COMP112 (2018) - Introduction to Computer Science

Prescription

This course introduces a range of important concepts and topics across Computer Science, Software Engineering and Network Engineering. Students will also gain a solid foundation of programming skills in object oriented programming. The course is an entry point to the BE(Hons) and BSc in Computer Science for students who already have basic programming skills.

Course learning objectives

Students who pass this course should be able to:

  1. Understand, design, and construct programs using the Java language, a variety of libraries and an object-oriented design approach.
  2. Understand a range of fundamental issues and principles across computer science, software engineering, and network engineering.

Withdrawal from Course

Withdrawal dates and process:
https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/students/study/course-additions-withdrawals

Lecturers

Teaching Format

During the trimester there will be three lectures and one lab session per week.

Student feedback

Student feedback on University courses may be found at: www.cad.vuw.ac.nz/feedback/feedback_display.php

Dates (trimester, teaching & break dates)

  • Teaching: 05 March 2018 - 08 June 2018
  • Break: 23 April 2018 - 27 April 2018
  • Study period: 11 June 2018 - 14 June 2018
  • Exam period: 15 June 2018 - 04 July 2018

Class Times and Room Numbers

05 March 2018 - 25 March 2018

  • Thursday 10:00 - 10:50 – LT101, Maclaurin, Kelburn
  • Friday 11:00 - 11:50 – LT122, Cotton, Kelburn
05 March 2018 - 01 April 2018

  • Tuesday 10:00 - 10:50 – LT122, Cotton, Kelburn
02 April 2018 - 22 April 2018

  • Thursday 10:00 - 10:50 – LT101, Maclaurin, Kelburn
  • Friday 11:00 - 11:50 – LT122, Cotton, Kelburn
09 April 2018 - 22 April 2018

  • Tuesday 10:00 - 10:50 – LT122, Cotton, Kelburn
30 April 2018 - 10 June 2018

  • Tuesday 10:00 - 10:50 – LT122, Cotton, Kelburn
  • Thursday 10:00 - 10:50 – LT101, Maclaurin, Kelburn
  • Friday 11:00 - 11:50 – LT122, Cotton, Kelburn

Other Classes

Choose ONE lab session from Monday 12-1 or Monday 2-3

Required

There are no required texts for this offering.

Mandatory Course Requirements

In addition to achieving an overall pass mark of at least 50%, students must:

  • Attain at least a D in at least 8 of the lab assignments. Reason: the practical skills involved in being able to write and debug programs are an essential component of COMP 112.

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 assignments, two tests, and a final examination. There will be 10 weekly assignments. Students may choose to do an alternative combined assignment in place of assignments 6 & 7, and another alternative combined assignment in places of assignments 8 & 9. The combined assignments will we worth 4% each.

Assessment ItemDue Date or Test DateCLO(s)Percentage
10 Assignments (with alternatives as described above)CLO: 1,220%
Test 1CLO: 1,215%
Test 2CLO: 1,215%
Exam (2 hours)CLO: 1,250%

Penalties

Model solutions to the core parts of the assignments will be made available in the lab within a few hours of the submission time. These will allow you to review and assess your own work, and also build on the model solutions for the next assignment. Comparing your work to the provided solutions is an important part of the learning. Note that this means that assignments submitted after the solutions are made available will generally not be marked, unless you have made arrangements on the basis of exceptional circumstances with the lecturer or senior tutor.

Extensions

Individual extensions will only be granted in exceptional personal circumstances, and should be negotiated with the course coordinator before the deadline whenever possible. Documentation (eg, medical certificate) may be required.

Submission & Return

All work is submitted through the ECS submission system, accessible through the course web pages. Marks and comments will be returned through the ECS marking system, also available through the course web pages.

Group Work

All submitted work must be done individually.

Workload

COMP 112 is a 15pt course and therefore has nominal total workload of 150 hours. In order to maintain satisfactory progress in COMP 112, you should plan on spending 10 hours per week on this course. A plausible and approximate breakdown for these hours would be:

  • Lectures: 3 hours
  • Reading and preparation: 1 hour
  • Lab Sessions: 1hour
  • Further work on the assignment outside the lab session: 4 hours

Teaching Plan

See https://ecs.victoria.ac.nz/Courses/COMP112_2018T1/CourseSchedule

Communication of Additional Information

All information about the course is available on the course website: https://ecs.victoria.ac.nz/Courses/COMP112_2018T1/

Offering CRN: 26034

Points: 15
Prerequisites: 14 AS level 3 NCEA credits in Digital Technology including 6 credits in Computer Programming, or COMP 102, or INFO 102 or equivalent programming experience;
Restrictions: COMP 103
Duration: 05 March 2018 - 04 July 2018
Starts: Trimester 1
Campus: Kelburn