This description is intended to convey a sense of what the experts in the fields represented in the department believe to be computing literacy . The discipline of computing is a relatively new, evolving field based on the design and use of computing artifacts. At the heart of the field is the manipulation of data and information and the use of computing equipment, algorithms and paradigms to solve problems.
Programming is a process that follows the general guide of the software life cycle.
Necessary concepts in this area include the potential and limitations of programming languages and the software design process, including variables, types, input and output, sequential, conditional, and repetitive execution of statements, procedures, interprocess communication, data representation and storage. The major components of a computing system include its hardware, software, information and data and its ability to communicate with other systems. The differences between these items and the roles they play are important to an understanding of the whole system. In particular, the reliability, limitations, and future potential of each independent component and combined system should be understood. Central to this understanding is the difference between data and information.