Computer Science STAR course

Details about the STAR course, including how to enrol and who to contact, are available on the main University STAR section. The material covered in the STAR course is equivalent to COSC 131 and COSC 122 and uses the same assessment. Normally you should take the regular NCEA Programming and Computer Science standards through your school, even if you plan to take the STAR course.

The STAR course is intended for students who are doing well in NCEA (ideally in Programming and Computer Science standards if your school offers them) and wish to be stretched further.

When and where?

Classes are held separately from the main COSC 131 and COSC 122 courses. Students need to attend the following on campus:

COSC 131 STAR

Lectures for COSC 131 STAR are held on Mondays from 5-6pm in Jack Erskine room 244. Labs run on Wednesdays from 4–6pm in Jack Erskine 001, which is in the basement level of the Jack Erskine building.  Students should watch the lecture videos online before the lecture class and come along with questions. Lectures and labs will start in week 1 of Semester 1 with the first lecture being on Monday 17 Feb 2025. Students should feel free to download notes, watch lecture videos and work on labs as soon as they get access to the course webpages. There is no need to wait until the first actual class.

COSC 122 STAR

Lectures for COSC 122 STAR are held on Mondays from 4-6pm in Jack Erskine room 340. Labs run on Wednesdays from 4pm–6pm in Jack Erskine 001.  Lectures and labs will start in week 1 of Semester 2 with the first lecture being on Monday 14 July 2025.

Are these courses available as a distance courses?

Neither course is run as a distance course. Students wishing to study computer science in High School should normally take the NCEA Programming and Computer Science standards through their school (see the CSANZ site for more information).