Mark Dixon Page 1

Tech04301 – Module Introduction

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Web site

• All material (slides, handouts, etc.)available before session:

mdixon.soc.plymouth.ac.uk

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About Me• Contact Details

Mark Dixonmark.dixon@plymouth.ac.uk01752 586225Portland SquareRoom B316

• Availability

Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu – School of Computing Communications and Electronics (main campus)

Fri – other work (usually off-campus)

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Module Admin• Lectures and tutorials:

– start at 5 minutes past the hour, and– aim to end at 5 minutes to the hour– if no lecturer - wait until 15 minutes past the hour

then you may leave– Turn mobile phones off.– Ask questions or comment at any time– Feel free to talk quietly amongst yourselves– No need to ask to leave (for toilet, doctor's, etc.)– Please use my first name

• Lectures:– Don’t come in after 15 minutes past the hour.

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Module Aims

• This module aims to teach you, how to:– learn

• surface learning (memorisation of isolated facts): hacking• deep learning (interrelated concepts)• includes interacting with others (lecturers, students, …)

– develop software:• fundamental programming concepts (e.g. events,

procedures)• how to combine these to solve problems

– use Visual BASIC

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Driving, IT, and Computing

Driver Mechanic Designer

User IT Support Developeruse

technologyinstall + fixtechnology

create + buildinvent

technology

SchoolICT GCSE/A level

UniversityComputing Degrees

use car fix car invent car

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Dynamic-Interactive Web-sites

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Module FormatThe module is delivered as follows:• Lecture: 1 hr per week, all groups• Tutorials / Practical Session: 2 hr per week

lots of these (please check timetable)• Private study (as much as it takes – typically 3

hours/week)• 1 to 1 sessions (my office or labs) as needed at your

request

• Teaching Evaluation (timely and specific)– Student Perception Questionnaire– Continuous Informal Feedback (talk to me)

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Surface vs. Deep Learning

• For example, remember Learning to add up

Surface Approachmemorise all combinations

1 + 1 = 21 + 2 = 31 + 3 = 4…2 + 3 = 5…734 + 243 = 977

Deep Approachunderstand theory

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

2 + 3 = 5

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Questions

• My job is:– not to give you the correct answer– but to help you understand,

so you can work it out yourself

• Asking the right Questions– it doesn't work!

– I am working on …– I did …– I was expecting …

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Attendance

• Attendance is compulsory and essential to pass

• This is not a distance learning course

• portal is supplement (not replacement) for attending lectures and tutorials

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Student Background• Typically wide range of prior experience

A. 10 years programming (professional?)

B. 5 years programming (professional?)

C. 2 years programming (learning?)

D. 1 year programming (learning)

E. no programming

• Can be difficult to cater for allA B C D E

number ofstudents

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Last Year• 36 students

– offered 1 to 1 sessionsafter assignment 1

– all who did this passed

• 14 failed initially (38%)– large number of non-submissions

• everyone who attended - passed

• everyone who submitted - passed

C1 C2 C3 C4 C E Module28.84 26.65 30.83 23.35 44.20 54.68 41.857.26 5.19 7.58 10.17 20.14 18.56 23.44

43.50 37.50 44.50 35.75 80.63 94.00 87.3141.50 35.50 37.00 25.75 69.88 79.00 74.4431.00 30.50 39.00 24.00 62.25 71.00 66.6332.00 30.50 34.50 25.75 61.38 69.50 65.4431.00 30.00 23.25 40.50 62.38 64.00 63.1938.50 25.50 33.50 1.00 49.25 76.00 62.6338.00 24.50 39.75 30.50 66.38 57.00 61.6923.00 27.00 35.50 24.50 55.00 66.00 60.5025.75 24.50 26.50 20.50 48.63 71.00 59.8134.25 23.00 35.25 34.00 63.25 56.00 59.6335.00 24.50 35.25 22.50 58.63 59.00 58.8130.50 27.50 20.00 28.00 53.00 64.00 58.5038.50 30.50 39.00 33.75 70.88 45.00 57.9420.00 29.00 31.75 15.50 48.13 62.50 55.3130.00 25.00 20.00 20.25 47.63 61.50 54.5626.25 32.00 30.50 27.75 58.25 49.00 53.6328.00 27.50 20.50 22.25 49.13 55.00 52.0634.00 25.00 30.00 30.25 59.63 39.50 49.5624.50 22.00 30.50 2.50 39.75 58.50 49.1326.50 27.50 20.00 19.25 46.63 48.00 47.3123.50 32.00 28.75 23.75 54.00 37.00 45.5025.75 32.50 19.25 3.00 40.25 40.50 40.3823.25 22.00 32.25 38.75 38.00 38.3836.50 12.50 26.75 37.88 19.30 28.5937.75 27.50 44.25 54.75 27.3823.75 19.50 29.00 36.13 15.00 25.56

26.00 13.00 26.50 19.7526.00 17.00 27.50 35.25 17.63

27.50 40.00 33.75 16.8821.00 24.50 20.00 32.75 16.3824.00 25.50 24.75 12.3827.00 13.50 6.7520.00 10.00 5.0019.00 9.50 4.7512.50 6.25 3.13

0.00 0.00Everyone who has submitted each component has passed the module Total 36

Passed 22Rate 61.11%

last year: 61.54%

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Strategy for Success

• Most failures:– tried to do it on their own

• missed many lectures and tutorials• didn’t ask questions• didn't come and see me with problems

• To pass module– attend lectures and tutorials

(if you miss a session – see me – I will help)– ask questions

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Expectancy-ValueTheory of Motivation

• People avoid tasks they see as:– impossible– pointless

• This module is:– challenging, but not impossible– critical to your degree

technical skills foster creativity

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Student Feedback• feedback form

– filled in by students– handed in with

assignment

• this student:– failed (low

attendance, low contact with me)

– did referred work (over summer)

– passed

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Student feedback (zoom)

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Admin – free software• Technicians (Babbage 205) can provide you

with free copies of (bring your own blank CDs):

– MS Windows XP Professional (1 CD), includes• MS Internet Information Services (term 2)

– MS Visual Studio 2005 (4 CDs), includes• Visual Web Developer 2005• Visual BASIC 2005• Visual C++ 2005

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Admin – jobs

• Computer weekly (jobs in 7 days)6 Oct 2008 1 Oct 2006 29 Sep

2005

– java 1849 3237 (2234)– VB 1185 1671 (1614)– ASP 1693 1709 (1355)– php 630 551 (215)– flash 463 407 (168)– dreamweaver 98 171 (69)

www.cwjobs.co.uk

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Admin – jobs

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Timetable09:05 - 09:55 10:05 - 10:55 11:05 - 11:55 12:05 - 12:55 13:05 - 13:55 14:05 - 14:55 15:05 - 15:55 16:05 - 16:55 17:05 - 17:55

MonLecture SCB001

Tutorial 1SMB109

TueTutorial 2SMB109

Wed

Thu

Fri

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Schedule (subject to change)Term Lecture Start Title Assessment

No. Date- 29-Sep -1 06-Oct Module Introduction & HTML2 13-Oct VBS: VB Script (client-side)

4 27-Oct VBS: Conditional Execution1 5 03-Nov VBS: Constants & Variables

6 10-Nov Coursework 1 (in-lecture test) C1 TestVBS: ProceduresCoursework 2 brief (tutorials) C2 out

8 24-Nov VBS: Iterative Execution9 01-Dec VBS: Arrays & Classes

10 08-Dec VBS: Procedure Parameters11 15-Dec VBS: Functions C2 in

12 12-Jan VBS: Modules13 19-Jan Coursework 2 debrief14 26-Jan Coursework 3 (in-lecture test) C3 Test15 02-Feb ASP: Intro

ASP: StateCoursework 4 brief

17 16-Feb ASP: Databases – ADO 2 18 23-Feb ASP: Databases – SQL

19 02-Mar ASP: Databases – Multiple tables20 09-Mar ASP: Databases – Writing to tables21 16-Mar ASP: Modular Design C4 in22 23-Mar ASP: Object Oriented Programming23 30-Mar VB: IDE, Graphics, Sound24 Revision

16 09-Feb C4 out

7 17-Nov

3 20-Oct VBS: Expressions

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Reading List 1

The following book is recommended reading:– Robbins J (2006) HTML & XHTML Pocket Reference

(3rd edition). O'Reilly. ISBN: 978-0-596-52727-3 – Childs M, Lomax P, & Petrusha R (2001) VBScript

Pocket Reference. O'Reilly. ISBN: 978-0-596-00126-1

– Gennick J (2006) SQL Pocket Guide (2nd edition). O'Reilly. ISBN: 978-0-596-52688-7

– Kingsley-Hughes, Kingsley-Hughes, and Read (2004) VBScript (2nd Edition). Wiley Publishing Inc.ISBN: 0-7645-5993-1

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Reading List 2Additional reading (the following are referred to occasionally, borrow

from library):• Pressman, R (2000) Software Engineering: a practitioner's

approach. 5th edition. McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 0-07-709677-0. • Sommerville, I (2001) Software Engineering. 6th edition. Addison-

Wesley. ISBN: 0-201-39815-X. – Overview of Software Engineering: Chapter 1, especially page 4.

• Preece, J; Rogers, Y; Sharp, H; Benyon, D; Holland, S; and Carey, T (1994) Human-Computer Interaction. Addison Wesley. ISBN: 0-201-62769-8 – Direct Manipulation: Section 13.6, pages 270-272. – Interface Design: Chapter 24, pages 487-499.

• Shneiderman, Ben (1998) Designing the user interface: strategies for effective human-computer interaction. 3rd edition. Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0-201-69497-2004.019 SHN