mark dixon, socce soft 131page 1 soft 131 01 – module introduction

Mark Dixon, SoCCE SOFT 131

SOFT 13101 – Module Introduction


About Me

• Contact DetailsMark [email protected] 232556Portland SquareRoom B316

• Availability

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

Fri – other work (usually off-campus)


Module Aims

• This module aims to teach you, how to:– learn (self-directed)

• 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


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

– Material (slides, handouts, etc.) available before session, on: Soft131 web-site (mdixon.soc.plymouth.ac.uk)

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


Module FormatThe module is delivered as follows:

• Lecture: 1 hr per week, all groups, Mondays 11:05 – 11:55• Tutorials / Practical Session: 2 hr per week

Group 3 - Mondays 12:05 – 13:55Group 1 - Mondays 14:05 – 15:55Group 2 - Mondays 16:05 – 17:55

• 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)


Schedule (subject to change)Term Week Uni Start Title Assessment

No. Week Date

1 9 26-Sep Module Introduction & HTML

2 10 03-Oct DHTML – VB Script (client-side)

3 11 10-Oct Variables

4 12 17-Oct Conditional Execution

5 13 24-Oct In class test & Assignment 1 brief Test, A1 out

1 6 14 31-Oct Iteration (repetition – loops)

7 15 07-Nov Variable Scope

8 16 14-Nov Constants, Arrays, and Structures A1 in

9 17 21-Nov Active Server pages

10 18 28-Nov Assignment 1 debrief

11 19 05-Dec Databases

12 20 12-Dec Databases – SQL

1 24 09-Jan Writing to Databases

2 25 16-Jan Testing, Debugging, Graphics & Sound

3 26 23-Jan Procedures, & Modules

4 27 30-Jan Arrays of Structures A2 out

5 28 06-Feb Assignment 2 – brief

2 6 29 13-Feb Procedure Parameters

7 30 20-Feb Functions A2 in

8 31 27-Feb Passing Parameters by Reference

9 32 06-Mar Assignment 2 – debrief

10 33 13-Mar Object Oriented Programming

11 34 20-Mar Object Associations

12 35 27-Mar Examination Technique & Revision


Reading List 1

The following book is recommended reading:– McKeown, P; and Piercy, C (2001) Learning to program with

Visual BASIC. 2nd Edition. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-41862-5


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


Student Background

• Typically wide range of prior experienceA. 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


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


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


Student feedback (zoom)


Last Year Results

• 56 students

• 19 failed initially (33%)

• offered 1 to 1 sessionsafter assignment 1

• all who did this passed *

• only 2 students failed retakes

0.00% 9.0% 4.50% Fail DNP20.71% 10.36% 5.18% Fail DNP10.00% 22.00% 16.00% 22.0% 19.00% Fail

0.00% 36.5% 18.25% Fail DNP15.71% 32.00% 23.86% 19.0% 21.43% Fail25.00% 51.50% 38.25% 5.0% 21.63% Fail

26.00% 13.00% 33.0% 23.00% Fail DNP10.00% 24.00% 17.00% 47.5% 32.25% Fail32.86% 33.00% 32.93% 26.0% 29.46% Fail67.14% 34.50% 50.82% 12.0% 31.41% Fail

0.00% 64.0% 32.00% Fail DNP34.29% 28.00% 31.14% 37.0% 34.07% Fail45.71% 22.86% 46.0% 34.43% Fail DNP49.29% 38.50% 43.89% 26.5% 35.20% Fail30.71% 15.50% 23.11% 47.5% 35.30% Fail52.14% 39.00% 45.57% 30.0% 37.79% Fail45.71% 54.00% 49.86% 26.0% 37.93% Fail

0.00% 80.5% 40.25% Fail DNP35.00% 28.50% 31.75% 49.5% 40.63%27.14% 48.50% 37.82% 46.5% 42.16%22.86% 63.00% 42.93% 43.0% 42.96%48.57% 71.00% 59.79% 27.5% 43.64% Fail32.86% 45.00% 38.93% 50.5% 44.71% *40.00% 31.00% 35.50% 55.0% 45.25% *41.43% 47.00% 44.21% 47.0% 45.61% *62.14% 34.00% 48.07% 43.5% 45.79%66.43% 33.21% 60.0% 46.61%38.57% 45.00% 41.79% 55.0% 48.39% *64.29% 56.50% 60.39% 36.5% 48.45%45.00% 45.00% 45.00% 52.5% 48.75% *58.57% 42.50% 50.54% 47.5% 49.02% *65.00% 45.50% 55.25% 50.0% 52.63% *67.14% 31.50% 49.32% 56.0% 52.66%60.71% 13.00% 36.86% 74.0% 55.43% *65.71% 44.00% 54.86% 57.0% 55.93%67.14% 64.00% 65.57% 47.5% 56.54% *47.14% 64.00% 55.57% 58.0% 56.79% *42.86% 67.00% 54.93% 61.5% 58.21%52.86% 52.50% 52.68% 69.0% 60.84% *56.43% 36.00% 46.21% 76.0% 61.11%72.86% 59.00% 65.93% 56.5% 61.21%65.00% 72.00% 68.50% 54.5% 61.50% *65.00% 65.00% 65.00% 65.5% 65.25% *67.14% 65.00% 66.07% 65.0% 65.54% *68.57% 62.00% 65.29% 67.0% 66.14% *59.29% 44.00% 51.64% 82.0% 66.82%70.71% 45.50% 58.11% 79.0% 68.55%72.86% 69.00% 70.93% 68.5% 69.71%71.43% 50.50% 60.96% 83.0% 71.98%65.71% 71.00% 68.36% 76.0% 72.18%66.43% 77.50% 71.96% 73.0% 72.48% *70.71% 69.00% 69.86% 81.0% 75.43% *76.43% 66.00% 71.21% 80.0% 75.61% *65.71% 82.00% 73.86% 79.0% 76.43% *66.43% 71.00% 68.71% 88.5% 78.61% *75.71% 76.00% 75.86% 82.5% 79.18% *

HTML: Elements & Tags

• Hyper-Text Markup Language

• text files – edited with notepad

• tags, e.g. <html> </a>

• element = start tag + content + end tag– bold: This will be in bold– italic: This will be in italic

• work like brackets– start/open – end/close

HTML: page structure

<html> <head> <title>Test</title> </head> <body> This is a test page. </body></html>

head(info)

body(content)

• every HTML page has 2 sections:

HTML: Attributes

• Some tags need extra information to work:– Anchor (hyper-link) element:

<a href=“nextpage.htm”>Next Page</a>

– Image element: <img src=“Beach.jpg”>

– Embedded object element: <embed src=“Music.mp3”>

attribute (page to jump to)

attribute (filename of picture to display)

attribute (filename of music to play)

Example: Intro page<html> <head> <title>Mark Dixon's web site</title> </head> <body background="BackGround.JPG"> <center> Mark Dixon's web site</center> Welcome to my web server. Please select from the following list: <ul> <li><a href="./Soft131/Index.htm"> Soft131: Introduction to programming for Multimedia and Internet applications.</a> </ul> </body></html>

HTML Tags: Reference

• Lots of info available on-line, e.g.:http://www.willcam.com/cmat/html/crossref.html

• Short list of tags:– : new paragraph– : bold text– : italic text– <a>: anchor (link) to another web page– <img>: image/picture (.bmp, .jpg, .gif)– <embed>: embedded object (sound: .wav, .mp3)


Creating a web page

• Windows Explorer– Right click– Select New– Select Text Document– Change name (with .htm at end)

– Select Yes– Right click– Select Open with Notepad


Example: My Summer

My summer web-page


Tutorial Exercise 1: My Summer• LEARNING OBJECTIVE:

to understand tags, elements, and attributes, so that you can create your own web-pages using a simple text editor (e.g. notepad)

• TASK: Create a ‘My Summer’ web page, which describes the highlights of what you did over the summer, including text, pictures, and sound.

mark dixon, socce soft 131page 1 soft 131 01 – module introduction

Documents

socce soft

details mark dixon

campus slide

module introduction

change slide

shn slide

years programming learning

visual basic slide