Teacher(s):

Course Description:

This course enables students to further develop knowledge and skills in computer science. Students will use modular design principles to create complex and fully documented programs, according to industry standards. Student teams will manage a large software development project, from planning through to project review. Students will also analyse algorithms for effectiveness. They will investigate ethical issues in computing and further explore environmental issues, emerging technologies, areas of research in computer science, and careers in the field.

Resources Required:

This course is entirely online and does not require nor rely on any textbook. The following software is required and is currently not supported on mobile devices like tablets and Chromebooks.

• Java Development Kit (JDK) from Oracle® (A link to download this software for free is provided in the course)
• Eclipse® IDE (A link to download this free software for Mac® or Windows® is provided in the course)

Teaching and Learning Strategies:

The overriding aim of this course is to help students use the language of mathematics skillfully, confidently, and flexibly. A wide variety of instructional strategies are used to provide learning opportunities to accommodate a variety of learning styles, interests, and ability levels. The following mathematical processes are used throughout the course as strategies for teaching and learning the concepts presented:

• Problem solving: This course scaffolds learning by building off of skills learned in each unit. Students will work on a single project across multiple units, applying what they have learned in each unit to further analyze the data they have collected. The course guides students toward recognizing opportunities to apply knowledge they have gained to solve problems.
• Representing: Through the use of examples, practice problems, and solution videos, the course models various ways to demonstrate understanding, poses questions that require students to use different representations as they are working at each level of conceptual development – concrete, visual or symbolic, and allows individual students the time they need to solidify their understanding at each conceptual stage.
• Connecting: Students will connect concepts learned in this course to real-world applications of statistics and probability through investigations and assignments.
• Self-Assessment: Through the use of interactive activities (e.g.  multiple choice quizzes, and drag-and-drop activities) students receive instantaneous feedback and are able to self-assess their understanding of concepts.

Assessment and Evaluation Strategies of Student Performance:

Every student attending Christian Virtual School is unique. We believe each student must have the opportunities to achieve success according to their own interests, abilities, and goals. Like the Ministry of Education, we have defined high expectations and standards for graduation, while introducing a range of options that allow students to learn in ways that suit them best and enable them to earn their diplomas. Christian Virtual School’s Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting Policy is based on seven fundamental principles, as outlined in the Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools document. 

When these seven principles are fully understood and observed by all teachers, they guide the collection of meaningful information that helps inform instructional decisions, promote student engagement, and improve student learning. At Christian Virtual School, teachers use practices and procedures that: 

• are fair, transparent, and equitable for all students; 
• support all students, including those with special education needs, those who are learning English, and those who are First Nation, Métis, or Inuit; 
• are carefully planned to relate to the curriculum expectations and learning goals and, as much as possible, to the interests, learning styles and preferences, needs, and experiences of all students; 
• are communicated clearly to students and parents or guardians at the beginning of the school year or course and at other appropriate points throughout the school year or course; 
• are ongoing, varied in nature, and administered over a period of time to provide multiple opportunities for students to demonstrate the full range of their learning; 
• provide ongoing descriptive feedback that is clear, specific, meaningful, and timely to support improved learning and achievement; and 
• develop students’ self-assessment skills to enable them to access their own learning, set specific goals, and plan next steps for their learning. 

For more information on Christian Virtual School’s general assessment and evaluation strategies, you can refer to our Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting Policy. 

To ensure that we are meeting the principles of Growing Success, we carefully plan all the assessments within our courses.  

First and foremost, they are designed as opportunities for students to improve their learning. Assessment for the purpose of improving student learning is seen as both “assessment for learning” and “assessment as learning,” according to Growing Success. As part of assessment for learning, teachers provide students with descriptive feedback and coaching for improvement. Teachers engage in assessment as learning by helping all students develop their capacity to be independent, autonomous learners who can set individual goals, monitor their own progress, determine next steps, and reflect on their thinking and learning. Examples of these types of assessments in this course include: 

Second, we focus on a balance between assessing students’ acquisition of knowledge as well as their skills of thinking, communication, and application of subject-specific material. In this course, you can expect assessment to be divided into the following balance:

Lastly, the assessments are designed so that teachers have an opportunity to gain an understanding of a student’s learning through direct observation of students, one-on-one conversations with students, and evaluating products that students submit. Examples of these methods in this course include:

For more information on our assessment and evaluation strategies, refer to Section 6, Student Achievement, in the Course Calendar.

Program Planning Considerations: