| CODE | CPS1003 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Programming Principles in C | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 01 - Year 1 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Computer Science | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This unit is intended as a first programming course and takes the student step by step through a number of fundamental concepts including basic language constructs (assignment, branching and loops) and data types, dynamic memory management, preprocessor directives, intrinsics and compiler options (e.g. optimisation and debugging settings). The unit will also cover techniques for efficient and effective debugging and profiling of programs. The practical aspect of the unit focuses on the implementation of a number of basic programming algorithms including efficient sorting and searching. Study-unit Aims The aim of this study-unit is that of introducing the students to the basic concepts of programming in terms of the C programming language, a language that sits at the right level so as to give the student important exposure to concepts such as memory management through pointers and the associated intricacies associated with such constructs. C also happens to be the lingua franca of systems programming. Learning Outcomes 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Demonstrate the ability to design, implement and test procedural programs while choosing appropriate language constructs and algorithms including I/O operations; - Demonstrate practical application of structured design principles. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Describe an algorithm (sequence of steps) that solves a problem. (Automation); - Analyse algorithm to determine whether it solves the problem. (Correctness); - Describe how C source code is executed by a computer (Operational semantics); - Compare algorithms to determine which is better suited for a particular problem, with regards to space and time complexity. (Time/Memory Resource Usage). Main Text/s and any supplementary readings - C Prime Plus (5th edition). Stephen Prata. Sams, 2004. ISBN 978-0672326967 - The C Programming Language. BW Kernighan, DM Ritchie. Prentice-Hall, 1988. ISBN 0-13-110362-8 - Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets. Peter van der Linden. Prentice Hall, 1994. ISBN 978-0131774292 |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Co-requisite Study-unit: CSA1017 | |||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture, Independent Study & Practicum | |||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Mark J. Vella |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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