📓1.1: Getting Started

Table of Contents

About the AP CS A Exam

This curriculum will prepare you for the Advanced Placement Computer Science A Exam which tests your programming skills in Java.

The AP CSA exam is 3 hours long and has two sections: multiple choice and free response. You will be given one hour and 30 minutes for each part. The first part has 40 multiple-choice questions, and the second part has 4 free response questions where you have to write Java code by hand. 📝 Each part is worth 50% of your grade. During the exam, you will have access to the AP CSA Reference Sheet.

For more information on the exam see the College Board AP CSA site. The College Board provides a question bank and formative assessment quizzes for each unit online for registered AP classes.

Also check out this list of CS Careers that taking CSA can lead to. Learning to code is an increasingly important skill that has applications in many careers!

Java Development Environments

The tool that we use to compile a Java source file into a Java class file is called a compiler. Most programmers use an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that has the compiler built in and helps you write, compile, run, and debug programs.

GitHub Classroom and Codespaces

Github provides many free opportunities for students and teachers (unlike Replit). Github Classroom allows teachers to set up a classroom group based on Github repositories. Github and git are widely used in the computer industry, so learning to use it is great experience for students. Github now has a cloud (online) IDE called Codespaces which you can use completely free if you join as a school or get approved as a teacher or student.

In Codespaces, you can:

  • Start from a blank template or a repository (“repo”)
  • Open a .java file in the VSCode editor
  • Follow prompts to install the Java Extension Pack
  • Click on the Run and Debug (play button ▶️)
  • Follow the prompts to install the Java debugger
  • See the output of your code in the terminal

GitHub Account Setup

  1. Go to: GitHub Sign Up
  2. Enter your @gbwl.org school email
  3. Create a password that you’ll remember
  4. Enter a username that follows this pattern: FirstName LastInitial GradYear

    For example: KaterinaN2014

    DO NOT include your entire last name (privacy reasons)

  5. After verifying your account, let me know so I can add you to the GitHub Classroom group!

Using a GitHub Template for class notes

  1. Go to the public template repository for our class: BWL-CS Java Template
  2. Click the button above the list of files then select Create a new repository
  3. Specify the repository name: CS2-Unit-1-Notes
  4. Click

    Now you have your own personal copy of this starter code that you can always access under the Your repositories section of GitHub!

  5. Now on your repository, click and select the Codespaces tab
  6. Click Create Codespace on main and wait for the environment to load, then you’re ready to code!
  7. 📝 Take notes in this Codespace during class, coding along with the instructor.

Acknowledgement

Content on this page is adapted from Runestone Academy - Barb Ericson, Beryl Hoffman, Peter Seibel.