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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2011/2012
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Informatics : Informatics

Postgraduate Course: Introduction to Java Programming (INFR09021)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Informatics CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Course typeStandard AvailabilityAvailable to all students
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 9 (Postgraduate) Credits10
Home subject areaInformatics Other subject areaNone
Course website http://www.inf.ed.ac.uk/teaching/courses/ijp Taught in Gaelic?No
Course descriptionThe study of Informatics generally involves the formation of hypotheses and theories which can then be tested through the creation of computer models. In order to create these models, students need to be able to write their own computer programs as well as use pre-existing special purpose systems and tools. This module is intended to provide students who do not already have significant computing experience, with the ability and confidence to use Java as their programming tool for their summer project work.

This is a lab-based course, supported by the BlueJ book. Students will also follow an accompanying series of recorded lectures online, and carry out additional programming work outside the timetabled laboratory sessions.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Students MUST NOT also be taking Informatics 1 - Object-Oriented Programming (INFR08014)
Other requirements For Informatics PG students only, or by special permission of the School. Students are expected to have some basic familiarity with the concepts of computing and data representation.
Additional Costs None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus?Yes
Course Delivery Information
Delivery period: 2011/12 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1) WebCT enabled:  Yes Quota:  None
Location Activity Description Weeks Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
No Classes have been defined for this Course
First Class Week 1, Wednesday, 15:00 - 15:50, Zone: Central. DHT Faculty Rm South
No Exam Information
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
1 - Students will be able to state, in writing and verbally, basic principles of object-oriented software design.
2 - Given an object oriented design as a diagram or textual description, students will be able to evaluate the quality of that design and discuss its strengths and weaknesses with respect to its stated purpose.
3 - Students will be able to design an object oriented software solution to a problem using diagrammatic and textual representations.
4 - Students will be able to implement an object oriented design in the Java language using appropriate software development environments, such as BlueJ or NetBeans.
5 - Students will be able to relate the syntax of the Java language to its semantics, and analyse the result of executing fragments of Java syntax.
6 - Given a Java program, students will be able to explain, in writing and verbally, what would happen when that program is executed, and identify bugs which would prevent it executing as described in the program documentation.
7 - Given a Java program and a debugging tool, students will be able to identify and correct bugs which prevent the program from functioning as intended.
8 - Students will be to write documentation in Javadoc style to explain the design and implementation of their own code, or example code which is supplied to them.
9 - Students will be able to use the Java development environments Eclipse and NetBeans.
10 - Students will be able to integrate library code with their own programs using appropriate software tools.
11 - Students will be able to use online technical documentation to solve implementation problems as they arise during software development.
12 - Students will be able to describe stages in the software development process and the identify software tools which are used to support these stages.
Assessment Information
Written Examination 0
Assessed Assignments 100
Oral Presentations 0

Assessment
Assessment is through two minor programming tests and two major practical programming exercises. Students will carry out some of the work on these during the assigned laboratory sessions.

If delivered in semester 1, this course will have an option for semester 1 only visiting undergraduate students, providing assessment prior to the end of the calendar year.
Special Arrangements
None
Additional Information
Academic description Not entered
Syllabus Object-oriented programming concepts:
o Classes, objects, sub-classes, inheritance, encapsulation, polymorphism.

Software development - principles and practice:
o Producing correct, understandable and maintainable classes.
o Responsibility driven design.
o Coupling, cohesion, refactoring.

Using appropriate development tools:
o Integrated development environments.
o Debuggers.
o Version control systems.

The Java programming language and standard library packages:
o Packages, classes, interfaces, instances, fields, methods.
o Variables, identifiers, types, values.
o Expressions, statements, conditionals, loops, iterators.
o Collections.

Basic User Interfaces:
o Swing components.
o Event handling.

Relevant QAA Computing Curriculum Sections: Programming Fundamentals
Transferable skills Not entered
Reading list * Objects First with Java - A Practical Introduction Using BlueJ by David J. Barnes & Michael Kölling, Fourth Edition (Prentice Hall / Pearson Education, 2008. ISBN-10: 0137005628)
* The Java Tutorial, Third Edition by Mary Campione, Kathy Walrath, and Alison Huml (Addison Wesley, 2001)
Study Abroad Not entered
Study Pattern Lectures 0
Tutorials 0
Timetabled Laboratories 40
Non-timetabled assessed assignments 30
Private Study/Other 30
Total 100
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Nigel Goddard
Tel: (0131 6)51 3091
Email: Nigel.Goddard@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Kate Weston
Tel: (0131 6)50 2701
Email: Kate.Weston@ed.ac.uk
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© Copyright 2011 The University of Edinburgh - 16 January 2012 6:16 am