Introduction to Computer Science

Introduction to Computer Science (CCS101) is a self-paced course that teaches basic Computer Science to people with no previous experience. Computers may seem complicated, but they actually follow a few simple rules. Introduction to Computer Science (CCS101) explains these rules in an easy way so anyone who uses a computer can understand them. In this course, learners get to try small pieces of computer code to see how computers work—what they can do and what they cannot do. Everything runs in your web browser, so you don’t need to download or install anything. The course also covers general computer topics like: What is a computer? What is hardware? What is software? What is the internet? If you can use a web browser, you can succeed in this course. You don’t need any previous computer knowledge. Topics Covered • What computers and code can and cannot do • Basics of Computer – Fundamentals • How hardware works: chips, CPU, peripherals ,memory, storage • Key terms: bits, bytes, MB, GB • How software works: programs and how they run • How digital images are created • Basics of coding: loops and logic • Core concepts: abstraction, logic, bugs • How structured data is organized • How the internet works: IP address, routing, Ethernet, Wi-Fi • Computer security: viruses, Trojans, passwords • Analog vs. digital systems • Digital media: images, sound, video, and compression