Computational Thinking for Problem-Solving

Computational thinking is the process of approaching a problem in a systematic manner and creating and expressing a solution such that it can be carried out by a computer. But you don't need to be a computer scientist to think like a computer scientist. In fact, we encourage students from any field of study to take this course! Many quantitative and data-centric problems can be solved using computational thinking and an understanding of computational thinking will give you a foundation for solving problems that have real-world, social impact.

In this course, you will learn about the pillars of computational thinking, how computer scientists develop and analyze algorithms, and how solutions can be realized on a computer using the Python programming language. By the end of the course, you will be able to develop an algorithm and express it to the computer by writing a simple Python program.

This course will introduce you to people from diverse professions who use computational thinking to solve problems. You will engage with a unique community of analytical thinkers and be encouraged to consider how you can make a positive social impact through computational thinking.

• Apply the pillars of computational thinking to develop a solution for solving a computational problem

• Choose the best solution to a computational problem

• Express an algorithm in a structured manner in terms of basic elements and operations of a modern computer

• Implement a solution to a computational problem using the Python programming language

• Wing, J. M. (2006). Computational thinking. Communications of the ACM, 49(3), 33-35.