KV4012 - Programming

Theories and key concepts will be presented in lectures. These lectures will often include interactive elements to allow you to practise and apply new concepts before moving onwards. There will also be practical workshop sessions and independent study tasks.

Your learning will involve completing a number of programming exercises and tasks. These tasks will increase in difficulty over the module and will allow you to practise all the core concepts presented in the lectures. The tasks will also require you to solve problems and carry out independent reading/study. You will work on these tasks with the support of academic staff. During workshop sessions you can discuss any problems you have. The tutors will give you feedback on the work you have completed – either by suggesting solutions to problems you could not complete or by suggesting better solutions to problems that you have completed to make your program more efficient or more professional. You will also be directed to a number of online resources where further information is available.

You will be taught by tutors who are expert programmers and who have an active interest in current directions taken by programming and software development. Lectures will present you with material and workshop classes will allow you to practice your skills. Tutors will be available for all timetabled sessions and can also answer questions by using email or appointments outside formal scheduled sessions.
Teaching material will be available via the University’s e-learning portal, including lecture slides and practical tasks. A range of computing facilities will be available, including some facilities that will be available outside working hours. Computers dedicated to Computer Science will offer industry-standard development software. Development software is also available for you to install on your own computer.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
ML01 - Demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles of programming using an appropriate programming language, including the use of variables and conditional statements.
ML02 - Demonstrate knowledge of fundamental programming concepts including loops, functions and subprograms
ML03 - Demonstrate an understanding of abstraction mechanisms and structured data types.

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
ML04 – Develop abilities in creating reliable and maintainable software using appropriate code standards.

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
ML05 – Ability to solve problems using a structured approach.

Formative assessment will take the form of exercises to help you apply the concepts covered in the lectures and to check your understanding. Your tutors will provide you with feedback on your work.

There are two summative assessments each worth 50% of your overall mark for the course. The first assessment comprises a set of divergent tasks or questions. You will submit your work for this first assessment as one, single assignment hand-in for informative feedback. For the second assessment you will undertake a small project which allows you to construct a simple application to show your understanding of key programming concepts and demonstrate your learning in context.

Feedback will be provided using the university’s e-learning portal, and there will be a dedicated feedback session to discuss any further questions. This will assess all MLOs.

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During this module you will learn how to create software using a programming language such as Python. You will learn to select and apply standard programming structures for appropriate situations. The module will cover the use of variables, conditions, loops, subprograms, abstraction mechanisms and structured data types. You will learn to apply your skills using a professional development library to build interactive user interfaces such as Flex.

You will practise solving problems by breaking them down into smaller tasks. As well as constructing software that works, you will also start to consider the quality of your code and produce software that is reliable and maintainable by working to professional standards. You will learn to test, debug and maintain software of an appropriate size and to manage your time in constructing well-structured software products. We will study one programming language in detail on this module.