Computer coding classes: Many educators want to turn coding into a new kind of literacy — a fundamental applied skill, a mode of inquiry and expression — that everybody should know.

While most computer science classes focus on practical skills, CS 54N: “Great Ideas in Computer Science” explores the subject’s history and intellectual foundations.

Marisa Shuman’s computer science class at the Young Women’s Leadership School of the Bronx began as usual on a recent January morning.

I believe that I am the only girl in my computer science class because girls are less exposed to computer science from an early age, and there are fewer role models in the field.