Section 1 Foreword to the Functions First Edition
By Nadia Najjar
This second edition is a revision that incorporates the functions-first changes developed from the same original textbook, How to Think Like a Computer Scientist. Both the first edition of this book and the functions-first version originated from that shared foundation; this edition brings those efforts together into a single, unified revision.
This version of the book is specifically designed to align with the topics and learning objectives of ITSC 1212 - Introduction to Computer Science 1 at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Our goal is to provide an integrated learning experience that supports the course objectives while remaining accessible to students with no prior experience in computer science.
Incorporating the functions-first organization, this edition introduces functions early and uses them consistently as a framework for expressing computation. Functions are presented as a way to describe how inputs are transformed into outputs, supporting core computational thinking practices such as abstraction, decomposition, and reasoning about program behavior.
Released for the Spring 2026 semester, this edition will continue to evolve in future offerings to further strengthen the alignment between computational thinking and programming concepts. This project is supported by the College of Computing and Informatics at UNC Charlotte, which provides the resources and institutional backing for this work.
