2COS402 Introduction to Programming

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2COS402 Introduction to Programming

• Chris Thorpe
• thorpec_at_wmin.ac.uk
• Room AG14

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Today

• Briefing on what you will be doing this year
• Learning Resources
• KEY questions answered
• Overview of what programming is
• Guidance on what to do next

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The Module

• Module codeCOS402
• Starts September finished May 2008
• Worth 30 credits (double)!
• CORE module

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Learning Resources

• Yourselves!
• Course book
• Blackboard (All lectures like this and homework
  is published)
• Tutors
• Each other
• Library/Other Books
• Internet

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Learning Resources

• YOURSELVES!
• The MOST important resource!
• YOU will have to take responsibility for learning
  to program by doing it. IT CAN NOT BE CRAMMED!

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Learning Resources

• Yourselves
• You cannot learn to program by reading a book
  it is more like learning to play a musical
  instrument!
• This is a double module worth 30 credits it is a
  core module. We estimate that You should put in
  at least 250-300 hours over the year including
  class contact time. Thats 9 hours a week. You
  have 4 hours contact (lectures and tutorials)
  that leaves 5 hours a week for pre-tutorial
  reading and any catching up of lab work not
  completed.
• We expect you to keep up. Please do not complain
  that I set too much work for the labs, because as
  you have seen you have plenty of time outside
  labs to finish the set work!

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Learning resources

• Course Book You MUST get a copy
• Programming and Problem Solving with C by Nell
  Dale 4th Edition
• ISBN 07637 0798-8
• I will simply refer to this as Dale. E.g. do
  exercises 2-4 on page 1001 in Dale.
• There is also a version available that includes a
  student edition of Visual C.NET Program
  development studio.
• The bookshop has lots of copies

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Where to get the BOOK

• The University Bookshop is located at the
  Marylebone Campus
• They have done a good deal with the publishers to
  supply the book with the tools you will be using.

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Learning resources

• Course Book
• Pre-tutorial reading and exercises and Tutorial
  work will be set from this book. I will refer to
  set question numbers
• I will NOT be handing any notes out. There are
  far too many of you!

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Learning resources

• Blackboard
• learning.wmin.ac.uk
• It contains lecture notes (these PowerPoints,
  Demo programs, pre-tutorial and tutorial work
  specifications.)
• It contains assessment guidelines, past papers
  etc.
• Available outside the university! E.g. At home!
• Show them Chris!

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Learning Resources

• Blackboard
• Vital to visit ASAP
• All fully registered students should have access.
• If you are registered and cant access go to the
  library and ask what the problem is.
• If you are not registered fully yet make sure you
  do get registered ASAP. You will have to use my
  backup site to get homework specs and notes.

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Backup site for course material

• If you have problems accessing blackboard because
  of registration issues I will dump the necessary
  course material on my old website.
• Note I will stop doing this after a few weeks
• http//users.wmin.ac.uk/thorpec

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Learning Resources

• Tutors
• Tutors are there to get you out of holes, and
  give one to one advice on techniques.
• Suggest approaches to problems NOT solve
  problems for you.
• Tutors are there to answer any questions on
  written pre-lab and lab-exercises.
• Tutors should not have to lecture.

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Learning Resources

• Each other
• Talk to your fellow students, find out which
  students understand the material you have
  problems with and ask them nicely to explain it
  to you.
• If you think you understand something then
  explain it to others (It is the best way I know
  of proving understanding)
• In labs discuss things with each other.

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Learning Resources

• Internet/Library/Bookshops
• There is a VAST amount of material out there
  catering for complete beginners to the most
  advanced professional.
• It is always helpful to get alternative views on
  tricky subjects.

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The frequently asked questions (FAQs)Why,
What, How, Where and When

• For example
• Why are you learning to program?
• What will you learn?
• How will you be assessed?
• Where will you learn?
• When will you learn?

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Why are you learning to Program? Or whats in it
for me?

• For pure academic interest (I wish!)
• To get a job and pay off your loans!
• You are all doing computer science do you really
  think you can avoid it!
• Because it underpins virtually all your other
  subjects. You will develop problem solving skills
  and organisation skills.

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What is computer programming?

• Specifying a precise set of instructions in a
  particular order in order to get the computer to
  carry out a task
• Than means solving the problem first. Deciding on
  the sequence of instructions needed.
• Converting the instructions into your programming
  language

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What programming language will you learn?

• C. Why C?
• It enables us to teach both procedural and Object
  Oriented Programming.
• These are the two most dominant approached used
  today.
• Writing Programs where we FOCUS on the processes
• Or Programming focusing on the DATA.

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Practice, Practice, Practice

• There is no magic formula to building a computer
  program.
• Computer programming is more like
• Learning a musical instrument
• Learning to play a new sport
• It is an imaginative process
• It is an active process
• It is an incremental process
• It constantly builds from previously learnt ideas
• Do NOT get left behind it is VERY hard to catch
  up!

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What will you learn?

• You will learn a new vocabulary, the language of
  this subject.
• You will learn how to begin the process of
  problem solving and designing a solution. 
• You will learn how to write the solution to a
  problem down in an unambiguous way. 
• You will learn how to verify if the solution is
  correct. 

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What you will learn?

• You will learn the fundamental concepts and
  application of procedural programming sequences,
  selection, repetition, functional organisation.
• You will learn fundamental concepts and
  application of data structures
• You will learn fundamental concepts and
  application of Object oriented programming

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Assessment

• Three Components
• Practical work semester 1 (35)
• Practical work semester 2 (25)
• Formal Exam in May/June (40)
• THERE IS A MINIMUM mark for each component of
  25
• This means if your overall mark is more than the
  pass mark of 40 but if any one of the above has
  less than 25 you do NOT pass

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Practical Work

• Comprises of in labs tests and evidence of
  commitment to learn
• There will be a short test at the end of you
  tutorials in teaching weeks, 3, 6, 9
• There will be a longer test in week 12.
• Check blackboard web site for how much each of
  these is worth.

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Practical Work

• Commitment to learn marks
• Your tutors will give you an mark for what you
  have done in a tutorial. This mark is affected by
  your pre-tutorial work. This will be worth (5
  per semester).
• You will have to show your pre-lab exercises and
  specified lab exercises.
• It is your responsibility to sign in each week
  and to make sure you have been graded. The tutors
  mark sheet is the ONLY evidence of your work that
  will be accepted.

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End of Year Exam

• At the end of the academic year in May 2008 each
  semester there will be a formal exam that aims to
  assess your understanding of the more theoretical
  parts of the course. This is worth (40)

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Where and When

• You come to lectures here at your allocated time.
  Lectures are VERY important. It is not like
  school where I have to teach to a set syllabus. I
  set the syllabus!
• You will have been allocated tutorial groups.
  Timetable gives location and times for tutorial
  groups.
• You must stick to your tutorial groups, we cannot
  accept floating from one group to another.
• Labs this week will run, where you should make
  sure you can log on to the system. Visit
  blackboard or my website and check your
  pre-tutorial and tutorial work. E.g. this week
  You should go through the introduction to C I
  have prepared.
• Student guide Your tutor will hand out an
  overview of the key information for the module
  during your tutorial.

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To Do List!

• You need to purchase the course book
• In your labs this week confirm your account
  details (username is your student ID and password
  is your date of birth, see your information
  sheet)
• In the lab this week, visit Blackboard go to the
  tutorial specs page and do pre-lab reading and
  exercises for next week.
• Brush up on you basic windows skills, learn to
• rename files
• create folders and subfolders
• copy move files to and from hard disk and
  floppy disk
• delete files and folders

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Try to have fun!

• Bye Bye