Introduction to
Computer Science
COMP 112
Peter Andreae
( “Pondy” )
2014 T1
.
David Streader
Engineering & Computer Science
Victoria University of Wellington
© Peter Andreae
COMP 112
COMP112 1:2
Menu:
• Introductions
• What is COMP112 about?
• Course organisation
• What to do NOW!
Admin:
Handouts:
• Course Outline
• Lab Assignment 1
Switching to COMP102: see me after the lecture.
© Peter Andreae
Introducing the Course.
COMP112 1:3
• COMP112 is a brand new course.
• Designed as a first university course in Computer Science
for students who have already done some programming, and
already know much of COMP 102
• Driven by the new NCEA standards in Programming & CS
No programming
experience
COMP 102
Programming experience
eg level 3 NCEA DT
programming standards
COMP 112
COMP 103
• Exciting because it is a course full of students who
understand something of what this subject is about.
© Peter Andreae
Introducing People.
COMP112 1:4
• Pondy: taught 1st year programming here since 1985
COMP112 is most exciting development in that time!
• David: has taught 1st year programming in Waikato,
also has lots of industry experience.
• Students:
• Group 1: Done NCEA level 3 DT standards in programming
and maybe Computer Science.
• Group 2: Learned programming by themselves (not in a classroom)
• Group 3: Learned programming in another course (eg COMP102,
INFO 102, other institution, school course…..
• Course is for all of you, but targeted at group 1.
© Peter Andreae
What did language(s) did you learn?
COMP112 1:5
• What programming languages have you used?
(find out from the people around you).
• COMP 102 will teach you:
• The Java programming language (used in later courses)
• More about programming
• More about other aspects of computer science as well.
• Graphics
Artificial Intelligence
• Networking
Software Engineering
• Relational Databases
…
© Peter Andreae
What does COMP112 assume?
COMP112 1:6
• COMP 112 assumes programming experience up to this
level:
•
•
•
•
variables, loops, conditionals (ifs) input and output
writing functions/procedures/methods with parameters
lists or arrays
little bit of event driven input, object oriented design
• Doesn’t care what language you used
• (as long as it is not drag-and-drop).
• What if you haven’t done enough to cope?
• Tell us!!! we may be going too fast.
We will slow down if we are not properly calibrated.
• We will talk to you in labs to find out what you have done.
• We will let you switch back to COMP102 during the first 4-5 weeks.
© Peter Andreae
Does it matter if you aren’t ….
COMP112 1:7
• NO!!
• We don’t assume you have been programming since you
were small
• We don’t assume you spend all you life programming and
configuring computers.
• We don’t assume you have to be male.
• Top student in both 1st year courses last year was female!
Top students consistently include lots of female students
• Four of my PhD and Masters thesis students in the past few years
have been female.
• The fraction of women in COMP112 is a bit higher than COMP102 has
had for a long time!
© Peter Andreae
Computing is everywhere
COMP112 1:8
• Name areas of modern life where computers or computing
are / are not involved in some way:
⇒ Computing underlies almost all aspects of modern life
⇒ Computer Scientists/engineers are critical for society.
© Peter Andreae
ingScience
Science
Computer
COMP112 1:9
• Computer Science is the science of Computing
• The study of the computing processes that happen inside computers
when they are working.
• How do we design, build, analyse systems that deal with information:
• text
• numbers
• graphics and video
• sound
• sensor and control signals
• ….
• Programming is central, but not the whole field!
© Peter Andreae
Computer Science Questions
COMP112 1:10
How do you….
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
design a computer system to manage an organisation’s information?
design an intelligent assistant for your phone that can talk with you?
enable social interaction over electronic networks
send data securely and reliably over unreliable public networks?
manage large teams of programmers building insanely complicated
programs (not the way Novopay did!)
design algorithms that will create new visual effects for movies
design a database so that it is impossible to enter inconsistent data?
design programming languages to make programming easier?
ensure that the computer program controlling a nuclear reactor or a
spacecraft never makes a mistake?
design a self-driving car that drives safely on city roads?
make a safe encryption scheme for electronic commerce?
determine whether some computation is tractable or even possible?
design a computer system that learns to move its hand like a child.
© Peter Andreae
Role of COMP 112?
A first course in
• Computer Science
• Software Engineering
• Network Engineering
A required course for
• Electronic and Computer Engineering
• Operations Research
COMP112 1:11
IS
SE
EC
MD
CS
NW
OR
An important course for
• Information Systems
• Media Design
A useful course for
• Everyone
© Peter Andreae
What will you do in COMP 112?
COMP112 1:12
• Design and write lots of little programs for a wide variety of
tasks.
• 1st five weeks:
fairly small programs, getting up to speed in Java
• Rest of course: larger programs for
• Graphics: bunch of photoshop-like tools for images
• Networks: build an IRC client
(chat program for real IRC services)
• Databases: Program to interface to a Relational Database.
• Several exercises on other aspects of Computer Science.
© Peter Andreae
Planning ahead
COMP112 1:13
• If you are doing BE or BSc (COMP), or any 2nd year comp sci
• then you should plan on taking COMP103 in Tri 2.
• If you are doing BSc (COMP)
• You should plan on doing MATH161 in Tri 2.
• required for entry to two 2nd year courses (COMP261, SWEN224)
and for many 3rd year courses.
• Consider taking ENGR 110 in Tri 2
• required for entry to one of the 2nd year courses (SWEN223)
• You don’t need to change enrolment until mid-year
• You can’t do COMP102 at the same time as COMP112
© Peter Andreae
Planning ahead
COMP112 1:14
• If you want to do Computer Graphics
• BSc in Comp Sci with focus in Computer Graphics
• Masters/Hons programme in Computer Graphics
• You will need to take
• COMP 112 and 103
• MATH151 (or ENGR121) and MATH 161
• DSDN 101 and DSDN 142
© Peter Andreae
Course Organisation
COMP112 1:15
All the details are in the course outline:
• handout
• on the course web page:
http://ecs.victoria.ac.nz/Courses/COMP112_2012T1/
Lectures
• Present new ideas, techniques, examples.
• Mon, Tue, Thu 4-5
HULT 002/104/002
Optional Tutorial/Review Session
• May offer a tutorial from third week.
© Peter Andreae
Course Web Site
COMP112 1:16
An essential resource for the course:
• http://ecs.victoria.ac.nz/Courses/COMP112_2014T1
• Course information, announcements, handouts, videos
• Lab Assignment details (times, dates, handouts, files, ...)
• Forum, for questions and discussion
• Info about doing work at home.
• Java documentation
• Other useful links
Primary administrative communication channel.
© Peter Andreae
People
Lecturers
• Peter Andreae – “Pondy”
• David Streader
Senior Tutor
• Zarinah Amin
COMP112 1:17
(Academic/content issues)
Office : CO 336
email : Peter.Andreae@ecs.vuw.ac.nz
Office : CO 260
email : david.streader@ecs.vuw.ac.nz
(Administrative issues, esp labs)
Office: CO 343
email : Zarinah.Amin@ecs.vuw.ac.nz
Tutors
(Help in labs or via online help system)
• Range of Undergraduates and Graduates
Technical Staff
(Reporting problems with the computers)
email : bugs@ecs.vuw.ac.nz
School Office
(Forgotten passwords)
• Kelsey, Renee, and Prema School Office: CO 358
© Peter Andreae
Lab assignments
COMP112 1:18
• Seven lab assignments
• hand out on Thursdays.
• 4 assignments: 1 week.
• 3 assignments: approx. 3 weeks
• Apply material from lectures and text book to practical
programming problems.
This is where your learning happens!
• Done partly in scheduled lab sessions
• Further work required: expect 5 hours outside labs
• any of the ECS labs,
• on your home computer
© Peter Andreae
Scheduled Labs
COMP112 1:19
• 2 hr lab, on Friday in CO 219/238
• Fri 12-2, 2-4
• Tutors present to help.
• Start THIS week (Friday)
• First assignment is a real assignment!
• Sign up online
• https://signups.victoria.ac.nz/
© Peter Andreae
Course Organisation
COMP112 1:20
Help
• Online help:
• Forum for general questions;
email/web form for questions about your code.
• Help Desk: Tutors available at various times: TBA
• Tutorials ??
• Study groups??
• We will be happy to facilitate organising study groups
• Excellent way of helping your learning
• Science and Engineering Faculty Awhina programme:
• support particularly for Maori and Pacific Nations students
• Women students support group??.
© Peter Andreae
Text Book and Handouts
COMP112 1:21
No assigned Text Book
COMP102 & COMP103 text book:
• Java Foundations Lewis, DePasquale, Chase
• May be a useful resource.
• The lectures complement the text, not replace it.
• Neither lectures nor text will cover all the details you need!
• You need to go and find things out!
Handouts
• Course outline, Lecture slides, Assignments
• Handed out in class.
• On COMP112 web page.
Hope to video record the lectures.
© Peter Andreae
Tests and Exams
COMP112 1:22
Terms Test:
• 15%
• Tue 15 April 4-5 pm
Exam:
• 55%
• Date tba (between 13 June and 2 July)
© Peter Andreae
Assessment
COMP112 1:23
Read the Course Outline!!!
Mandatory Course Requirement:
• Submit reasonable attempts for at least 6 of the assignments.
Final Grade:
•
•
•
•
Lab assigs 1-4:
Lab assigs 5-7:
Terms Test:
Exam:
12%
18%
15%
50%
(3% each)
(6% each)
(mark boosted to exam mark, if better)
To pass the course, you must:
• Satisfy the Mandatory Requirement.
• Get overall grade of C- or better.
Note for returning students:
Passing grades now C-, C, … A, A+
© Peter Andreae
Withdrawal dates
COMP112 1:24
• Early withdrawal with refund: by Fri 14 March
• no consequences to early withdrawal
• Standard withdrawal without refund: 17 March – 16 May
• Withdrawal recorded
• No grade recorded on transcript
• Withdrawal counts as a fail for determining "Satisfactory Academic
Progress"
• Late withdrawal with Dean's permission: after 16 May
• Requires permission of Associate Dean
• Normally given only when special circumstances arise after 16 May.
© Peter Andreae
Plagiarism (Cheating)
COMP112 1:25
• You must not present anybody else’s work as if it were your
own work:
• Basic principle of academic honesty.
• applies to work by other students, friends, relatives, the web, books…
• If you received substantial help, then you must state who helped and
how much.
• If you declare any work from someone else, then it isn’t plagiarism!!!
• In COMP112:
• We encourage you to talk to each other and help each other
understand and solve problems BUT
• The code you submit should be yours.
If you got some of the code from the web or someone else, you must
put a comment in your code saying that.
• If you use code from the text book, or lectures, or tutors then you do
not need to declare it; If you use any other code that wasn’t yours,
then declare it!
© Peter Andreae
Cheating in the assignments.
COMP112 1:26
Assignments are primarily for learning, not assessing
Cheating in the assignments is not worth it!
• You won't learn, so you will probably fail.
• If caught, you'll lose marks --- or worse.
• Assignments have a fairly small contribution to your grade.
© Peter Andreae
Lab Facilities
COMP112 1:27
• All scheduled labs are in CO219/238
• Can also use other ECS labs
• Can also use home computers.
• Lab Hours: 24/7
• Need ID card to access in evenings and weekends
• The labs are for getting work done
• Don’t prevent other people from working
• If you want to play around, go somewhere else
Read the lab rules!
© Peter Andreae
Where to go for Help
COMP112 1:28
Depends on the kind of help needed
• Staff: Lecturers, Senior Tutor, tutors
• Forum
• Questions, answers, comments, discussion.
• Online help system.
• ECS School Office:
• Student Services: http://www.vuw.ac.nz/st_services/
• Science/Engineering/Arch&Des Awhina programme
• The Web
© Peter Andreae
What to do NOW!
COMP112 1:29
• Sign up for the labs
Note: You need to be registered for the course
(a) to sign up for a lab
(b) to be able to use the ECS school computers
• Read the course outline.
• Read Assignment 1 before your lab session
• You can start on the assignment before the lab session if you wish.
• Read the course outline. Yes, again!
© Peter Andreae