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FUNDAMENTALS OF COMPUTING
How long will the course take? It is estimated that it takes twenty to forty hours of study to complete all the material in this course. If you have a background in computing or computer programming you will probably take even less time but remember time is not that important, the important thing is to absorb and understand what you are studying
What is in the course: 1. Computer programs - the introduction 2. 2. Algorithms - a definition and the different ways of specifying algorithms 3. Software Development Life Cycle - SDLC - the stages in the life cycle of the software system 4. Step-Form algorithms - the simplest form of algorithm and trace tables 5. Pseudocode - somewhere between human language and 3GL 6. More work with loops and sequence 7. Dealing with errors and more work with decisions and loops 8. Flowcharts - simple, concise and accurate 9. Nassi-Schneiderman diagrams - a variation on flow-charts
Study guide
In each lesson you will find a number of objectives, things like this: *define what is meant by a computer *define what is meant by a computer program *briefly describe the development of computer languages *sketch a simple model of a computer program and its environment *explain how data differs from information *define the term algorithm *list the key features of an algorithm *describe what is meant by sequence *describe the if ... then and if ... then ... else constructs
In the complete course there are about forty or so objectives and they are stated in terms of something that you should be able to do. If someone was going to determine how much you knew about designing 3GL computer programs these objectives would be a useful way to frame questions that you could be asked. If you were to be hired by someone to design programs then these objectives represent the kinds of skills you need to be able to practice and the nature of the knowledge you need to have
There are nine lessons and mostly the lessons are fairly cohesive, that is they tend to stay within the topic of the lesson. The lessons should build on each other, you shouldn't find a concept in one lesson that requires knowledge or a skill which appears in a later lesson. Most of the lessons have questions that you should answer and exercises that you should do. The questions and exercises are intended to test your learning of the lesson and to give you the opportunity to practice your new skills and knowledge - the things outlined in the objectives. The questions and exercises are for your benefit, if you are doing the course then you need to know how well you are doing
Now you have some idea of the shape of the course, how do you tackle it? The key to completing a course like this is disciplined time management. My estimate of the time it should take to complete the course is twenty to forty hours. That includes reading and digesting the lessons, doing the exercises and answering the questions. You don't have to be a genius or a computer whiz but you must be committed to finishing the course Skim read through the material, that is quickly read through and get a feel for what is in it. While you skim through make a note on pencil and paper of how long it takes to skim each lesson and the exercises and questions
And last of all: There are three golden rules for the exercises and questions: *Do the exercises and questions *Do the exercises and questions *Do the exercises and questions