COMP3202
The Nature of Computing
Module Outline
Semester 1 2014/15
Dr. Colin B. Price
c.price@worc.ac.uk CHG013
Stephanie Allen (s.allen@worc.ac.uk )
Occurrence A : Wed 09:15 – 12:15 CH1007b
Occurrence B : Tues17:15 – 21:15 CH1007b
Dr. Pete Moody.
Module Web Pages at
http://staffweb.worc.ac.uk/DrC/Courses%20201415/COMP3202/3104Home.htm
Module Tutors:
Contact details:
Academic Liaison Librarian:
Day and Time:
Venue:
Verified by:
Electronic copy available:
ABOUT THE MODULE
1. What will I be able to do when I have passed this module?
On successful completion of the module, you should be able to:
1. Critically reflect on how to design computer hardware components or systems.
2. Demonstrate a critical understanding of approaches to controlling real-world systems using appropriate
hardware and software.
3. Reflect critically on the nature of Artificial Intelligence as provided by computing approaches.
4. Critically analyse important contemporary applications of computing and future promises.
2. How will this module enhance my future employability?
This module will enable you to develop and enhance the following and evidence them on your CV:
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Application of relevant knowledge. This module will provide a grounding of theoretical and technical aspects of
computing enhancing students’ understanding of “Systems Thinking”. You will also appreciate the need for the
application of correct approaches to systems design.
Critical Analysis. This module looks critically at the nature of computing, especially software and hardware
design. Students will develop skills of logical thinking and and will have an opportunity to develop their
mathematical skills.
Interpersonal Skills. Peer review of draft short reports will encourage students to develop their interpersonal
skills.
Team Working. Students will work in teams to peer-review their short reports. This teamwork provides formative
assessment and is not graded.
3. How is this module assessed?
Assessment
Weighting
Portfolio of Short
Reports
100%
Learning outcomes
assessed
1,2,3,4
Submission date
Return Date
Indicated during
Module Sessions.
Two weeks after
report title
becomes
available
One week after
submission
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The assignment will comprise four “short reports” which will be submitted for both formative and summative
assessment during the module sessions. Staged submission deadlines for the summative reports will occur at regular
intervals during the module, and will be published at the outset of the module. Each short report will consist of 750
words equivalent. The final grade will be calculated as the average of all submitted reports. Each report will be subject
to formative assessment via peer review and may be enhanced before the staged submission deadline. This process
will be explained during the first module session.
4. Indicative Schedule
Sessions will be structured around four “Units” which will each run over around three weeks, though each Unit may be
changed in length according to students’ interest in and enjoyment of the subject material.
w/c
Wk
No
22/09/2014
29/09/2014
1
2
06/10/2014
13/10/2014
20/10/2014
27/10/2014
3
4
5
6
03/11/2014
7
10/11/2014
17/11/2014
24/11/2014
01/12/2014
08/12/2014
15/12/2014
22/12/2014
29/12/2014
05/01/2015
12/01/2015
19/01/2015
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9
10
11
12
13
14
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Lecture, Seminar and Reading are all integrated. Reading materials will be
indicated during the module sessions.
Semester 1 commences
Artificial Intelligence: Neural Networks, Backpropagation of Errors. Application
to robot search and medical diagnosis. Rule-Based systems, application to
medical diagnosis. Central Pattern Generators and application to Weebee
locomotion. (ILO 3)
Quantum Computing: Principles of Quantum Physics and application to
WBS Future Week
Classical Gates. Beyond classical gates, Quantum search. Entanglement and
Teleportation. Philosophical implications; understanding the nature of human
consciousness. Towards a Quantum Mechanical theory of learning. (ILO 4)
Designing Computer Circuits: The CPU Fetch-Execute cycle (RISC
processor)
WBS Future Week and Award Ceremonies
Digital Logic and Boolean Algebra. Designing circuits using VHDL and
implementation on FPGA hardware. (ILO 1)
Robotics: Algorithms and Programming. Line Following, Obstacle Avoidance
Christmas break
Christmas break
Christmas break
Finite State Machines. Simulated and Real-World robots.
Assessment and Academic Tutoring Week for Semester 1 modules
5. What reading should I do for this module?
Set Text - There is no set text for this module since no single text covers all of the topics in this module. Students
will be directed to contemporary supporting material.
Seminal Articles Articles will be drawn from Communications of the ACM, Intelligence, Intel Technology
Journal, IBM Journal of Research and Development, Scientific American and Nature.
Essential reading All students are expected to read these works:
Chu, P.P., 2008 FPGA Prototyping Using VHDL Examples: Xilinx Spartan-3 Version Wiley-Blackwell
Hwang, E.O 2005 Digital Logic and Microprocessor Design with VHDL Nelson Engineering
Margolis, M., 2012 Arduino Cookbook O’Reilly Media
Kaku, M., 2012 Physics of the Future: The Inventions That Will Transform Our Lives Penguin
Warwick, K., 2011 Artificial Intelligence: The Basics Routledge.
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What Students love about this module:
This is a new module, so you will be the first to identify what you love about the module.
Previous feedback from this module indicated
This is a new module, so you will be the first to provide module feedback.
Harvard Citing and Referencing Guide
Available at http://www.worcester.ac.uk/ils/documents/Harvard_referencing.pdf
Procedures for Dealing with Exceptional Mitigating Circumstances
Available at http://www.worcester.ac.uk/registryservices/679.htm
Professional Code of Practice and Conduct
In order to enhance your future employability as well as the quality of your learning experience, this module seeks to
encourage professional behaviour in class, which echoes professional standards in the workplace. Full details of the
School’s Professional Code of Practice and Conduct can be found on Blackboard.
Sustainability
The University of Worcester is committed to addressing sustainability in its broad sense as reflected in the University
Strategic Plan (to 2018) as an area of Distinction. Do consider this in the actions taken in the modules and generally
in campus life.
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APPENDIX - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Learning & Teaching Issues:
Q: How will this module be taught?
A: Learning will be centred around set tasks where students carry out a number of activities, following input from the
Tutor. Tasks will involve the use of computing software but also microprocessor and microcontroller hardware.
Q: What resources are available to support this module?
A: The range of sources includes:
 The Blackboard Learning System – where you will find module, course and other useful information
from your tutors, student academic representatives (StARs) and librarian. The module will be run
from the web pages located at http://staffweb.worc.ac.uk/DrC/Courses%20201415/COMP3202/3104Home.htm A link to these pages will be placed on Blackboard.
 Software. A range of professional and open source software will be used. This will be indicated in
the module sessions.
 Library Resources - The University of Worcester Library search tool ‘Library Search’ provides you
with free access to several million books, journal and newspaper articles, market reports,
conference papers and more through a single search box. These resources are not accessible
through freely available search engines, such as Google. Access ‘Library Search’ by logging into
the Student Portal and selecting ‘Library Search’. Alternatively go direct to your Computing LibGuide
http://libguides.worc.ac.uk/computing - these guides include ‘Library Search’ plus lots more useful
guidance to help you with your research. It is important that you read and critically evaluate the
resources you find, so that you are informed about, and can debate, key academic arguments.
Used wisely and appropriately, Library resources, both print and electronic, will enhance your
learning and help you improve your results. Make sure you use them! For further help and guidance
email the general library enquiry service askalibrarian@worc.ac.uk or contact your Academic
Liaison Librarian, Stephanie Allen s.allen@worc.ac.uk . You can also ask at the enquiry desk on
level 3 in The Hive.
Q: What equal opportunities arrangements are available?
A: If you have any particular or additional learning needs, please feel free to speak with the module tutors,
who will be pleased to help you. University of Worcester is committed to ensuring that disabled people,
including those with learning difficulties, are treated fairly. Should you have any disability or condition that
the tutor should know about, tutors will make every effort to accommodate any particular needs, so long as
they are made aware of them. You will find additional useful information on the Disability and Dyslexia
webpages at http://www.worcester.ac.uk/student-services/disability-and-dyslexia.htm
Student Responsibilities:
Q: Why is it important to attend ALL sessions for this module?
A: Attendance and participation are essential elements of ‘being a student’ and there is a very high
correlation between high levels of participation and achievement, consequently:
 You are expected to attend and participate in every session.
 An attendance register will be taken at each session
 If you cannot attend for any genuine reason (e.g. illness) you are expected to e-mail the module
leader
 Persistent non-attendance will require an explanation, in person, initially with the module leader.
Q: What will I be expected to do for this module?
A: In addition to the formal contact hours you will be expected to engage in approximately three hours of
independent study each week for this module. This will typically include:
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Reading for lectures, case study work, reading for seminars, or other activities set by the tutors
Pre-set work for seminars – if you do not do this you may be excluded from the seminar which will
then count as a non-attendance.
Time to produce your assignments including - planning, drafting, consulting with your writingup/production, confirming sources and references (to avoid any possibility of plagiarism), checking
and finalising your work for submission.
Q: Why is it important that I hand my work in on time?
A: It is essential that you submit your work, in order to be able to pass the module. Work which is
submitted late will be subject to grade penalties:
 Late but within 5 days of the due date - the grade will be capped at the minimum pass grade
(unless a claim of mitigating circumstances is made and upheld).
 Later than 5 days but within 14 days of the due date - work will not be marked unless a claim of
mitigating circumstances is made and upheld
 Non-submission of all assignments on this module will obviously result in the module being
failed, but will also mean that you will not be permitted a reassessment opportunity. This
means you will be required to retake the module (with attendance and incurring a fee). In
order to qualify for reassessment opportunities, you must have made a serious attempt at one
or more of the assignments. (As always, an exception is made if a mitigating circumstances
claim is made and upheld.)

Assessment & Feedback:
Q: How will I get feedback about my work? Feedback can take many forms, but each can be used to
improve your performance. Some of the different types of feedback include:
 Summative feedback on the staged assessments one week after submission.
 Generic feedback from tutors covering particular strengths/weaknesses found in the work of a
particular student group (by email, in class, electronic forms (e.g. videos, blogs, narrated slides etc).
 Comments from other students about your work (peer feedback) written and spoken (in class, 1-1,
in groups).
 Verbal comments from your tutor associated with your work (while discussing in class (e.g. ideas
you are thinking about), in seminars/ groups (e.g. Q&As, debates), 1-1 conversations).
 Written comments from your tutor (by email answering questions, on the virtual learning website
(e.g. Blackboard) providing responses to student queries, usually attached to your assignments).
A: You will receive feedback throughout the module via grading of the short reports submitted at regular
intervals during the module. Marks and comments on your coursework assignments are normally provided
electronically via SOLE within 7 working days of each staged submission date.
Q: How can I learn to improve?
A: The following resources will help you to optimise your grade potential:
 Your assignment feedback, which will help to clarify areas you can improve in future assessments.
 Your Academic Tutor will help you to reflect on your progress and make the most of the learning
resources and other forms of learning support available to you. Please arrange to meet regularly
with your Academic Tutor to ensure you get the full benefit of this important aid to your learning.
 The Study Skills Advice Sheet available at ‘Using feedback to improve your work’ offers some
helpful tips and checklist. This is available at
http://www.worcester.ac.uk/studyskills/documents/Using_feedback_to_improve_your_work_2012.pd
f
Q: What advice do you have about how to write, reference and present my work in order to obtain
the best possible grade?
A: You will be graded on the quality of your writing as well as the content. This will include
 The ability to present your material in an appropriate format (report, essay etc)
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The ability to present your work in grammatically correct English (sentences, paragraphs,
apostrophes etc)
The correct use of references based on the Harvard system – see guide available at
http://www.worcester.ac.uk/ils/documents/Harvard_referencing.pdf A hard copy of this guide is
available in the Library.
Poor English and referencing can lose you up to two grade points per assignment (this will not apply to
students having support from the Disability & Dyslexia Service).
Help with academic writing is available to all students from the Writer in Residence (see Blackboard for
details). International Students can also contact the Language Centre (see
http://www.worc.ac.uk/departments/10315.html )
You will also find helpful guidance from attending the Study Skills Workshops or accessing the Study Skills
Advice Sheets (including on referencing) - see http://www.worcester.ac.uk/studyskills/
Q: Why is it important to reference?
A: It is important that work you submit is entirely your own. This is why you must clearly identify all
sources, including the internet, and communicate your thoughts in your own words/diagrams/images rather
than reproducing the material of others. Failure to do so may lead to an allegation of cheating. The use of
online collaborative encyclopædiae such as Wikipedia is not acceptable.
Module Organisation & Management Issues:
Q: How do I contact the module tutors?
A: E email the module leader rather than individual tutors directly. Provided you have emailed from
your university address you should expect to receive a reply within 3 working days. If this is not the case,
please email wbs@worc.ac.uk to chase your enquiry.
Q: How can I communicate my views about the module?
A: Module tutors will welcome your comments throughout the module. You will also be asked to complete
a survey at the end of each module. The results of these will influence how the module is run and
suggestions, as well as praise, are always welcomed. Your tutors will tell you at the start of the module
how feedback from a previous occurrence (if there was one) has influenced the current delivery. You can
also access fuller details on Blackboard in the folder marked ‘‘Tutor Responses to Your Module Evaluation
Questionnaires’. There will also be a Course Management Committee meeting each semester including
student representatives, teaching staff, and Information and Learning Services (ILS) advisers. The
purpose of the meeting is to discuss issues related to the course and receive comments from students.
The minutes are posted on Blackboard.
Q: Where can I find Student Handbooks?
A: The most useful handbook is your Course Handbook which is available on Blackboard. Other
handbooks which you may find useful include:
 The University Student Handbook (via SOLE)
 The Overseas Exchange Handbook (via SOLE)
 The International Student Handbook (via SOLE)
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COMP 3202
The Nature of Computing
Assignment 1
Semester 1 2014/15
Words:
Weighting:
Learning Outcomes Assessed:
Submission date:
Module Leader:
Verified by:
Electronic copy available:
Total “word count” for the four short reports is 3000
words in total.
100%
1,2,3,4
Staged submission. Indicated during the module
sessions. The final submission deadline is 15.00 on
Wed 14th Jan 2015.
Dr.C.B.Price
Dr.P.J.Moody
http://staffweb.worc.ac.uk/DrC/Courses%20201415/COMP3202/3104Home.htm
Please contact the module leader if anything on this assignment brief is unclear.
Assignment task(s)
This assignment requires you to complete four “short reports”. The details of each report will be published
during the module sessions, towards the end of each “Unit”. This is to allow the module tutor to best tune
the details of each report to the students’ performance on the Unit materials. The final report will also ask
you to critically reflect on your learning during the module and in particular how you used the feedback from
the previous three reports. The first three reports will be paper-based and handed in at stages during the
module as indicated by the module tutor and on the module web-pages. The final report will be submitted
electronically via SOLE by 15:00 on Wed 14th Jan 2015.
Assessment briefing
This document provides details of the assessment. There will also be an oral briefing conducted during the
first session, and also on the publication of each short report topic.
There is also an assessment Q&A Page on the module web pages.
Assessment criteria
Specific criteria are to be found in the “Grading Matrix” which is attached to each individual short report.
You should include the grading matrix at the front of your assignment (each short report) when submitting.
Assessment feedback
Feedback is provided in an ongoing basis over the course of the module (see “Types of Feedback on my
Module” slides on Blackboard and Assessment & Feedback section in the Module Outline). There will be
opportunity for both formative and summative feedback. Feedback on strengths and weaknesses of
assessments will also be provided for the class based on all submissions. This and individual/ group
feedback should be used to improve the next assessment. In particular you will receive summative
feedback one week after submission of the staged short reports.
Handing in and return
Work must be word-processed/typed and should clearly show your student number. You are required to
keep a copy of work handed in. The first three short reports must be submitted on paper together with the
Grading Matrix and the Cover Sheet at the front. The final report should be submitted electronically via
SOLE by the 3pm deadline on Wed 14th January 2015. The return date for this assignment is electronically
via SOLE on Wed 21st January 2015.
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See the University’s guide to uploading and submitting assessment items at the University of Worcester via
SOLE in under 60 seconds on You Tube http://youtu.be/yAEnTkVchMg.
Late submission of work
It is essential that you submit your work, in order to be able to pass the module. Work which is
submitted late will be subject to grade penalties as below.
 Students who submit course work late but within 5 days of the due date will have work
marked, but the grade will be capped at the minimum pass grade unless an application for
mitigating circumstances is accepted.
 Students who submit work later than 5 days but within 14 days of the due date will not have
work marked unless they have submitted a valid claim of mitigating circumstances.
 Non-submission of all assignments on this module will obviously result in the module being
failed, but will also mean that you will not be permitted a reassessment opportunity. This
means you will be required to retake the module (with attendance and incurring a fee). In
order to qualify for reassessment opportunities, you must have made a serious attempt at one
or more of the assignments. (As always, an exception is made if a mitigating circumstances
claim is made and upheld.) For full details of submission regulations see Undergraduate
Regulatory Framework at
http://www.worcester.ac.uk/registryservices/documents/UndergraduateRegulatoryFramework2
007entry.pdf
 Full details of Procedures for Dealing with Exceptional Mitigating Circumstances are available
at http://www.worcester.ac.uk/registryservices/679.htm
Academic Dishonesty Warning
Please note the regulations on academic dishonesty, in particular the inclusion in your assignments of unattributed material taken from other sources. Be assured that every effort will be taken to deal with you
fairly, but remember that there are strict rules concerning cheating. You will find further details in your
Course Handbook accessible via SOLE and at
http://www.worcester.ac.uk/registryservices/documents/Proceduresforinvestigationofallegedcheating.pdf .
Word Limits: While you may obtain the highest grade for a total submission of 3000 words, you will not be
penalised for exceeding this.
Reassessment
In the event you are required to take reassessment you will receive formal notification of this via a letter
from Registry Services posted on the SOLE page after the meeting of the Board of Examiners. The letter
will normally include a copy of the reassessment task(s). Deadlines for re-assessment can be found in the
University Calendar at http://www.worcester.ac.uk/registryservices/655.htm
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Student Number
Short Report Number
Grade
Comp 3202 Nature of Computing
2014-15
Short Report Cover Sheet
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RE-ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENT
Module Code:
Comp3202
Assignment 1
Module Title: The Nature of Computing
Title: Portfolio of Short
Reports
Word length: 3000
Tutor: Dr.C.B.Price
Re-assessment question: (if necessary, please append)
The re-assessment question is identical to the original assessment question. You should
reflect on the feedback provided to you and look at the Assessment Matrices and therefore
improve your grade.
You are able to re-write one or more of your short reports.
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