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School of Computer Science
Level 4
Ingkarni Wardli Building
THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
SA 5005
AUSTRALIA
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Telephone: +61 8 8313 4729
Facsimile: +61 8 8313 4366


You are here: Computer Science > Courses > Level-1 > ipe

Introduction to Programming for Engineers

Course offerings

Why should I study Introduction to Programming?

Humans have been preparing programs, in a simple way, for thousands of years. We live in a remarkable age, where general-purpose computers are able to perform, in seconds, calculations that a century ago would have taken a lifetime. As engineers, you will all be exposed to computer-aided design tools, and computerised equipment. If you want to get the most from this equipment, you need to understand how it works, and how to control it --- how it "thinks". Perhaps you will enjoy the task so much that you will design the next generation of such machines. Even if you never prgram again after this course, the skills you will learn can be applied in project management and contract-writing, and will help you to think clearly about problems.

What will I learn?

We will teach you three things:

  • How to think clearly about problems "like a programmer", and how to translate your thoughts into an algorithm
  • How to use MATLAB to implement algorithms and solve simple engineering problems that require numerical computation
  • How to use C to implement algorithms, and solve more general problems.

What should I know before I enrol?

The course will assume some familiarity with high-school mathematics, including algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and diffential calculus. Since you are an engineer and will concurrently be taking other more-advanced mathematics courses, this should not be a problem!

How will my performance be assessed?

Your performance in the course will be assessed in three ways:

  • Practical exercise marks will contribute between 20% and 30% to your final score.
  • The final exam usually contributes the remainder of the marks.
  • Tutorials are not usually assessed. However, we do record your attendance.

The precise details of assessment vary from year to year, and will be explained at the first lecture.

What comes next?

If you enjoyed this course, the next step in your programming education is the course: Object-oriented Programming which introduces C++, a more modern programming language.

What do students think of this course?

From time-to-time, we ask students to give their opinion of this course, and allow the lecturers to respond to the evaluation. The most recent results, labelled "courseEvaluation", and "courseResponse" are here:

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Disclaimer

The information presented here should apply to most students. It is possible, however, that special conditions may apply to you. You can find out by reading the University Calendar program rules