Introduction
Studying Computational Thinking and Web Programming was the start of my Computer Science degree at Cardiff University. The course is split into two key parts: firstly, basic web programming skills, including HTML, CSS and JavaScript; and secondly, the application of computational thinking, a problem-solving way of thinking.
Web Programming
In web programming, the teacher started from the basics of TCP/IP protocol and guided us to gradually learn about computer networks and write code step by step. This was initially a great challenge for me as a non-computer science undergraduate. However, Dr. Daniela Tsaneva showed us the advanced functions of HTML and CSS through numerous examples so that we gradually mastered these skills.
Computational Thinking
At the same time, Mr Nico Potyka's teaching changed my way of thinking. In the process of learning computational thinking, I gradually understood the difference between how computers work and how humans think. Humans often think vaguely but flexibly when solving problems. Computational thinking, on the other hand, emphasises breaking down problems into smaller ones, digitising them through abstraction, categorising them through pattern recognition, and finally solving them step by step through algorithms. This approach was a completely new way of thinking for me, but I gradually started to apply this way of thinking when I learnt web programming and found it to be very effective in solving problems.
Difficulties and Challenges
I faced many challenges during my study. Firstly, there was the language problem, because English is not my native language, sometimes I could not fully understand the teacher's lectures and my classmates' questions. This was mainly due to my lack of English proficiency as well as my unfamiliarity with some of the terminology. However, over time, I have gradually improved my listening and comprehension skills and become more familiar with the terminology. In the future, I will continue to work hard to improve my English.
Another challenge is adapting to the different teaching style of Cardiff University compared to China. In China, teachers usually do not upload slides or course outlines in advance, whereas here, teachers upload study materials onto Learning Central in advance. This enables me to preview the course in advance, understand the general content of the course and check the meaning of specialised vocabulary in order to better understand the teacher's lectures. In the future, I will make full use of this to improve the efficiency of my lessons.
Summary
With the guidance of Mr. Nico Potyka and Dr. Daniela Tsaneva, I gained valuable knowledge and skills. The learning of web programming and computational thinking has opened the door to computer science for me, and I look forward to more learning and challenges in the future.