Computer Science

Computer Science is all about problem solving.

At Branson, you will study programming or web/app development while also learning how to break down problems into smaller pieces to solve problems. That process – which can be applied to any problem solving in your life – is called "computational thinking."

At Branson, all of our Computer Science courses are electives that are open to all sophomores, juniors, and seniors if their schedule permits. For brief summaries, click on a class title, but for full academic descriptions, see the Curriculum Guide below.

App Development

Students learn about the powerful Swift programming language (used to develop mobile applications for Apple products such as the iPhone and iPad) and learn the skills to develop an iOS app from scratch. By the end of the course, students will have developed a completed app and gained a basic understanding of object oriented principles and memory management.

See some samples.

Branson Curriculum Guide 2021-22

Arduino

Students learn to use the Arduino platform and learn basic C programming. Arduino is an open-source computer hardware/software platform for building digital devices and interactive objects that can sense and control the physical world around them.

In their first class, students teams of students built a robotic arm, a fingerprint scanner, and a voting system, among other projects.

Java Programming

Using the Java programming language, and modeled after the Advanced Placement Computer Science A curriculum, students in this class learn about primitive data types, basic control structures, basic data structures, and the principles of object design. They gain hands-on experience implementing a number of standard algorithms for searching, sorting, manipulating strings, and managing compound data structures. Principles of structured program design, designing elegant solutions to computable problems, and learning to test and debug computer code effectively are all emphasized.

Python Programming

In this introduction to the Python programming language, students learn how to use data types, variables, selection, and iteration techniques. They study the concepts of tuples and lists as well as basic file and error handling. Python has the advantage of being platform independent and is widely used in industry to create everything from web sites to computer games. Course includes some game design.

Responsive Web Page Design

From user interface design to front end coding in HTML, CSS and Javascript, students in learn the essential elements of responsive web page design. They learn how to use CSS libraries, such as Bootstrap, to create responsive layouts and how to use Javascript variables and functions, and respond to user input using Javascript. Students gain hands-on experience developing web applications such as photo gallery and text editor.

See samples of some student pages. Students who complete a prerequisite may also take an Advanced Web Design course.