| CODE | TEM5009 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Foundations of Digital Technologies | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Technology and Entrepreneurship Education | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit is intended to introduce students to the basic principles of digital technologies and computational thinking using a practical, applied, hands-on approach. By means of educational robotics kits, iconic programming environments such as Scratch, and a variety of freely downloadable applications - all of which can be used with school children within various curricular contexts - students will explore core computational principles. Study-Unit Aims: This study-unit aims to: - Give an overview of the basic principles of digital hardware; - Provide a historical context for the development of digital technology; - Introduce the concept of data types and how data of different types can be represented digitally; - Introduce the concept of an algorithm and its representation (predominantly in graphical/iconic form); - Introduce students to the use of robotics as an educational resource to explore computational concepts; - Encourage students to explore a variety of applications for constructing rich-media artifacts, and to understand the underlying computational principles. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Describe the operation of a computer at the logical level; - Identify historical milestones in the development of computational technology; - Identify and discuss ethical and social issues related to a broad variety of digital technologies; - Describe how a variety of data types (such as images and sound) are represented digitally; - Choose appropriate applications to create and operate on digitally represented media. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Device algorithmic solutions to simple problems; - Describe simple algorithms using flowcharts; - Implement simple games using an event-driven, block language such as Scratch; - Identify common programming patterns; - Construct simple robots using a variety of sensors and actuators; - Code simple robots using an iconic visual interface. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Course notes and links to a variety of online (mostly Web) resources will be provided on the course VLE page. Supplementary Readings: Denning, P. J., & Martell, C. H. (2015). Great principles of computing. Cambridge, Mass. MIT Press. ISBN: 9780262527125. Levitin, A., & Levitin, M. (2011). Algorithmic puzzles. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN: 9780199740444. Petzold, C. (2015). Code: The hidden language of computer hardware and software. Redmond, Wash: Microsoft Press. ISBN: 9780735611313. Wang, P. S. (2016). From Computing to Computational Thinking. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. ISBN: 9781482217650. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture and Independent Study | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Leonard Busuttil |
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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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