FIT1002 Computer programming - Semester 1, 2009

Unit leader

Lecturer(s) :

Tutor(s) :

This unit will be delivered via two one hour lectures. Lecturers may go through specific examples, give demonstrations and present slides that contain theoretical concepts. 

In tutorials students will discuss in-depth fundamental and interesting aspects about programming which will help them complete their practical work. The tutorials are particularly useful in helping students consolidate concepts and practise their problem solving skills.

Laboratories will be devoted to giving students hands-on experience in implementing a programming solution to a practical problem.

Tutorial allocation

On-campus students should register for tutorials/laboratories using Allocate+.

Off-campus distributed learning or flexible delivery

Off-Campus students should treat the Study Guide Book (consisting of 11 modules) as their primary source for self-directed study. The modules contain text which is directed to leading you through the learning for each week. Please read the welcome message in the Study Guide Book for further detail.

Online Discussion Forums are provided for the primary purpose of enabling off-campus students (including students studying at SPACE in Hong Kong) to engage with each other and the lecturer in Australia. The lecturer will expect all students to read these forums at least twice per week and issues raised in the forum are examinable. In the forums, you may ask questions about the topics or exercises of each module, or to clarify interpretation of assignment tasks and marking criteria.

Communication, participation and feedback

Monash aims to provide a learning environment in which students receive a range of ongoing feedback throughout their studies. You will receive feedback on your work and progress in this unit. This may take the form of group feedback, individual feedback, peer feedback, self-comparison, verbal and written feedback, discussions (on line and in class) as well as more formal feedback related to assignment marks and grades. You are encouraged to draw on a variety of feedback to enhance your learning.

It is essential that you take action immediately if you realise that you have a problem that is affecting your study. Semesters are short, so we can help you best if you let us know as soon as problems arise. Regardless of whether the problem is related directly to your progress in the unit, if it is likely to interfere with your progress you should discuss it with your lecturer or a Community Service counsellor as soon as possible.

Unit Schedule

Week	Topic	Study guide	Key dates
1	Unit Administration and Introduction	1
2	Algorithms, Variables and Data Types	2
3	Using objects and classes, Math Class, String Class, Random Class and I/O	3
4	Selection	4	Assignment 1 Due End of Lab session (10%)
5	Repetition	5
6	User defined methods	6	Mid semester test (10%)
Mid semester break
7	Classes and Objects	7
8	Class Anatomy; Constructors, mutators and accessors	8
9	Object references and Static Class members	9
10	Arrays (Part I)	10	Assignment 2 Due Start of Lab session (10%)
11	Arrays (Part II)	11
12	Using multiple classes	11	Assignment 3 Due Fri 29th May(10%)
13	Exam Revision

Prescribed text(s) and readings

Lewis J., DePasquale P., and Chase J.,  JAVA Foundations., Pearson Education, 2008, ISBN 0-321-48678-1

Text books are available from the Monash University Book Shops. Availability from other suppliers cannot be assured. The Bookshop orders texts in specifically for this unit. You are advised to purchase your text book early.

Recommended text(s) and readings

For all students:

Malik D.S., Java Programming - From Analysis to Design., Thomson Learning 2006, ISBN 0619216085

Robertson LA, Simple Program Design, 5th ed., Thomson/Nelson, 2007, ISBN 017010704-3

 For student with advanced programming skills:

Arnold K., Gosling J. & Holmes D., The Java Programming Language, Fourth Edition,  Addison-Wesley, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2006.   ISBN  0-321-34980-6  (paperback)

Required software and/or hardware

Java Development Kit, Version j2sdk-1_5_0_06 or later, Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Students should have access to at least one of the following Integrated Development Environments :

Jcreator - jcreator LE v4.0 is a powerful IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for Java and is strongly recommended. It can be downloaded from the Web Site:

http://www.jcreator.com/

You should download the freeware version. You have no need for the fuller facilities provided in JcreatorPro, and would have to pay for it as well.

jEdit - Text editor written in Java which can auto indent and provides syntax highlighting for more than 130 languages.

http://www.jedit.org/

BlueJ, Version 2.1.2 Programming Development Environment. Although available on CD, version 2.1.3 can be downloaded from

http://www.bluej.org

Eclipse (latest version) downloaded from

http://eclipse.org

Students are encouraged to use JCreator.

Equipment and consumables required or provided

Students studying off-campus are required to have the minimum system configuration specified by the faculty as a condition of accepting admission, and regular Internet access. On-campus students, and those studying at supported study locations may use the facilities available in the computing labs. Information about computer use for students is available from the ITS Student Resource Guide in the Monash University Handbook. You will need to allocate up to 12 hours per week for use of a computer, including time for newsgroups/discussion groups.

Study resources

Study resources we will provide for your study are:

• A MUSO unit web site where lecture slides, weekly tutorial and practical requirements, assignment specifications, and supplementary material will be available
• Discussion groups via MUSO for Off-Campus Learning (OCL) students.  The OCL students will liaise with their lecturer via the discussion board for assistance.
• An electronic Unit Book containing the Study Guide Modules for the unit
• This Unit Information outlining the administrative information for the unit

Additionally, students studying by Off-Campus Learning mode will receive:

• A CD-ROM sent at the start of the semester, with software required for their units
• Printed version of the Unit Book containing the Study Guide Modules for the unit.

Library access

The Monash University Library site contains details about borrowing rights and catalogue searching.  To learn more about the library and the various resources available, please go to http://www.lib.monash.edu.au.

The Educational Library and Media Resources (LMR) is also a very resourceful place to visit at http://www.education.monash.edu.au/library/

Monash University Studies Online (MUSO)

All unit and lecture materials are available through MUSO (Monash University Studies Online). Blackboard is the primary application used to deliver your unit resources. Some units will be piloted in Moodle. If your unit is piloted in Moodle, you will see a link from your Blackboard unit to Moodle (http://moodle.monash.edu.au) and can bookmark this link to access directly. In Moodle, from the Faculty of Information Technology category, click on the link for your unit.

You can access MUSO and Blackboard via the portal: http://my.monash.edu.au

Click on the Study and enrolment tab, then Blackboard under the MUSO learning systems.

In order for your Blackboard unit(s) to function correctly, your computer needs to be correctly configured.

For example:

• Blackboard supported browser
• Supported Java runtime environment

For more information, please visit: http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/students/downloadables-student.html

You can contact the MUSO Support by phone : (+61 3) 9903 1268

For further contact information including operational hours, please visit: http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/students/contact.html

Further information can be obtained from the MUSO support site: http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/index.html

Unit assessment policy

The unit is assessed with three assignments, a one hour mid-semester test and a three hour closed book examination. To pass the unit you must pass each individual hurdle: 

• 40% or more in the unit's examination and
• 40% or more in the unit's total non-examination assessment
   and
• an overall unit mark of 50% or more

If a student does not achieve 40% or more in the unit examination or the unit non-examination assessment then a mark of no greater than 44-N will be recorded for the unit.

 Furthermore the unit has a hurdle requirement. The hurdle requires students to attend at least ten tutorial and ten practical classes. Attendance will be monitored. Students unable to attend classes should contact their on-campus lecturer immediately.  Students missing classes repeatedly may be contacted by lecturer to explain their absence.

Assignment tasks

• Assignment Task

  Title : Assignment 1 - JAVA basics

  Description :

  This assignment will aim to help you to develop programs in Java using classes and objects that are able to read input from the user and format output.  You will also learn to use classes and their methods that are available from the Java library.

  Weighting : 10%

  Criteria for assessment :

  Detailed assessment criteria will be issued along with the assignment.   

  1. All programs must run and compile correctly. Evidence of testing is required.
  2. Programs must meet the problem specification
  3. JAVA code should be readable and maintainable and follow the style recommended in the prescribed text book.
  4. Programs should be documented
  5. Students should be able to answer questions about their own work

  Due date : End of Lab week 4

• Assignment Task

  Title : Assignment 2 - Designing a simple JAVA application

  Description :

  This assignment will require students to use the selection and iteration control structures and methods.

  Weighting : 10%

  Criteria for assessment :

  Detailed assessment criteria will be issued along with the assignment.   

  1. All programs must run and compile correctly. Evidence of testing is required.
  2. Programs must meet the problem specification
  3. JAVA code should be readable and maintainable and follow the style recommended in the prescribed text book.
  4. Programs should be documented
  5. Students should be able to answer questions about their own work during an interview scheduled outside the lab class

  Due date : Start of Lab week 10

• Assignment Task

  Title : Assignment 3

  Description :

  This assignment will require students to design a class that uses an array.

  Weighting : 10%

  Criteria for assessment :

  Detailed assessment criteria will be issued along with the assignment.   

  1. All programs must run and compile correctly. Evidence of testing is required.
  2. Programs must meet the problem specification
  3. JAVA code should be readable and maintainable and follow the style recommended in the prescribed text book.
  4. Programs should be documented
  5. Students should be able to answer questions about their own work during the interview scheduled in week 13.

  Due date : Fri 29th May (5pm EST)

• Assignment Task

  Title : Test 1

  Description :

  This unit will have a mid-semester test in week 6. On-campus students will sit the test in the lecture, off-campus student will sit the test online via MUSO.  The test will include all topics covered in lectures in weeks 1-5.

  Weighting : 10%

  Criteria for assessment :

  Due date : Week 6

Examinations

• Examination 1

  Weighting : 60%

  Length : 3 hours

  Type ( open/closed book ) : Closed book

  
  

Assignment submission

Upload zipped Java files via MUSO Assignment tool.

Multiple uploads will be allowed. The latest version uploaded will contain the work that is marked.

Assignment coversheets

Assignment cover sheets must be completed online via MUSO prior to submission and upload of the completed assignment.

Due dates and extensions

The due dates for the submission of assignments are given in the previous section. Please make every effort to submit work by the due dates. It is your responsibility to structure your study program around assignment deadlines, family, work and other commitments. Factors such as normal work pressures, vacations, etc. are seldom regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. Students are advised to NOT assume that granting of an extension is a matter of course.

Requests for extensions must be made to the unit lecturer at your campus at least two days before the due date. You will be asked to forward original medical certificates in cases of illness, and may be asked to provide other forms of documentation where necessary. A copy of the email or other written communication of an extension must be attached to the assignment submission.

Late assignment

Assignments received after the due date will be subject to a penalty of 5% per day, including weekends. Assignments received later than one week (seven days) after the due date will not normally be accepted. In some cases, this period may be shorter if there is a need to release sample solutions.

This policy is strict because comments or guidance will be given on assignments as they are returned, and sample solutions may also be published and distributed, after assignment marking or with the returned assignment.

If you fail to submit an assignment or assessable prac, you will be marked ABSENT (TRANSLATES TO 0), unless...

• you had an illness or emergency, then If you
  • Obtain Medical Certificate or Police Accident Report
  • Fill out Absentee Form
  • Submit the form and documentation to the General FIT Office then
  • Your mark will be CONSIDERED for amendment from ABSENT to SICK
  • At the end of the semester:
    • SICK marks are changed to the average of your marks in the assignments, provided you have passed the other assignments

Return dates

Students can expect assignments to be returned within two weeks of the submission date or after receipt, whichever is later.

Assessment for the unit as a whole is in accordance with the provisions of the Monash University Education Policy at http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/assessment/

We will aim to have assignment results made available to you within two weeks after assignment receipt.

Plagiarism, cheating and collusion

Plagiarism and cheating are regarded as very serious offences. In cases where cheating  has been confirmed, students have been severely penalised, from losing all marks for an assignment, to facing disciplinary action at the Faculty level. While we would wish that all our students adhere to sound ethical conduct and honesty, I will ask you to acquaint yourself with the University Plagiarism policy and procedure (http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/conduct/plagiarism-procedures.html) which applies to students detected plagiarising.

In this University, cheating means seeking to obtain an unfair advantage in any examination or any other written or practical work to be submitted or completed by a student for assessment. It includes the use, or attempted use, of any means to gain an unfair advantage for any assessable work in the unit, where the means is contrary to the instructions for such work. 

When you submit an individual assessment item, such as a program, a report, an essay, assignment or other piece of work, under your name you are understood to be stating that this is your own work. If a submission is identical with, or similar to, someone else's work, an assumption of cheating may arise. If you are planning on working with another student, it is acceptable to undertake research together, and discuss problems, but it is not acceptable to jointly develop or share solutions unless this is specified by your lecturer. 

Intentionally providing students with your solutions to assignments is classified as "assisting to cheat" and students who do this may be subject to disciplinary action. You should take reasonable care that your solution is not accidentally or deliberately obtained by other students. For example, do not leave copies of your work in progress on the hard drives of shared computers, and do not show your work to other students. If you believe this may have happened, please be sure to contact your lecturer as soon as possible.

Cheating also includes taking into an examination any material contrary to the regulations, including any bilingual dictionary, whether or not with the intention of using it to obtain an advantage.

Plagiarism involves the false representation of another person's ideas, or findings, as your own by either copying material or paraphrasing without citing sources. It is both professional and ethical to reference clearly the ideas and information that you have used from another writer. If the source is not identified, then you have plagiarised work of the other author. Plagiarism is a form of dishonesty that is insulting to the reader and grossly unfair to your student colleagues.

Register of counselling about plagiarism

The university requires faculties to keep a simple and confidential register to record counselling to students about plagiarism (e.g. warnings). The register is accessible to Associate Deans Teaching (or nominees) and, where requested, students concerned have access to their own details in the register. The register is to serve as a record of counselling about the nature of plagiarism, not as a record of allegations; and no provision of appeals in relation to the register is necessary or applicable.

Non-discriminatory language

The Faculty of Information Technology is committed to the use of non-discriminatory language in all forms of communication. Discriminatory language is that which refers in abusive terms to gender, race, age, sexual orientation, citizenship or nationality, ethnic or language background, physical or mental ability, or political or religious views, or which stereotypes groups in an adverse manner. This is not meant to preclude or inhibit legitimate academic debate on any issue; however, the language used in such debate should be non-discriminatory and sensitive to these matters. It is important to avoid the use of discriminatory language in your communications and written work. The most common form of discriminatory language in academic work tends to be in the area of gender inclusiveness. You are, therefore, requested to check for this and to ensure your work and communications are non-discriminatory in all respects.

Students with disabilities

Students with disabilities that may disadvantage them in assessment should seek advice from one of the following before completing assessment tasks and examinations:

• Faculty of Information Technology Student Service staff, and / or
• your Unit Coordinator, or
• Disabilities Liaison Unit

Deferred assessment and special consideration

Deferred assessment (not to be confused with an extension for submission of an assignment) may be granted in cases of extenuating personal circumstances such as serious personal illness or bereavement. Information and forms for Special Consideration and deferred assessment applications are available at http://www.monash.edu.au/exams/special-consideration.html. Contact the Faculty's Student Services staff at your campus for further information and advice.