Course Description for IB Year 1 Higher Level Computer Science

The IB DP computer science course requires an understanding of the fundamental concepts of computational thinking as well as knowledge of how computers and other digital devices operate. The course, underpinned by conceptual thinking, draws on a wide spectrum of knowledge, and enables and empowers innovation, exploration and the acquisition of further knowledge. Students study how computer science interacts with and influences cultures, society and how individuals and societies behave, and the ethical issues involved. (source)

The biggest difference between the standard level (SL) and higher level (HL) is the inclusion of a case study and additional higher-level content, such as abstract data structures, resource management, and control. All students are required to develop a computational solution to a genuine problem.

There are four additional possible options students must become familiar with; databases, object-oriented-programming, web-science, and modeling and simulation. Currently, we are focusing on modeling and simulation.