA SCHOOL OF MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE

Computer Science Courses

CS101                         Introduction to Computational Science                   .5 CU

Students learn to make decisions and construct models using tools such as Excel, HTML, and
JavaScript.  Also, communication skills are emphasized by writing and verbalizing and with
PowerPoint productions.  Students work and interact in both teams and as individual team
members to resolve real world problems.

 

CS106                         Web Site Development                                    .5 CU

Students create web sites using HTML and other web design and graphic design tools.  This
course may not be substituted for an upper division mathematics course beyond Trigonometry.
   

 
CS110                         Flash                                                   .5 CU

This course is designed to teach students how to design and deliver cross-platform,
low-bandwidth animations, presentations, and web applications using Macromedia Flash.  It is
a task-based course, with students learning by doing.  Along with covering the basics of 
Flash, the course focuses on best practices and design, stressing the importance of
usability, accessibility, optimization, and performance.  Topics include the Macromedia 
Flash development environment, graphics and text, layers, frames, and the timeline, masks,
symbols, instances and libraries, animations including frame-by-frame, motion tweens, and 
shape tweens, motion guides, document structure, actions and actionscript, navigation 
buttons, sound, video, and publishing.  No prerequisite. This course may not be substituted
for an upper division mathematics course beyond Trigonometry.
   


CS111			      VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language)                .25- .5 CU/quarter    

Students will learn how to create collections of objects in three dimensions and view
the collections from different angles and distances.  Interpolators will be introduced
that facilitate animations concerning position, rotation, visibility, and by sets
of coordinates. Advanced topics include the creation of specialized VRML nodes using
prototypes and the use of JavaScript in controlling various aspects of VRML worlds.
Each student will do a project using VRML.

 

CS112			      DVD Editing                                             .5 CU
              						  	   
Each student will learn to use DVD editing software using either storylines or timelines.
Create professional looking animations by editing multimedia clips. Remove unwanted scenes,
reorder content, control the background, and apply special effects. Add text for
documentation. Combine pictures and audio to create slideshows. Organize content
in attractive and easy to use ways. Learn how to use pattern-matching in the language Perl
in order to have greater control and flexibility in organizing multimedia files. MyDVD
software, which is used in the course, is from Sonic Solutions which is also the company
that authored Media Player used in Microsoft Windows. 



CS205                         Database Design and Programming                         .5 CU

Students learn principles of current database design techniques and the uses and
capabilities of databases.  They design tables, queries, forms, reports, and learn to create
macros.  Students build functional database applications using Microsoft’s relational 
database system, Access.  Prerequisite:  Junior or Senior status.
 

 

CS215                         C++                                                     .5 CU

This one-quarter course covers an introduction to programming concepts including variables,
constants, declarations, definitions, enumerations, formatting, scope, arithmetic 
expressions, data types and type casting, arrays, conditional statements, relational 
operators, logical operators, the order of operations, and loops.  A team project involves 
simulating portions of the Shakespeare play, Hamlet, using C++.  No prerequisite.
 

 

CS311, 312, 313               Java                   1/3 - 2/3 -3/3                   .5 CU/quarter

Java is a three-quarter sequence that includes compilation of programs and applets,
variables, types, operators, assignments, algorithms, syntax, software development, style, 
Boolean expressions, conditional statements, methods, constructors, fields, iterative 
statements and classes. Java is a prerequisite to taking AP Computer Science.

 
 

CS321, 322, 323               AP Computer Science    1/3 - 2/3 -3/3                   .5 CU/quarter

Topics include programming methodology, software engineering, blocks, data types, control 
structures, procedures, functions, recursion, text files, linked lists, pointer variables, 
stacks, queues, trees, searching algorithms and sorting algorithms and the AP case study.
This course targets seniors with a ‘B’ or above average.  Students are expected to take the
AP Computer Science Exam in the spring.  Prerequisites: Java 1/3-3/3.