INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAMMING WITH JAVA. Part II: Writing Good Code

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1 INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAMMING WITH JAVA Part II: Writing Good Code LENGTH: EFFORT: SUBJECT: LEVEL: LANGUAGE: VIDEO TRANSCRIPTS: 5 weeks 5-7 hours per week Computer Science Introductory English English, Español SYLLABUS 0

2 INTRODUCTION Introduction to Programming with Java is an introductory course to learn programming in an easy and interactive way. This course is designed taking into account the subset and recommendations of the College Board in order to prepare learners for the Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science A exam. The course is divided in three parts of five weeks each. This distribution is intended to make it easier for learners to work and practice at their own pace. Part 2: Writing Good Code takes over from the first part and aims to teach how to code good programs in Java, understanding good as both correct and efficient. Basic principles of software engineering will be introduced to make it easier for our future self and others to reuse code. Ethical issues and the intellectual property of our programs will also be addressed in the last part of this course. Examples and case studies will be provided, so that learners can implement simple but increasingly complex programs in Java. Learner s experience is enhanced through a wide range of videos and audiovisual materials. Interactive exercises accompanying videos give immediate feedback on common pitfalls and misconceptions when programming in Java. Code is presented using two tools that make the development of small programs easier: Codeboard, a web-based integrated development environment (IDE) that was also used in the first part of this course, and Eclipse IDE, a powerful and versatile environment that is very popular among software developers. It is important that you know that some activities and exercises in this course may not be compatible with mobile devices (such as those running on ios or Android). We recommend that you use a computer to ensure the best learning experience. If this is your first course on edx, do not hesitate to enroll in the Demo course to get to know the courseware: In addition, we recommend you to follow us in the first part of this introductory programming course, which is also available on edx as a self-paced course: Introduction to Programming with Java Part 1: Starting to Code with Java: OBJECTIVES After finishing Introduction to Programming with Java - Part 2: Writing Good Code, the learner should: Detect and correct common programming errors at compile time. Detect and correct common programming errors at run time using debugging tools. Check that the program does what it has to using unit testing processes. Compare the efficiency of two programs in terms of the resources used. Model simple programs using basic software engineering techniques. Determine if a program has been developed respecting ethical considerations. 1

3 COURSE STAFF CARLOS DELGADO KLOOS: Full Professor at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Director of the UNESCO Chair on Scalable Digital Education for All, and Vice- President for Strategy and Digital Education. He introduced the teaching of Java at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid in Content creator and general supervisor of the MOOC. CARLOS ALARIO-HOYOS: Teaching Assistant at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Content creator, instructional designer and responsible for the communication with learners. IRIA ESTÉVEZ-AYRES: Assistant Professor at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Content creator and assessment designer. MARÍA BLANCA IBÁÑEZ: Visiting Professor at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Content creator. FLORINA ALMENÁREZ: Assistant Professor at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Content creator. JORGE BLASCO: Former Assistant Lecturer at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and Research Fellow at City University London. Content creator and quality controller. JULIO VILLENA ROMÁN: Part-time lecturer at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Content creator and quality controller. COURSE STRUCTURE WEEK 1: Errors The first week starts from basic errors that occur at compile time and at run time when developing programs, and introduces debugging as a powerful and flexible strategy to detect and correct errors. The Eclipse IDE Debugger will be used to illustrate the debugging process with practical examples. WEEK 2: Expecting Correctness The second week addresses formal mechanisms to test that programs do what is expected of them, introducing unit testing processes, particularized in the JUnit framework for testing programs written in the Java language. WEEK 3: Efficiency The third week analyzes programs from the point of view of efficiency in the use of resources, such as computation time and storage, and presents simple mechanisms to improve the efficiency of Java programs. WEEK 4: Engineering The fourth week introduces basic principles of software engineering with the aim to improve robustness, modularity, reusability and maintainability of programs. WEEK 5: Ethics The last week studies ethical issues related to software development, including privacy, legal issues, intellectual property rights, and social ramifications. 2

4 COURSE METHODOLOGY Every week follows the same methodology and structure. First, theoretical concepts are presented in videos and other audiovisual formats in a simple and pleasant way through examples and metaphors. The learner assimilates these concepts by practicing with formative (non-graded) exercises, receiving immediate feedback. Next, a case study is introduced to demonstrate the theoretical concepts. The learner can download, analyze and modify the code of the case study to improve the understanding on the concepts taught. At the end of the week learners take the assessment activities (exams) that will be used to calculate the final grade. Supplementary materials to delve into the topics of the course may be provided at any times. The estimated time learners need to complete each week is from 5 to 7 hours. COMMUNICATION AND SOCIAL COMPONENT ING and the COURSE INFO PAGE will be used by teachers to keep learners up-todate with all the news related to the course. In addition, SOCIAL TOOLS will be supported for learners to communicate with teachers and peers: the course forum on edx and Twitter (#javaedxuc3m). Programming can be very challenging, and difficulties will inevitably arise. Learners are encouraged to actively interact with other learners and teachers through these three social tools and share their concerns, problems, experiences and pieces of code. EVALUATION Evaluation will cover theoretical concepts and also small programs. These activities are mandatory only for those who wish to get a certificate at the end of the course. The final grade for the course will be the result of the FIVE EXAMS (graded tests), each of them have a weight of 20%. To PASS THE COURSE it will be necessary to obtain the 60% of the final grade. 3

5 CALENDAR All the weeks will follow the same structure. Materials and formative activities (nongraded) will be released on Tuesdays (12:00 noon UTC) and will be available until June 30 (11:59 pm UTC), last day of the course. Please, pay attention to the calendar of exams (graded tests), which will be available for two weeks. WEEK RELEASE DATES (12:00 UTC) 1 26 April 2016 Errors CONTENTS Exam 1 (graded test): due on 10 May 2 3 May 2016 Expecting Correctness Exam 2 (graded test): due on 17 May 3 10 May 2016 Efficiency 4 17 May 2016 Engineering 5 24 May 2016 Ethics Exam 3 (graded test): due on 24 May Exam 4 (graded test): due on 31 May Exam 5 (graded test): due on 7 June The course Introduction to Programming with Java Part 2: Writing Good Code will finish on the 30 th of June Certificates will be ready after this date. 4