Terminology
Input
Program input is data that are sent to a computer for processing by a program. Input can come in a variety of forms, such as tactile (through touch), audible, visual, or text. An event is associated with an action and supplies input data to a program.Output
Program output is any data that are sent from a program to a device. Program output can come in a variety of forms, such as tactile, audible, visual, movement or text.Argument(s)
The value(s) of the parameter(s) when a procedure is called.Algorithm
An algorithm is a finite set of instructions that accomplish a specific task. Every algorithm can be constructed using combinations of sequencing, selection, and iteration.Program Code Segment
A code segment refers to a collection of program statements that are part of a program. For text-based, the collection of program statements should be continuous and within the same procedure. For block-based, the collection of program statements should be contained in the same starter block or what is referred to as a "Hat" block.List
A list is an ordered sequence of elements. The use of lists allows multiple related items to be represented using a single variable. Lists are referred to by different terms, such as arrays or arrayLists, depending on the programming language. Data has been stored in this list: Input into the list can be through an initialization or through some computation on other variables or list elements.Iteration
Iteration is a repetitive portion of an algorithm. Iteration repeats until a given condition is met or a specified number of times. The use of recursion is a form of iteration.Selection
Selection determines which parts of an algorithm are executed based on a condition being true or false. The use of try / exception statements is a form of selection statements.Program functionality
The behavior of a program during execution and is often described by how a user interacts with it.Purpose
The problem being solved or creative interest being pursued through the program.List being used
Using a list means the program is creating new data from existing data or accessing multiple elements in the list.Procedure
A procedure is a named group of programming instructions that may have parameters and return values. Procedures are referred to by different names, such as method or function, depending on the programming language.Student-developed procedure / algorithm
Program code that is student-developed has been written (individually or collaboratively) by the student who submitted the response. Calls to existing program code or libraries can be included but are not considered student-developed. Event handlers are built in abstractions in some languages and will therefore not be considered student-developed. In some block-based programming languages, event handlers begin with "when".Parameter
A parameter is an input variable of a procedure.Data Abstraction
The data abstraction must make the program easier to develop (alternatives would be more complex) or easier to maintain (future changes to the size of the list would otherwise require significant modifications to the program code)Sequencing
The application of each step of an algorithm in the order in which the code statements are given.Collection type
Aggregates elements in a single structure. Some examples include: databases, hash tables, dictionaries, sets, or any other type that aggregates elements in a single structure. Some examples include lists, databases, hash tables, dictionaries, and sets.