Students who are interested in a career in which science skills will be required should consider this course, especially those who would like to become doctors, dentists, or vets and those who would like to work in research or biotechnology.

For more information of the course from the College Board, please click here.

To most students, taking Calculus in high school is the best thing she or he can do to have a successful first year in university. The reason is simple: Calculus forms the critical foundation for college math and is essential to almost any career in natural sciences, social sciences, computer science, business, and a host of other fields.

The course can benefit students in more ways than one. Those who do well on the AP® Calculus exam will look good on their college application and may get credits toward a university degree. This AB credit is usually taken as one-semester math credit in colleges or universities. Furthermore, numerical and analytical skills are crucial for the everyday functioning of any individual in our society and for the functioning of society as a whole.

For more information of the course from the College Board, please click here.

AP® Calculus BC is a full-year course in the calculus of functions of a single variable. It includes all topics covered in AP® Calculus AB plus additional topics, e.g., advanced integration techniques and infinite series. The content of AP® Calculus BC is designed to qualify the students for placement and credit in a course that is one course beyond that granted for Calculus AB. This BC credit is usually taken as one-year math credit in colleges or universities.

Knowledge of calculus is required for all basic science and engineering degrees and for most business degrees. Students will benefit not only in solving a variety of different real-life problems but also in modeling physical situations and verifying conclusions. Students are also expected to develop an appreciation of calculus as a human accomplishment.

For more information of the course from the College Board, please click here.

AP® Capstone Seminar in Gr. 11 and AP® Capstone Research in Gr. 12

Capstone is a two-year research-based program: AP® Seminar (Grade 11) and AP® Research (Grade 12). (Students must take AP® Seminar if they desire a placement in the AP® Research course. Skipping AP® Seminar is not an option.) While most AP® courses cover a specific academic subject or discipline in- depth. AP® Seminar and AP® Research allow students to choose, independently, their own subject matter. Various research skills are taught and reinforced throughout both years, allowing AP® Capstone students to sharpen and use these skills as they pursue advanced studies in other academic disciplines, beyond the AP® Capstone experience. This is not a theory-based course. You'll learn and you'll produce.

More and more every year, colleges and universities are eliminating lecture-based courses and asking students to pursue independent study, using the Capstone model during semester-long project-based courses. Institutions of higher learning expect students to arrive on campus fully-prepared to pursue academic goals by using a research-based approach. AP® Capstone prepares scholars for that reality.

In AP® Capstone, independence is the goal, and the approach. The course does not dictate the subject or the topics of the research work. The knowledge you'll acquire is knowledge that you teach yourself by gauging your own interests and by using all the independent research skills required for the successful completion of your work. AP Capstone does not deliver answers; instead, it shows students how to ask better and deeper questions, how to seek and find answers themselves, and how to synthesize all of the work into text and visual models of presentation. The AP® Capstone program trusts the scholar to create, plan, and implement precisely the kind of work and scholarship that matters most to the individual student. What you do in AP® Capstone is up to you. It's fun, but not simple. It's a course for the tough- minded intellectual willing to problem-solve and manage projects diligently and faithfully.

For more information of the course from the College Board, please click here.

AP® Chemistry is a challenging and rigorous course that has been designed to cover subjects and principles typically found in college or university general chemistry courses. It will build on knowledge gained in a preparatory regular chemistry course and give insight and understanding into the importance of chemistry in the everyday world and in a student’s intended course of study or career. AP® Chemistry is equivalent to the introductory course of basic chemistry at college undergraduate level.

Students need to be able to understand the textbook and participate in different activities from attending Official Confucius Celemony, visiting the National Palace Museum, Chinese New Year cooking and Calligraphy project, interview Tea shop ...etc. Through those given materials, students are able to respect different cultures, be able to write essays and are able to discuss the cultural aspects in Chinese.

Students also need to be able to use the knowledge gained through course materials to develop critical thinking skills, communicate more effectively in real-life situations, and succeed in the rapidly changing world.

For more information of the course from the College Board, please click here.

AP® Computer Science A is equivalent to a first-semester, college-level course in computer science. The course introduces students to computer science with fundamental topics that include problem-solving, design strategies and methodologies, organization of data (data structures), approaches to processing data (algorithms), analysis of potential solutions, and the ethical and social implications of computing.

The course emphasizes both object-oriented and imperative problem-solving and design using Java language. These techniques represent proven approaches for developing solutions that can scale up from small, simple problems to large, complex problems. The AP® Computer Science A course curriculum is compatible with many CS1 courses in colleges and universities and will provide the foundation for you to be successful in mastering any programming language you may need to take in the future.

For more information of the course from the College Board, please click here.

Unlike AP® Computer Science A, which is taught in Java, the AP® Computer Science Principles course does not have a designated programming language required by the College Board. At DIS, we are following the Harvard implementation of APCSP which is based on their very popular first-year course CS50. The languages of instruction include C, Javascript, and Python.

In this course, students will develop computational thinking skills vital for success across all disciplines, such as using computational tools to analyze and study data and working with large data sets to analyze, visualize, and draw conclusions from trends. The course engages students in the creative aspects of the field by allowing them to develop computational artifacts based on their interests. Students will also develop effective communication and collaboration skills by working individually and collaboratively to solve problems and will discuss and write about the impacts these solutions could have on their community, society, and the world.

For more information of the course from the College Board, please click here.

AP® Drawing doesn't involve a lot of reading, though students do some research on Art and Artists as well as developing ideas in their sketchbooks.

AP® Drawing fulfills the requirements of a university-level course in 2D design which is a standard foundation class in any Art degree. The course content is applicable to University majors and careers in Art, Industrial Design, Fashion Design, Architecture, and yes, even Engineering.

For more information of the course from the College Board, please click here.

AP® Macroeconomics is equivalent to the introductory course of Macroeconomics at college undergraduate level. It gives students a strong foundation in Macroeconomics theory and the basic principles of Economics. This class is especially beneficial to those who wish to enter the fields of Business Management, Marketing, Financial Management, Accounting, Human Resources Management, Political Science, Industrial Engineering, and Economics.

The course focuses on Basic Economic Concepts, Measurement of Economic Performance, Economic Growth and Productivity, Finance, Saving and Investment, The Monetary System, Money, Interest and Inflation, Aggregate Supply and Aggregate Demand, Fiscal Policy, Monetary Policy, and International Finance.

For more information of the course from the College Board, please click here.

AP® Microeconomics is a college-level course that introduces students to the principles of economics that apply to the functions of individual economic decision-makers.

Studying AP® Microeconomics is a sound stepping stone for those wishing to enter the fields of Economics, Business Management, Marketing, Financial Management, Operations Management, Accounting, and Human Resources Management.

The course focuses on Basic Economic Concepts, Production Costs, Supply and Demand, Perfect Competition Model, Elasticities of Demand, Imperfect Competition, Market Equilibrium & Market Disequilibrium, Factor Markets, Production Function, and Market Failure & the Role of Government.

For more information of the course from the College Board, please click here.

Studying AP® Physics 1 helps students in various ways. If they intend to major in any of the Science subjects, Medical, Engineering, or Computer Programming at university, this course will be a foundation, because all these fields involve physics.

The course focuses on Kinematics, Dynamics, Circular Motion and Gravitation, Energy, Momentum, Simple Harmonic Motion, Torque and Rotational Motion, and Fluids.

For more information of the course from the College Board, please click here.

AP® Statistics introduces a college statistics course. It offers basic concepts of descriptive and inferential statistics. In this course, students develop strategies for collecting, organizing, analyzing, and drawing conclusions from data. Students design, administer, and tabulate results from surveys and experiments. To develop effective communication skills, students are required to prepare frequent written and oral analyses of real data.

This course will benefit all students because all students undergo research and thesis writing in the different fields they undertake. The gathering of data should be planned and treated with statistical techniques, most especially the techniques of interpretation and analysis. As a student, one may not appreciate the importance of the study of statistics, but if one enters the profession, he will find a great need for knowledge of basic statistical methods.

For more information of the course from the College Board, please click here.

AP® US Government & Politics goes into a great deal of detail about the US Constitution and the branches of government and their operation. Students study not only the rules but how they are enacted and change over time. Politicians, judges, bureaucrats, lobbyists, interest groups, and the public all influence the operation of the government, and much goes on in Washington that isn’t explicitly written in the Constitution. Separation of powers between the branches and the state and federal government also limits authority and power.

The class focuses on the skills of examination, discussion, and debate in order to hone clarity. The ability to clearly explain situations and evaluate strengths and weaknesses not only makes for better essays but it puts the pertinent information in context and makes it easier to remember overall.

For more information of the course from the College Board, please click here.

AP® US history focuses on the growth and development of the United States from the pre-Columbian civilizations to the present day. The focus is on transitions and changes in politics, culture, and attitudes rather than memorizing the basic points in isolation. Determining why these changes are taking place and why they are important better prepares students for the exam and later college work by both keeping attention on transitional questions and maintaining a sense of continuity that allows for better retention of information.

The class focuses on the skills of examination, discussion, and debate in order to hone clarity. The ability to clearly explain situations and evaluate strengths and weaknesses not only makes for better essays but it puts the pertinent information in context and makes it easier to remember overall.

For more information of the course from the College Board, please click here.