COMP102 (2024) - Introduction to Computer Program Design
Prescription
Today, most problems are solved using computers. An understanding of programming is needed to harness the full potential of computers. This course serves as an introduction to the foundational principles of programming utilising the high-level object-oriented programming language Java. You will progressively enhance your programming abilities through the creation of computer programs tailored for various applications. This course establishes the fundamental groundwork for all subsequent computer science and software engineering courses, fostering the development of programming skills applicable to a wide range of academic disciplines.
Course learning objectives
Students who pass this course should be able to:
- Read, comprehend, design, and construct small programs using the Java programming language and an object-oriented design approach.
Course content
We’ve designed this course for in-person study, and to get the most of out it we strongly recommend you attend lectures on campus. Most assessment items, as well as tutorials/seminars/labs/workshops will only be available in person. Any exceptions for in-person attendance for assessment will be looked at on a case-by-case basis in exceptional circumstances, e.g., through disability services or by approval by the course coordinator.
Technical and theoretical content will be provided as online videos. The practical application of this is taught in lectures and labs. Lectures will be recorded and made available online. Labs are available in-person for those students in the Wellington region. There will be an online option for those studying outside of the Wellington region.
Tests are designed to be taken in-person, and a remote option for the tests will only be available to students studying abroad, although exception can be made under certain circumstances. The remote option for tests will use a Zoom-based system or similar for online supervision of the tests.
Students planning to take this course remotely must have access to a computer with camera and microphone and a reliable high speed internet connection that will support real-time video plus audio connections and screen sharing. Students must be able to use Zoom; other communication applications may also be used. A mobile phone connection only is not considered sufficient. The computer must be adequate to support the programming required by the course: almost any modern windows, macintosh, or unix laptop or desktop computer will be sufficient, but an Android or IOS tablet will not be enough.
Withdrawal from Course
Withdrawal dates and process:
https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/students/study/course-additions-withdrawals
Lecturers
Dr Karsten Lundqvist (Coordinator)
- karsten.lundqvist@vuw.ac.nz
- AM 421 Alan Macdiarmid Building, Gate 7, Kelburn Parade, Kelburn
Dr Ghassem Narimani
- ghassem.narimani@vuw.ac.nz
- CO 231 Cotton Building (All Blocks), Gate 7, Kelburn Parade, Kelburn
Teaching Format
There will be a combination of in-person components and web/internet based resources. All students who are able to are expected to attend the tests and labs in-person; students must have a good justification and obtain permission from the course coordinator to take the tests or attend labs by distance.
During the trimester there will be two lectures and one lab session per week. Lectures are recorded and made available online.
Dates (trimester, teaching & break dates)
- Teaching: 26 February 2024 - 31 May 2024
- Break: 01 April 2024 - 14 April 2024
- Study period: 03 June 2024 - 06 June 2024
- Exam period: 07 June 2024 - 22 June 2024
Other Classes
Each student should sign up for and attend ONE weekly 1 hour lab session. Our weekly timetable is on the 'Timetable' link on the course web pages: https://ecs.wgtn.ac.nz/Courses/COMP102_2024T1
We also have optional workshops and help desks. More details are given on our web site.
Set Texts and Recommended Readings
Required
There are no required texts for this offering.
Recommended
There are no recommended textbooks for the course.
Mandatory Course Requirements
There are no mandatory course requirements for this course.
If you believe that exceptional circumstances may prevent you from meeting the mandatory course requirements, contact the Course Coordinator for advice as soon as possible.
Assessment
This course will be assessed through one regularly graded assignment, and two tests. There are also six pass/fail assignments, that might modify the final grade (see below).
The first test will be in week 6. It will be a 1-hour test. The 2nd test will be 2 hours long in the assessment period of the trimester.
Pass/fail (p/f) assignmets:
To get the full grade on the course (i.e. the other assignments) at least 5 of the 6 p/f assignments must be passed.
If the student passes fewer of the pass/fail assignments, their overall grade will be capped at a grade maximum.
Below is a list of the maximums for the different number of passed assignments
- Passed 5 or 6: A+
- Passed 4: B+
- Passed 2 or 3: C+
- Passed 0 or 1: C-
For a p/f assignment to be regraded, the attempt must be substantial.If there is no submission or a submission is very limited, the assignment will receive a final fail grade.
Assignment and tests:
The other regularly graded assessments are summative, i.e. they are graded once and cannot be redone based on the receive grade or feedback.
| Assessment Item | Due Date or Test Date | CLO(s) | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test 1 (1 hour) | Week 6 | CLO: 1 | 30% |
| Marked assignment | Week 11 | CLO: 1 | 20% |
| Test 2 (2 hours) | Assessment period | CLO: 1 | 50% |
Penalties
- Trimester 1, 2024:
For the Pass/Fail Assignments: Work submitted after the deadline receives a fail grade.
For the Marked Assignment: If submitted up to 24 hours after the deadline will be penalised by 10%. If submitted between 24 and 48 hours is penalised by 20%. Any assignment submitted 48 hour or more after the deadline will not be marked and will get 0 marks.
Extensions
Individual extensions will only be granted if there are special personal circumstances, and should be negotiated with the course coordinator before the deadline whenever possible. Documentation (eg, medical certificate) may be requested if the extension is long.
Submission & Return
Students are discouraged fromusing AI tools (ChatGPT, Bing Chat, Github Copilot, Google Bard, Moonbeam, etc... ) to generate submitted material, or complete coursework in this course.
Submission of assignments must be done via the ECS online submission system, accessible through the 'Assignments' link on the course web pages: https://ecs.wgtn.ac.nz/Courses/COMP102_2024T1. Marks and comments will be returned through the ECS marking system, also available through the course web pages.
Group Work
Students may work in pairs on the pass/fail assignments, as long as they declare who they worked with on the assignment. The graded assignment must be worked on individually.
Required Equipment
The School does have lab computers, but students who need to use these computers for their assignments may have to use them during the evenings and weekends; it will be a significant advantage to have access to your own computer. The 'Resources' link on the course web pages https://ecs.wgtn.ac.nz/Courses/COMP102_2024T1 contains resources to make it easy for students to work on the programming assignments on their own computers.
Workload
COMP 102 is a 15pt course and therefore has nominal total workload of 150 hours. In order to maintain satisfactory progress in COMP 102, you should plan on spending at least 10 hours per week on this course. A plausible and approximate breakdown for these hours would be:
- Lectures : 3 hours (a third of these will be provided as video only)
- Reading and preparation: 1 hour
- Lab Sessions: 1 hour
- Further work on the assignment outside the lab session: 5 hours
Teaching Plan
See the 'Schedule' link on the course web pages: https://ecs.wgtn.ac.nz/Courses/COMP102_2024T1/Schedule
Communication of Additional Information
The primary means of communication outside of lecture will be the COMP 102 web site at https://ecs.wgtn.ac.nz/Courses/COMP102_2024T1/
You should make a bookmark to the course home page because you will need to access it frequently.
There you will find, among other things, more details about course requirements, the course schedule (with links to copies of the lecture slides), details and resources for the assignments, and the assignment submission system. You should make a bookmark to the course home page because you will need to access it frequently.
Announcements will be made via the COMP 102 course on Nuku. Recordings of lectures will also be available via Nuku.
Links to General Course Information
- Academic Integrity and Plagiarism: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/students/study/exams/academic-integrity
- Academic Progress: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/students/study/progress/academic-progess (including restrictions and non-engagement)
- Dates and deadlines: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/students/study/dates
- Grades: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/students/study/progress/grades
- Special passes: Refer to the Assessment Handbook, at https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/documents/policy/staff-policy/assessment-handbook.pdf
- Statutes and policies, e.g. Student Conduct Statute: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/about/governance/strategy
- Student support: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/students/support
- Students with disabilities: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/st_services/disability/
- Student Charter: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/learning-teaching/learning-partnerships/student-charter
- Student Feedback on University courses may be found at: http://www.cad.vuw.ac.nz/feedback/feedback_display.php
- Terms and Conditions: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/study/apply-enrol/terms-conditions/student-contract
- Turnitin: http://www.cad.vuw.ac.nz/wiki/index.php/Turnitin
- University structure: https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/about/governance/structure
- The Use of Te Reo Māori for Assessment Policy:
Victoria University values te reo Māori. Students who wish to submit any of their assessments in te reo Māori must refer to The Use of Te Reo Māori for Assessment Policy
He mea nui te reo Māori ki te Whare Wānanga o te Ūpoko o te Ika. Ki te pīrangi koe ki te tuhituhi i ō aro matawai i roto i te reo Māori, tēnā me mātua whakapā atu ki te kaupapa here, The Use of Te Reo Māori for Assessment Policy - VUWSA: http://www.vuwsa.org.nz
Offering CRN: 943
Points: 15
Restrictions: COMP 112
Duration: 26 February 2024 - 23 June 2024
Starts: Trimester 1
Campus: Kelburn