Computational thinking involves using a set of problem-solving skills and techniques that software engineers use to write programs and apps. The Bebras challenge promotes problem solving skills and Informatics concepts including the ability to break down complex tasks into simpler components, algorithm design, pattern recognition, pattern generalisation and abstraction.

Computers can be used to help us solve problems. However, before a problem can be tackled, the problem itself and the ways in which it could be solved need to be understood.

Computational thinking allows us to do this.

Computational thinking allows us to take a complex problem, understand what the problem is and develop possible solutions. We can then present these solutions in a way that a computer, a human, or both, can understand.

There are four key techniques (cornerstones) to computational thinking:

• Decomposition
  breaking down a complex problem or system into smaller, more manageable parts

• Pattern recognition
  looking for similarities among and within problems

• Abstraction
  focusing on the important information only, ignoring irrelevant details

• Algorithms
  developing a step-by-step solution to the problem, or the rules to follow to solve the problem

You may register with your school for Dr CT Challenge at https://www.simcconline.org/drct-7/

There will be no entry fee and no limit to the number of students you can send.

The top 120 Secondary 1 to 5 winners enrolled in government schools will be invited to the Final Round (Computational Thinking with Coding), held online via Zoom on 6 September 2022.

About Design Thinking with Robotics and Computational Thinking (Dr CT) Challenge

The Dr CT Challenge is an international challenge on informatics and computer fluency for all age of school students.

It is performed at schools using computers. The contestants are supervised by teachers.

The challenge has two types of tasks: a multiple choice questions and interactive problems.

Number of tasks varies year-by-year from 18 to 24 questions of different difficulty to be solved in 40, 45 or 55 minutes.

For each multiple choice question a choice of four answers is provided. There are interactive tasks as well.

Point Counting:
For every correct answer there is 6 (easy), 9 (medium) or 12 points (hard).

If no answer is given the score doesn’t change;

Minus one third of the possible points if the answer is incorrect.

There are 2 different levels of this competition, but each grade level is evaluated independently and awards are given to all 5 individual levels:

• Division Intermediate (Secondary 1 & 2)
• Division Advanced (Secondary 3, 4 and 5)

All Singapore government schools with Secondary 1 to 5 students will be administered under the Dr CT/National Software Competition scheme, which is a partnership between Singapore Scholastic Trust Limited (SST) and Singapore Polytechnic’s School of Computing (SP SoC). Enrollment is free for all Secondary 1 to 5 contestants enrolled through Singapore Government or Government-Aided schools.

For Division Intermediate and Division Advanced, the top 120 students will be invited for Round 2, which will be held online via Zoom on 6 September 2022.

Preliminary Round Awards
Each grade level will be evaluated.
Students who get full marks will be conferred the Perfect Score Certificate
The top 8% for each grade will earn a Gold Certificate
Next 12% for each grade level will be awarded the Silver Certificate
Next 20% for each grade level will be presented the Bronze Certificate
All other contestants will be given a Certificate of Participation

Objective:
The objectives are to heighten IT awareness among secondary school students, encouraging creativity and innovation in IT and acquiring skills in developing solutions through coding using Python.

About Final Round:
The top 120 students from Secondary 1 to 5 who have taken the Intermediate or Advanced in Design Thinking with Robotics and Computational Thinking (Dr CT) Challenge will be invited for the NSC.

The NSC will involve Python coding and Computational Thinking.

Prizes

3 x First Prize winners will get Gold medal + Winner’s Certificate

3 x Second Prize winners will get Silver medal + Winner’s Certificate

3 x Third Prize winners will get Bronze medal + Winner’s Certificate

All participants will receive Participation Certificates.