FIT9008 Computer programming 1 - Semester 1, 2010

Gippsland

Prohibitions

Teaching approach

FIT9008 unit is equivalent to FIT1002, which is a common core undergraduate unit and which is taught in on-campus mode also. Since FIT9008 is by distance education mode, students will be provided with all the materials (lectures, tutorials and laboratory) via the unit web site. This material is the same as the material prepared for the equivalent FIT1002 unit and students can learn from these at their time. They will communicate with fellow students and the lecturer through the discussions forums provided at the unit web site. Partial solutions will be provided as and when necessary so that the students can verify their answers. The above information is made available to distance students via the unit web site. Lectures slides contain theoretical concepts. Tutorial exercises 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. Laboratory exercises are devoted to give students hands-on experience in implementing a programming solution to a practical problem.

Timetable information

For information on timetabling for on-campus classes please refer to MUTTS, http://mutts.monash.edu.au/MUTTS/

Tutorial allocation

On-campus students should register for tutorials/laboratories using the Allocate+ system: http://allocate.its.monash.edu.au/

Off-Campus 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 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.

Unit Schedule

*Please note that these dates may only apply to Australian campuses of Monash University. Off-shore students need to check the dates with their unit leader.

Prescribed text(s) and readings

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

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 listed below. 

The FIT9008 lecturers recommend jCreator for students with no programming experience.  This is the development environment installed on all campus computers:

• 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/  Students are advised to download the freeware version. There is no need for the fuller facilities provided in JcreatorPro.

For students that have programming experience and wish to continue with programming as part of Bachelor of Computer Science or Bachelor of Software Engineering, we recommend:

• Eclipse (latest version) downloaded from  http://eclipse.org.

Other development environments students that are available for students to use are:

• 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

Equipment and consumables required or provided

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.

Overview

Faculty assessment policy

To pass a unit which includes an examination as part of the assessment a student must obtain:

• 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 total assessment, and the total mark for the unit is greater than 50% then a mark of no greater than 49-N will be recorded for the unit.

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 (unit examination, unit's total non-examination assessment and overall unit mark) as stated above.

Assignment tasks

Assignment coversheets

Assignment coversheets are available via "Student Forms" on the Faculty website: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/forms/
You MUST submit a completed coversheet with all assignments, ensuring that the plagiarism declaration section is signed.

Assignment submission and return procedures, and assessment criteria will be specified with each assignment.

• Assignment task 1

  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:

  5%

  Due date:

  Friday 26 March

• Assignment task 2

  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%

  Due date:

  Friday 7 May

• Assignment task 3

  Title:

  Assignment 3

  Description:

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

  Weighting:

  15%

  Due date:

  Fri 28 May

• Assignment task 4

  Title:

  Test 1

  Description:

  This unit will have a mid-semester test in week 6. The test will include all topics covered in lectures in weeks 1-5, and will be administered on line. Details will be provided a week prior.

  Weighting:

  10%

  Due date:

  Week 6

Examination

• Weighting: 60%
  Length: 3 hours
  Type (open/closed book): Closed book

Due dates and extensions

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 not regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. Students are advised to NOT assume that granting of an extension is a matter of course.

Students requesting an extension for any assessment during semester (eg. Assignments, tests or presentations) are required to submit a Special Consideration application form (in-semester exam/assessment task), along with original copies of supporting documentation, directly to their lecturer within two working days before the assessment submission deadline. Lecturers will provide specific outcomes directly to students via email within 2 working days. The lecturer reserves the right to refuse late applications.

A copy of the email or other written communication of an extension must be attached to the assignment submission.

Refer to the Faculty Special consideration webpage or further details and to access application forms: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/equity/special-consideration.html

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 students fail to submit an assignment or assessable prac, they will be marked ABSENT (TRANSLATES TO 0), unless they have completed a Special Consideration application form (in-semester exam/assessment task)  directly to their unit leader within two working days before the assessment submission deadline. Lecturers will provide specific outcomes directly to students via email within 2 working days.  The lecturer reserves the right to refuse late applications.

Return dates

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