This module will explore the history of computing, the role and the science of algorithms, abstraction, the binary numbering system and its representations, Boolean logic and gates, fundamentals of computer hardware, building computer circuits, the von Neumann model, and will provide an introduction to hardware, data, software, the nature of data and its operation. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
This module will teach you the fundamentals of computer programming, covering variables, datatypes, arrays, algorithms, conditional and iterative code and the use of functions. You'll learn to write simple programs making use of a contemporary programming language and development environment. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
As a new entrant to the university, this module prepares you for developing an understanding of - and skills for - academic study and the world of work, and the professional and personal skills you'll need. You'll be introduced to all aspects of university study and being an IT professional, allowing your ideas to be explored and developed throughout your time at LSBU and beyond. The topics studied will be used to develop the skills that both a graduate and an IT professional will require, and will give you ample opportunities to develop your intellectual skills as well as your practical ones. In addition to these topics on professionalism, the module will introduce you to a range of topics relating to computer-based information systems, e-business and how business organisations work. The module is largely based on some existing model syllabi as devised by professional bodies such as the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) and The Chartered Institute for IT (BCS), but this has been adapted for the particular needs of LSBU’s new entrants. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
This module will teach you the definition of data structures, attributes, arrays, records, linked lists, binary trees and hash tables, using the fundamental elements of programming languages to construct them (for example using pointers). It will also teach you the derivation of algorithms, problem-solving techniques, sequences, selections, and repetitions, sorting and searching. The module will cover pseudocode, Unified Modelling Language diagrams and how they can be used when representing algorithms, iterative and recursive algorithms and abstract data types. The relationship between abstract data types and object-oriented classes will be introduced, and the ready-made implementation of common structures such as hash tables in software libraries will be explored. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
This module will introduce you to the logical and discrete mathematical structures and models, which are commonly used in the field of Computer Science and which underpin any study of this discipline. The module will emphasise the formulation of problems into mathematical forms, the interpretation of solutions and the identification of problem characteristics to help suggest modelling approaches. Provisions will be made (typically one hour per week) to allow us to bring you, if necessary, to a level of confidence and expertise in those areas of essential basic mathematics that should have been covered at earlier levels. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
This module provides the practical tools and techniques required to design, develop and evaluate effective interactive systems in an ever-changing digital age. User-centred design and usability are recognised as major contributing factors in the success of business and mass market information systems. The rise over the last 2 decades of the internet/web along with graphical user interfaces (GUIs), multimedia and ubiquitous mobile devices has led to an almost universal uptake of highly sophisticated interactive systems. Assessment method: 100% coursework.
