Table of Contents

Overview
  • Day 0 Guide
  • Teacher Insights
    • Organizing The Course
  • CS50 AP Classroom Setup
  • CS50 AP Workshop 2017
  • CS50 Final Project
  • Creating Custom Problems
  • Curriculum Overview
  • Events and Culture
  • Grading
    • College Board
  • AP CSP
    • Resources
  • Resource Reference Sheets
    • External Links
  • CS50 Programmer's Manual
  • CS50 AP Portal
  • CS50 Quiz Bank

    • Table of Contents

    Overview
  • Day 0 Guide
  • Teacher Insights
    • Organizing The Course
  • CS50 AP Classroom Setup
  • CS50 AP Workshop 2017
  • CS50 Final Project
  • Creating Custom Problems
  • Curriculum Overview
  • Events and Culture
  • Grading
    • College Board
  • AP CSP
    • Resources
  • Resource Reference Sheets
    • External Links
  • CS50 Programmer's Manual
  • CS50 AP Portal
  • CS50 Quiz Bank

    • CS50 AP Teacher Insights

    CS50 AP Support

    Know that you are not alone as a member of the CS50 teaching corps. Indeed, this playbook was written by a CS50 AP educator. Here are some insights and pro tips compiled with the aid of CS50 educators, both former and current.

    As always, feel free to reach out and email ap@cs50.harvard.edu for help and advice.

    School and District Administration

    principal Some CS50 teachers are lucky to have the full support from school and/or district administration. Others, not so much. For planning events, grading policies, establishing a rich culture, and ensuring access to technology, administration support is incredibly helpful. Thus, obtaining this support is a must.

    Your excitement can go a long way in selling the course. Administrators typically want to add additional AP courses, so your being engaged with the process of bringing the course to your school can push things in the right direction.

    Also, CS50 is always willing to aid in convincing administration to properly support the course. If you would like CS50 to write a letter with Harvard’s letterhead to aid in your dialog with administration, feel free to email a request to ap@cs50.harvard.edu.

    Being Less Comfortable with Concepts

    Not unlike many CS50 AP students, you may find yourself on the Less Comfortable side of things with teaching a particular concept. This is absolutely okay! We’ve all been there. We at CS50 are here to help provide you with as many resources as possible. Here are some of the resources at your disposal:

    • CS50 AP Portal for access to AP specific resources such as problems and presentations.
    • Discuss50 (soon to undergo upgrades!) to communicate with CS50 AP staff and educators from around the world.
    • CS50.tv for access to resources such as lectures and problem sets from previous iterations of CS50 at Harvard.

    Suggested Technology

    When planning for CS50, it is advantageous to keep technological resources in mind. Luckily, with the CS50 IDE being cloud-based, there are very little hardware requirements for students to code and submit their work. As long as the students have a device that can access the internet via a web browser, they should be able to code on it. The choice of device will not impact how the IDE runs. However, it is easier to code with a physical keyboard, so access to a more traditional computer or laptop is suggested for each student.

    From a teaching point of view, presenting new information is much better with a wealth of technology at your disposal. The following may come in handy for creating a dynamic and engaging classroom.

    Smart/Promethean Board

    These interactive whiteboards allow for students and teachers to interact with presentations using touch and special writing utensils.

    Screen mirroring hardware

    Screen mirroring allows you to move your laptop, tablet, or other device being used to display information through a projector or television. This can come in handy for presentations of information on the fly and for being able to cycle around the classroom during a presentation.

    Tip: A tablet being screen mirrored to a projector can work wonders for classroom management as you can cycle through the room while displaying information.

    Classroom Speakers to Play Music

    Music can create an energetic, motivating, and/or focused environment depending on the playlist chosen.

    For events, feel free to use the CS50 Puzzle Day playlist, courtesy of CS50’s own Colton Ogden.
    colton

    Tip: In a pinch, a single bluetooth speaker can work wonders if the classroom does not have a speaker system.

    Establishing Community Partnerships

    Community partnerships can be very nifty for implementing CS50 AP at your school. Not only can they help your brand for the course, they can become very helpful for when you plan events. You may be surprised at company connections that already exist in the local community through your students. In general, it never hurts to ask. Often asking for a donation or discount from a local company yields satisfactory results.

    Connecting with other CS50 teachers is also a great strategy. These connections can be used to create larger and more dynamic CS50 events. Check out CS50.org/map to see where other CS50 teachers call home.

    Taking CS50

    In addition to taking CS50x, you can take CS50 through the Harvard Extension School as CSCI E-50. For scholarships to do so, check out https://cs50.ly/scholarships.