Introduction to Programming
- Course name: Introduction to Programming
- Code discipline:
- Subject area: ['Basic concept - algorithm, program, data', 'Computer architecture basics', 'Structured programming', 'Object-oriented programming', 'Generic programming', 'Exception handling', 'Programming by contract (c)', 'Functional programming', 'Concurrent programming']
Short Description
Prerequisites
Prerequisite subjects
Prerequisite topics
Course Topics
Course Sections and Topics
| Section |
Topics within the section
|
| Introduction to programming |
- Basic definitions – algorithm, program, computer, von Neumann architecture, CPU lifecycle.
- Programming languages history and overview. Imperative (procedural) and functional approaches.
- Translation – compilation vs. interpretation. JIT, AOT. Hybrid modes.
- Introduction to typification. Static and dynamic typing. Type inference. Basic types – integer, real, character, boolean, bit. Arrays and strings. Records-structures.
- Programming – basic concepts. Statements and expressions. 3 atomic statements - assignment, if-check, goto. Control structures – conditional, assignment, goto, case-switch-inspect, loops.
- Variables and constants.
- Routines – procedures and functions.
|
| Introduction to object-oriented programming |
- Key principles of object-oriented programming
- Overloading is not overriding
- Concepts of class and object
- How objects can be created?
- Single and multiple inheritance
|
| Introduction to generics, exception handling and programming by contract (C) |
- Introduction to generics
- Introduction to exception handling
- Introduction to programming by contract (C)
|
| Introduction to programming environments |
- Concept of libraries as the basis for reuse.
- Concept of interfaces/API. Separate compilation.
- Approaches to software documentation.
- Persistence. Files.
- How to building a program. Recompilation problem. Name clashes, name spaces
|
| Introduction to concurrent and functional programming |
- Concurrent programming.
- Functional programming within imperative programming languages.
|
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
What is the main purpose of this course?
The Introduction to Programming course teaches the fundamental concepts and skills necessary to perform programming at a professional level. Students will learn how to master the fundamental control structures, data structures, reasoning patterns and programming language mechanisms characterizing modern programming, as well as the fundamental rules of producing high-quality software. They will acquire the necessary programming background for later courses introducing programming skills in specialized application areas. The course focuses on Object Oriented paradigm.
ILOs defined at three levels
Level 1: What concepts should a student know/remember/explain?
By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...
- Basic concepts of programming. What is algorithm, program.
- Concept of typification. Dynamic and static types.
- Concepts of structured programming, object-oriented one.
- Concepts of exception handling and generic programming.
- Concurrent programming and functional programming in imperative programming languages.
- verification of the software based on programming by contract (C)
Level 2: What basic practical skills should a student be able to perform?
By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...
- How to create high quality software using mainstream concepts of programming.
- What is object-oriented programming and its main advantages
- How to increase the level of abstraction with help of genericity.
- How to create concurrent programs and what are the main issues related to this kind of programming
Level 3: What complex comprehensive skills should a student be able to apply in real-life scenarios?
By the end of the course, the students should be able to ...
- To be able to create quality programs in Java.
Grading
Course grading range
| Grade |
Range |
Description of performance
|
| A. Excellent |
85-100 |
-
|
| B. Good |
75-84 |
-
|
| C. Satisfactory |
60-75 |
-
|
| D. Poor |
0-59 |
-
|
Course activities and grading breakdown
| Activity Type |
Percentage of the overall course grade
|
| Labs/seminar classes |
40
|
| Interim performance assessment |
30
|
| Exams |
30
|
Recommendations for students on how to succeed in the course
Resources, literature and reference materials
Open access resources
Closed access resources
Software and tools used within the course
Teaching Methodology: Methods, techniques, & activities
Activities and Teaching Methods
Activities within each section
| Learning Activities |
Section 1 |
Section 2 |
Section 3 |
Section 4 |
Section 5
|
| Homework and group projects |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1
|
| Midterm evaluation |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0
|
| Testing (written or computer based) |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
1
|
| Oral polls |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1
|
| Discussions |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1
|
| Development of individual parts of software product code |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
| Reports |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0
|
Formative Assessment and Course Activities
Ongoing performance assessment
Section 1
| Activity Type |
Content |
Is Graded?
|
| Question |
What is the difference between compiler and interpreter? |
1
|
| Question |
What is the difference between type and variable? |
1
|
| Question |
What is the background of structured programming? |
1
|
| Question |
How to compile a program? |
0
|
| Question |
How to run a program? |
0
|
| Question |
How to debug a program? |
0
|
Section 2
| Activity Type |
Content |
Is Graded?
|
| Question |
What is the meaning of polymorphism? |
1
|
| Question |
How to check the dynamic type of an object? |
1
|
| Question |
What are the limitations of single inheritance? |
1
|
| Question |
What are the issues related with multiple inheritance? |
1
|
| Question |
How to handle array of objects of some class type? |
0
|
| Question |
How to implement the class which logically has to have 2 constructors with the same signature but with different semantics? |
0
|