COMP SCI 1015 - Introduction to Programming for Information Technology Specialists

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2020

This course is designed for students with no prior programming experience, who are enrolled in the Bachelor of Information Technology. The course introduces the fundamental concepts of procedural programming, with a focus on approaches to programming relevant for IT, including scripting languages. Topics include algorithms and problem solving, data types, control structures, functions, arrays, files, and the mechanics of running, testing, and debugging. The course also offers an introduction to the ethical, historical and social context of computing.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code COMP SCI 1015
    Course Introduction to Programming for Information Technology Specialists
    Coordinating Unit Computer Science
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 10 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N
    Incompatible COMP SCI 1101
    Restrictions Only available to Bachelor of Information Technology students or by approval of Head of School
    Course Description This course is designed for students with no prior programming experience, who are enrolled in the Bachelor of Information Technology. The course introduces the fundamental concepts of procedural programming, with a focus on approaches to programming relevant for IT, including scripting languages. Topics include algorithms and problem solving, data types, control structures, functions, arrays, files, and the mechanics of running, testing, and debugging. The course also offers an introduction to the ethical, historical and social context of computing.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Tim Chen

    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    On successful completion of this course students will be able to:
    1. Design algorithms to solve simple problems,
    2. Use those algorithms in the Processing programming environment,
    3. Demonstrate the ability to correct, test and debug Processing programs, and
    4. Explain how algorithms and Processing programs work.
    The above course learning outcomes are aligned with the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standard for the Professional Engineer.
    The course is designed to develop the following Elements of Competency: 1.1 1.2 1.3 2.1 2.2 2.3 3.2 3.3 3.6
    University Graduate Attributes

    No information currently available.

  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes

    No information currently available.

    Workload

    No information currently available.

    Learning Activities Summary

    No information currently available.

  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Task Weighting
    Practical Assignments 20%
    Group Assignments 25%
    Online Prac Exams 15%
    Final Online Exam 30%
    Weekly Quizzes 10%
    Due to the current COVID-19 situation modified arrangements have been made to assessments to facilitate remote learning and teaching. Assessment details provided here reflect recent updates.

    Practical Assignment - 20%
    Friday Quiz - 10%
    Group Assignments - 25% on week 10-12
    Prac Exams - 15% on week 6 & 9
    Final online Exam - 30%
    Assessment Detail
    Practical Assignments: From week 2, you can attend the weekly practical sessions via Zoom. During the practical session, you will be working on an interactive Jupyter notebook with tutors and peers. The notebook should be submitted by the midnight same day and will be assessed on the satisfactory completion of a series of practical questions. The assessment of this work will include functional implementation and testing of your work.

    Practical Examinations: Two of the weekly online practical session will be conducted in the examination form. During this examination session, you will be required to complete a series of practical questions under examination conditions.

    Group Assignment: During the second half of the semester, you will need to complete a group programming assignment on a mid-size project. We will provide you with sample topics and expected functions. This assignment will be assessed based on your design, documentation, and functional implementation.

    Quizzes: There will be weekly quizzes on the MyUni system. The quizzes are designed to reinforce your learning of the weekly material and prepare you for the workshop in the next week.

    Final Examination: your final examination is your main assessment component, combining assessment of practical skills (development of algorithms, code development, testing and analysis, etc) and theoretical skills (understanding of concepts, analysis of concepts, the ability to compare and contrast, etc). The exam will be conducted online via Zoom.
    Submission
    All submissions will be done online via MyUni system. Quizzes will be automatically marked in Canvas.

    Late Penalties
    Failure to submit an assessment item on time or by the agreed extension deadline will result in penalties. For each day or part-day that a programming assignment is late, the maximum mark that can be awarded is reduced by 25%.

    Extensions
    Any request for an extension of time for the submission of an assessment item should be made well before the due date to the Course Coordinator. Normally, extensions will only be granted for a maximum of two weeks from the original assignment submission date. Extensions will only be granted in cases of genuine extenuating circumstances and evidence, such as a medical certificate, must be provided.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.