Course coordinator
Dr Azin Janani
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- Study level
- Postgraduate Coursework
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Elec Engineering & Comp Science School
Introduction to programming focusses on the fundamentals of computing and programming using an exploratory problem-based approach. Building abstractions with procedures, data and objects; data modelling; designing, coding and debugging programs of increasing complexity. This course introduces fundamental concepts in programming, using the Python programming language. Emphasis is placed on problem solving using computational techniques, creating algorithms and designing abstractions.
This course introduces fundamental concepts in programming, using the Python programming language. Emphasis is placed on problem solving using computational techniques, creating algorithms and designing classes.
Course requirements
Assumed background
No prior knowledge of programming is assumed.
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
COMP1502, CSSE1001, ENGG1001
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Azin Janani
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Note that contact and practical sessions start in Week 2. You need to sign-on for one of the practical group streams and one of the contact session streams. Students may attend additional contact sessions, beyond the one to which they are allocated, if there are not too many students in the room for the demonstrators to manage, they may limit attendance to only those allocated to the session.
Practical sessions tend to become very crowded close to assignment due dates. Demonstrators may limit attendance to only those allocated to a practical session to ensure that the session is manageable.
Lectures will be recorded and available on the course Blackboard site. However, attendance at the physical lecture is strongly recommended, with recordings used to revise content.
An In-Semester Exam will be scheduled on one of the following dates: Saturday, 29 March (end of week 5) or Saturday, 5 April (end of week 6) or Saturday, 12 April (end of week 7)
The exact date and time of the In-Semester Exam will be announced via email and on the course Blackboard site later during the semester.
Aims and outcomes
This course aims to provide students with foundation level programming skills. Taking this course will teach you the fundamental techniques that are common to good programming practice, independent of the programming language. After completing this course you should be able to transfer the programming skillsets you learn to other programming languages which employ similar paradigms. This includes understanding of data types, data structures, functions, building abstractions to hide details, separating a specification from an implementation and establishing conventional interfaces to allow the creation of standard extendable software modules. Programming practice is necessary to achieve the learning outcomes of the course. You will be using Python to practice coding and for your assessment as it is well-suited to understanding fundamental programming ideas and practices. Upon course completion you will be able to analyse a problem and design and implement a computational solution to the problem. You will make use of two major paradigms: imperative and object-oriented programming.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
apply program constructs such as variables, selection, iteration and sub-routines,
LO2.
apply basic object-oriented concepts such as classes, instances and methods,
LO3.
read and analyse code written by others,
LO4.
analyse a problem and design an algorithmic solution to the problem,
LO5.
read and analyse a design and be able to translate the design into a working program,
LO6.
apply techniques for testing and debugging,
LO7.
understand and implement basic cybersecurity measures, including input validation and format checking, in programming.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Code, Quiz, Reflection |
Weekly RiPPLE activities
|
10% |
Cycle 1 (RiPPLE) - Creation 18/03/2025 3:00 pm Cycle 1 (RiPPLE) - Moderation 25/03/2025 3:00 pm Cycle 1 (RiPPLE) - Practice 1/04/2025 3:00 pm Cycle 2 (RiPPLE) - Creation 8/04/2025 3:00 pm Cycle 2 (RiPPLE) - Moderation 15/04/2025 3:00 pm Cycle 3 (RiPPLE)- Creation 29/04/2025 3:00 pm Cycle 3 (RiPPLE) - Moderation 6/05/2025 3:00 pm Cycle 3 (RiPPLE) - Practice 13/05/2025 3:00 pm Cycle 4 (RiPPLE) - Creation 20/05/2025 3:00 pm Cycle 4 (RiPPLE) - Moderation 27/05/2025 3:00 pm |
| Examination |
In-semester Exam
|
25% |
In-semester Saturday 29/03/2025 - 12/04/2025
The In-Semester Exam will be held at 2pm on Saturday 5 April (Week 6) |
| Computer Code | Computer exercise (Assignment 1) | 10% |
11/04/2025 3:00 pm |
| Computer Code | Computer exercise 2 (Assignment 2) | 15% |
23/05/2025 3:00 pm |
| Examination |
End of semester exam
|
40% |
End of Semester Exam Period 7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025 |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
Weekly RiPPLE activities
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Computer Code, Quiz, Reflection
- Weight
- 10%
- Due date
Cycle 1 (RiPPLE) - Creation 18/03/2025 3:00 pm
Cycle 1 (RiPPLE) - Moderation 25/03/2025 3:00 pm
Cycle 1 (RiPPLE) - Practice 1/04/2025 3:00 pm
Cycle 2 (RiPPLE) - Creation 8/04/2025 3:00 pm
Cycle 2 (RiPPLE) - Moderation 15/04/2025 3:00 pm
Cycle 3 (RiPPLE)- Creation 29/04/2025 3:00 pm
Cycle 3 (RiPPLE) - Moderation 6/05/2025 3:00 pm
Cycle 3 (RiPPLE) - Practice 13/05/2025 3:00 pm
Cycle 4 (RiPPLE) - Creation 20/05/2025 3:00 pm
Cycle 4 (RiPPLE) - Moderation 27/05/2025 3:00 pm
- Other conditions
- Peer assessed.
Task description
Students will regularly participate in a series of activities via the course's Blackboard site. These activities will enable students to track their learning through regular activities using a combination of learning platforms including RiPPLE (i.e. creation, moderation and practice cycles). Between Week 3 & 13, students will regularly complete a weekly activity to test their knowledge of recently practiced topic. Student completion of each weekly activity will be graded by their peers in order to provide a means of tracking learning. Best 8 out of 10 activities will be counted (1.25% each).
Submission guidelines
RiPPLE activities will be submitted on-line via Blackboard (RiPPLE). Detailed submission instruction will be provided on the Blackboard site of the course.
Deferral or extension
You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.
No extensions available and 100% Late penalty applied for RiPPLE activities. To accommodate unforeseen circumstances such as illness, your score will be based on the best 8 out of 10 submissions.
Late submission
You will receive a mark of 0 if this assessment is submitted late.
In-semester Exam
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Weight
- 25%
- Due date
In-semester Saturday
29/03/2025 - 12/04/2025
The In-Semester Exam will be held at 2pm on Saturday 5 April (Week 6)
Task description
This is a closed book and identity verified examination conducted on campus. This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
This exam is compulsory and covers up to Week 5 (inclusive).
This exam will be scheduled at a fixed time for all students.
Exam details
| Planning time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 90 minutes |
| Calculator options | (In person) Casio FX82 series only or UQ approved and labelled calculator |
| Open/closed book | Closed Book examination - no written materials permitted |
| Exam platform | Paper based |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
The In-Semester Saturday Deferred Exam will be held on Saturday 10th of May (Week 10).
Computer exercise (Assignment 1)
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Computer Code
- Weight
- 10%
- Due date
11/04/2025 3:00 pm
Task description
Students will implement a small program based on a provided specification. This part assesses topics covered in teaching weeks one through four, including functions, strings, lists, tuples, loops, and conditional statements (if statements). While this assessment, students must:
- Work independently, without viewing anyone else's code or sharing their own code with others.
- Avoid copying code from the internet or other sources.
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Assignment submitted on-line via Blackboard (Gradescope). Students should submit their code regularly to Gradescope as they progress in the assignment. Detailed submission instruction will be provided on the Blackboard site of the course.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Detailed solutions with feedback will be released to students within 7 days.
Late submission
100% Late Penalty after 1 hour grace period. The one-hour grace period is recorded from the time the submission is due. This grace period is designed to deal with issues that might arise during submission (e.g. delays with Blackboard or Gradescope) and should not be considered a shift of the due time.
Computer exercise 2 (Assignment 2)
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Computer Code
- Weight
- 15%
- Due date
23/05/2025 3:00 pm
Task description
Students will implement an object oriented program based on a provided specification. This assessment covers topics from teaching week one through eleven. While completing this assignment, students must:
- Work independently, without viewing anyone else's code or sharing their own code with others.
- Avoid copying code from the internet or other sources.
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Assignment 2 will be submitted on-line via Blackboard (Gradescope). Students should submit their code regularly to Gradescope as they progress in the assignment 2. Detailed submission instruction will be provided on the Blackboard site of the course.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 7 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Detailed solutions with feedback will be released to students within 7 days.
Late submission
100% Late Penalty after 1 hour grace period. The one-hour grace period is recorded from the time the submission is due. This grace period is designed to deal with issues that might arise during submission (e.g. delays with Blackboard or Gradescope) and should not be considered a shift of the due time.
End of semester exam
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Examination
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
End of Semester Exam Period
7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025
Task description
This is a closed-book, identity-verified examination conducted on campus. This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
The final exam is compulsory and covers the entire course.
The final exam will be scheduled at a fixed time for all students.
Hurdle requirements
Exam >= 50% required for Grade 4Exam details
| Planning time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Calculator options | (In person) Casio FX82 series only or UQ approved and labelled calculator |
| Open/closed book | Closed Book examination - no written materials permitted |
| Exam platform | Paper based |
| Invigilation | Invigilated in person |
Submission guidelines
Deferral or extension
You may be able to defer this exam.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 1 - 19 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 20 - 46 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 47 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: Hurdle: FINAL EXAM >= 40% |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Hurdle: FINAL EXAM >= 50% |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Hurdle: FINAL EXAM >= 60% |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Hurdle: FINAL EXAM >= 70% |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: Hurdle: FINAL EXAM >= 80% |
Additional course grading information
A mark in this course is calculated from the following four assessments in this course:
1. RiPPLE activities (R)
2. Assignment 1 (A1)
3. In-semester exam (EM)
4. Assignment 2 (A2)
5. End-of-semester Exam (EF)
Supposing R, A1, EM, A2, EF are percentages in [0%, 100%] then your mark is
MARK = MAX(M1, M2)
where:
M1 = 0.10*R + 0.10*A1 + 0.15*A2 + 0.25*EM + 0.40*EF
M2 = 0.10*R + 0.10*A1 + 0.15*A2 + 0.10*EM + 0.55*EF
This means that poor performance on the in-semester exam can be mitigated by performing well on the final exam.
The final grade for the course will be initially constructed from the individual grades according to assessment weightings. Your mark will be computed using two digits precision, then rounded to the nearest whole number. At the discretion of the course coordinator, final grades may be moderated.
End-of-semester Exam mark less than 50% means grade is capped at 3.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Additional assessment information
Having Troubles?
If you are having difficulties with any aspect of the course material, you should seek help. Speak to your teaching team and/or the course coordinator.
If external circumstances are affecting your ability to work on the course, you should seek help as soon as possible. The University and UQ Union have organisations and staff who are able to help, for example, UQ Student Services are able to help with study and exam skills, tertiary learning skills, writing skills, financial assistance, personal issues, and disability services (among other things).
Complaints and criticisms should be directed in the first instance to the course coordinator. If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you may bring the matter to the attention of the EECS Director of Teaching & Learning.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
Blackboard
There are extensive video modules, readings, examples, tutorial exercises, assignments and other resources that can be accessed via Blackboard.
Online Material
Lecture related notesﾠcan be accessed viaﾠBlackboard. Lectures will be example driven, demonstrating the application of the concepts covered in the weekly readings.ﾠYou need to be prepared for the lectures for this course by having read the weekly notesﾠprovided on Blackboard and Ed Lessons beforehand.
This course will make use of Weekly Code Challenges in Ed Lessons platform.ﾠCode Challenge is a tutorial system that automatically checks your answers and gives you feedback.
Facilities
Practical work for this course will take place in the PC labs. Several slots have been booked for this course, when you will have priority in the lab. A demonstrator will be present to answer questions and help with any problems - this includes any problems you are having with any of the online material. You should be aware that you will need to do more work independently of the 2 hours per week that is set aside for practicals.
The required software, libraries and documentation are on the machines in the PC labs and instructions for downloading for home use can be accessed via Blackboard.
For details of the Occupational Health and Safety requirements of the labs, refer to the EECS Student Guide.
Handouts
Notes, assignments, solutions, etc. will be made available through Blackboard.
Distribution of Notices
Important notices will appear on Blackboard.
Ed lessons
This course will use Ed Lessons.
Ed discussion forum
This course will use Ed Discussion forum.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 (24 Feb - 02 Mar) |
Lecture |
Week 1 Course introduction. Learning outcomes: L01 |
Multiple weeks From Week 2 To Week 12 |
Practical |
Practicals Weekly practical start from Week 2 |
Multiple weeks From Week 2 To Week 13 |
General contact hours |
Contact hours Weekly contact hours start from Week 2. |
Week 2 (03 Mar - 09 Mar) |
Lecture |
Week 2 Control Structures (if statement and While loop). |
Week 3 (10 Mar - 16 Mar) |
Lecture |
Week 3 Strings, For loops, and Functions |
Week 4 (17 Mar - 23 Mar) |
Lecture |
Week 4 Tuples and Lists - Strings and Lists methods |
Week 5 (24 Mar - 30 Mar) |
Lecture |
Week 5 Dictionary , Scope |
Week 6 (31 Mar - 06 Apr) |
Lecture |
Week 6 File Processing, Debugging and Testing |
Week 7 (07 Apr - 13 Apr) |
Lecture |
Week 7 Exceptions and Intro to OOP |
Week 8 (14 Apr - 20 Apr) |
Lecture |
Week 8 Dunder/Magic methods. Inheritance and Polymorphism. |
Week 9 (28 Apr - 04 May) |
Lecture |
Week 9 MVC Design Pattern, Intro to Cyber Security |
Week 11 (12 May - 18 May) |
Lecture |
Week 11 Functional Programming |
Week 12 (19 May - 25 May) |
Lecture |
Week 12 Recursion |
Week 13 (26 May - 01 Jun) |
Lecture |
Week 13 Revision. |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
School guidelines
Your school has additional guidelines you'll need to follow for this course: