Behind the Scenes of Data Structures and Algorithms: Bringing Computer Science concepts to life

As the tech industry continues to grow, high-quality online education must go beyond delivering theory. It must be practical, applied and designed to build the kind of problem-solving skills employers actually look for. At Heriot-Watt, our Digital Education team works alongside academic experts to design learning that is interactive, engaging and rooted in real-world thinking. This approach is central to our online MSc Computer Science, ensuring students gain both academic depth and the applied experience needed to thrive in the field.

One example of this collaboration is the media created for our Data Structures and Algorithms course - filmed not in a lecture theatre, but in VoxBox Records, an iconic independent record shop in Edinburgh.

Turning algorithms into something you can see

The course builds directly on students’ introductory programming knowledge, serving as a foundation for more advanced computing topics. As Professor Jurriaan Hage, Head of Computer Science at Heriot-Watt, explains: “This course follows on from the programming course students will have done before they get to this one. It’s partly to hone their programming skills a bit more, giving them more experience in programming.”

A vintage record shop may seem like an interesting choice to deliver this information - however, the choice of location was deliberate.

“Sorting is something a computer does, and it does it a lot on big collections – but it’s something human beings do as well. If you need to sort books, records, anything, you can employ the same algorithms the computer uses”, says Jurriaan.

Among racks of vinyl, he demonstrated why different sorting techniques exist, and how computer scientists choose between them. “Quite often there are many different solutions. It’s also learning how to decide between those solutions – which is the best one for this situation.”

How academics and digital specialists shape engaging online learning

Effective online teaching requires more than a camera - it needs collaboration between subject specialists and digital media experts. For Jurriaan, this partnership was key.

“When you’re preparing classroom lectures, you’re bound by having slides, and recording movies yourself simply isn’t efficient. But with a team experienced with cameras, sound and working out in the wild, it becomes a rich discussion. We were bouncing ideas back and forth.”

The idea for VoxBox came naturally. “I like vinyl records. I have a big collection – about ten thousand vinyls – and I’ve been sorting them for years, so it was a natural place for us to film. I’d visited the shop before, and they were willing to let us use it.”

The result is teaching content that feels human, practical and grounded - showing students how computational thinking applies to everyday tasks.

Why Data Structures and Algorithms is foundational

Although the course focuses on fundamentals, these concepts remain essential for modern computing roles. As Jurriaan put it:

“What we teach are basic algorithms and basic data structures. Many of these things are implemented in libraries, but people in the field will expect you to understand what quicksort or mergesort is. It’s part of the jargon, part of the folklore of computer science.”

He also emphasised that the course is not simply about coding, but about thinking.

“Many of the algorithms we discuss are examples of problem-solving strategies. Breaking up a problem into smaller pieces, solving those pieces, and putting the solution back together again. These are basic design principles for problem-solving that people need to understand”, he said.

This mindset extends far beyond programming tasks.

“When you’re analysing how a company works or how processes work, you’re basically doing a bit of programming in your head. We call that computational thinking, and that’s what we want to get going.”

It’s a step up towards artificial intelligence, which is also based on algorithms. You couldn’t start doing that before you’ve seen these.”

A Computer Science degree built for real-world impact

This blend of expert academic insight and high-quality media production is what defines the online MSc in Computer Science at Heriot-Watt. You’ll learn through interactive content, practical demonstrations and structured design principles that reflect the real demands of computing careers.

Take your next step in Computer Science

Whether you are entering the tech sector or advancing your current career, Heriot-Watt’s online MSc in Computer Science offers a flexible, industry-informed route into the field. With a curriculum designed around applied learning and computational problem solving, the programme equips you with the skills and understanding needed to meet the challenges of modern computing.

Explore the online MSc Computer Science and move forward with confidence in your next step in tech.

Enrol now.