Computing Concepts

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Computing Concepts

• Week 1 Introduction
• Brian Farrimond

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Contents

• Course structure
• General information
• Course Content

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Computing Concepts

• Delivered as two separate strands
• Computer Systems
• Structured Problem Solving

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Computing Concepts

• Course Leaders
• Computer Systems
• Alma Whitfield whitfia_at_hope.ac.uk
• Room FML 414
• Structured Problem Solving
• Stewart Blakewway blakews_at_hope.ac.uk
• Room FML 213

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How the course is structured

• Computer Systems
• Lecture on Tuesdays at 2.00 pm in FML009 plus one
  seminar (see own timetable)
• Structured Problem Solving
• Lecture on Mondays at 2.00 pm in FML014 plus one
  seminar (see own timetable)

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Faculty of Sciences and Social Sciences

• Within the Faculty are Departments of
• Business, (inc Marketing and Law) Psychology,
  Sports Psychology
• Computer Science
• Information Technology Programme/Pathway
• Creative Computing Programme
• BSc Computing Programme/Pathway
• QTS (Qualified Teacher Status)

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Faculty of Sciences and Social Sciences

• If you are on one of our programmes or else are
  on a joint degree in which both pathways are in
  this faculty then ...
• .. you belong to this Faculty
• (Metaphorical group hug!)

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You should be taking this course if you are
taking ...

• BSc Information Technology Programme or Pathway
• BSc Creative Computing Programme
• Second Year QTS specialising in IT

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Study requirements

• For each course that you are studying, you will
  have six hours contact time and in addition to
  that will be expected to spend six hours self
  study.
• Computing Concepts
• Two separate one hour lectures.
• Two separate seminars each lasting two hours

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General information
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Queries or Issues to be addressed

• If you have queries or issues with specific
  courses you should
• Speak to your Seminar Tutor
• If unresolved by seminar tutor, speak to the
  course leader for the appropriate strand (Stewart
  or Alma)
• Still need help speak to Cohort Tutor (Alma)
• Not sorted yet speak to the programme leader
  (Steve Presland)
• Still unresolved speak to the Head of Department
  (Prof Atulya Nagar)

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Staff/Student Liaison Meetings

• Provide opportunity to put forward issues that
  arise during the year.
• Representatives from all years attend 4 meetings
  per year with staff. You are the voice of the
  study body.
• Includes
• Hardware, software, course delivery difficulties
• Anything else that gives cause for concern or
  could improve student experience

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Student Representatives

• You will be able to put your name forward for
  this role within first couple of weeks.
• Usually four meetings per year.
• What you get out of it
• Good experience
• Looks good on CV
• Insight into year 2 and year 3 courses

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Student Ambassadors

• Student Ambassadors are involved in student
  recruitment
• Talk to incoming or intending students at open
  days and start of study
• Show them around the campus
• Can give the student perspective
• Get paid for this

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Cohort tutor for Department of Computing students

• Alma Whitfield
• Room FML 414
• Email whitfia_at_hope.ac.uk
• Tel [phone]

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Faculty Personal Tutor (1 of 10)

• Alma Whitfield
• Room FML 414
• Email whitfia_at_hope.ac.uk
• Tel [phone]
• If you have issues you wish to discuss please
  call to see her

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Faculty Office

• Room HCA East Wing 002 (Ground floor)
• General Enquiries
• Notification of absence
• Essential to notify any/all absences
• Email ssss_at_hope.ac.uk
• Or telephone [phone]

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Student monitoring

• University is required to monitor student
  attendance
• Make sure you always sign the register
• If you are going to miss classes you MUST let the
  Faculty Office know 0151-291-3439

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Surgery Hours

• If you wish to see a tutor, call during surgery
  hours, or sign up on the appointment list posted
  on the tutors door.
• If urgent ask if they can see you outside surgery
  slots best confirmed by e-mailing the
  tutor.

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Contacting tutors by Email

• Students who wish to use email to communicate
  with tutors MUST use their Hope email
• We may send you messages by Hope email so check
  it every day!
• Many queries can be answered quickly by email
• You can forward you Hope emails to your personal
  email account.

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No timetable - Confused ?

• If you have any problems or queries please call
  to see Alma in FML 414 or telephone/ email Ann
  Coatsworth on 291 3439 (email coatesa_at_hope.ac.uk)

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Rules Applying to the Handing in of Assignments

• Download and complete the assignment cover sheet.
  (From the Information Portal)
• Hand in your assignment with cover sheet, IN
  PERSON to the Gateway Desk. Assignments cannot be
  handed in by a third party.
• If you are not able to hand in your assignment in
  person, complete the assignment cover sheet and
  send it, along with your assignment, by recorded
  delivery to reach us by the due date.
• The assignment MUST BE accompanied by the
  assignment cover sheet and the plagiarism
  statement signed by you.

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Rules Applying to the Handing in of Assignments

• Assignments received by post will be date stamped
  upon arrival.
• Any assignment received by any method after the
  deadline on the due date will be stamped late and
  the time recorded on the assignment cover sheet.
• Extensions for handing in assignments

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Key Regulations Policies

• 1f Penalties for Late Submission
• The assessment is awarded zero, accompanied by
  grade FL.
• Late submission is better than no submission!
• The student may, at the discretion of the HoD
  /nominee, be given feedback and an indication of
  the mark that would have been awarded if the work
  had been submitted on time
• The fact that the work was submitted, and the
  mark it would have deserved, will be taken into
  account by the Board when deciding the overall
  outcome for the student.
• No penalty if the student kept to an extended
  deadline!

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Rules Applying to the Handing in of Assignments

• If you have been given an extension to an
  assignment deadline you must attach the signed
  extension sheet to the assignment when you submit
  it

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Changing Subject

• If you wish to change subject ...
• ... you will need to make an appointment with the
  Senior Academic Adviser -
• Mark Barrett-Baxendale, FML 302, phone [phone].
• - to discuss your options

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Progression to Level I (Year 2)

• To progress to Level I, you must have
• COMPLETED, successfully, two 60 credit courses at
  Level C and achieve a Grade E or above in both
  courses.

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First years contribution to your final degree

• Your first year course contributes 10 to your
  final degree
• Second year contributes 30
• Third Year contributes 60

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Degree awards

• First Class 70
• 2.1 60
• 2.2 50
• 3rd 40

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Degree awards

• First Class 70
• 2.1 60
• 2.2 50
• 3rd 40

• If you scrape through Computing Concepts doing
  the bare minimum you will get 2. If you do
  really well you can get 5
• If you scrape through both Level C courses you
  will get 4. If you do really well you can get
  10
• The choice is yours !

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What do you need to succeed?

• The most important thing to do is
• Attend your course
• If you have any problems, tell us.
• But always
• Attend your course

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Aims of the course

• To provide an overview of the principal concepts
  of modern computing including
• the computer system
• networks
• the nature and creation of software
• the role of the system software
• and a study of a range of software development
  approaches and techniques.

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Aims of the course

• To provide
• practical experience of using computer
  programming to solve problems
• practical experience of using standard
  applications to create a range of documents
• an understanding of social and ethical issues in
  the context of IT
• in students key generic skills in group working,
  report writing and making oral presentations

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Summary of Materials Covered

• Computer systems,
• Computer networks
• Programming concepts
• Problem solving techniques
• Program design techniques
• Programming to solve well specified problems
• Concepts of file organisation
• Concepts of data structures
• Alternative software development approaches and
  techniques
• Use of standard applications in a Windows
  environment (word processing, presentation
  graphics)

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Learning Outcomes

• On completing this course successfully you will
  be able to
• understand at a conceptual level the principles
  of computer systems, networks, the internet and
  HTML.
• understand at a conceptual level the nature of
  software and how it is created
• understand at a practical level a range of
  software development approaches and techniques
• use computer programming to solve well specified
  problems

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Learning Outcomes

• On completing this course successfully you will
  be able to
• work in teams and individually to produce and
  present quality reports and presentations
• understand and explain social or ethical issues
  in the context of IT
• understand and explain aspects of real world
  computer systems
• demonstrate that you can reflect upon your
  learning and plan for your development

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Additional Skills Developed

• SK1 work successfully in a group towards
• a given goal
• SK2 participate in a successful presentation
• SK3 produce a successful report using a range
  of formats
• SK4 reflect meaningfully on work done
• SK5 explain technical aspects to a
  non- technical audience

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Computing Concepts Schedule
Structured Problem Solving
Week 1 Introduction to Programming Week 7 Java basics
Week 2 Introduction to Structured Problem Solving Week 8 Java Selection and Repetition
Week 3 Algorithms Week 9 Java Loops within loops
Week 4 Variables and Trace Tables Week 10 Java Strings
Week 5 Steps in Problem Solving Week 11 Test Revision and Test
Week 6 Problem Solving Exercises Christmas
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Computing Concepts Schedule
Structured Problem Solving
Week 12 Data Structures Week 19 Object Oriented Concepts
Week 13 Data Structures Week 20 Object Oriented Concepts
Week 14 Data Structures Week 21 Object Oriented Concepts
Week 15 Data Structures Week 22 Object Oriented Concepts
Week 16 Object Oriented Concepts Week 23 Object Oriented Concepts
Week 17 Object Oriented Concepts Easter
Week 18 Object Oriented Concepts Week 24 Object Oriented Concepts
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Do you want a good grade?

• This is a 60 credit course
• 6 hours per week in class
• 6 hours per week self study

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Course resources

• Web site
• Course texts
• Course software

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Course texts

• Before Christmas
• Computer Systems by Brian Farrimond and Stewart
  Blakeway, published in-house, price 5.00.
• Structured Problem Solving by George Herterich
  and Brian Farrimond published in-house, price
  5.00.
• After Christmas
• From Data Structures to Java, Brian Farrimond and
  George Herterich, published in-house, price
  5.00.
• See tutor about purchasing books

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Course software

• You will be using the following free software
• Before Christmas two in-house programs, 3-Bit
  Processor and Java Trainer, both developed by
  Brian Farrimond,
• After Christmas BlueJ which is a Java Integrated
  Development Environment designed especially for
  teaching and learning.(http//www.bluej.org/)

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Questions ?