Programming
The basics
The summer term includes the basics of programming and computing. Programming is taught partly by School alumni who now work as software professionals.
Students’ starting levels in programming vary especially widely, so the course is split into ability groups to suit each year’s intake, for example:
A) beginners
B) students who have used computers a lot, but not for programming
C) students who already program as a hobby
Whatever their starting level, many of our students have done very well in Finnish and international computing competitions.
University courses
Students can take one or more university MOOCs (online courses) in programming, for example from the University of Helsinki.
Peer learning, work projects and enthusiasm
Learning from each other is an important way to learn computing. Students – especially in the second-year group – have a lot of skills that they pass on to their fellow students. The work placement plays a decisive part in developing technical skills, and it continues throughout the two years of upper secondary studies.
Beyond basic programming skills, the School’s mathematics and physics studies help with problems such as 3D graphics and simulations in games. It is not unusual for students to get excited about programming games and graphics demos, either together or in friendly competition.