COMP Part I Laboratory Programme

Module overview

This module is the lab programme for all first-year students enrolled on the Computer Science or Software Engineering degree programmes. Structurally, the Part I Laboratory Programme organises all practical, professional and laboratory-based work in Part I in a single timetable that is delivered into central laboratory locations.

The module is structured into a series of activities. There are a series of general sessions which all students enrolled on this module are expected to attempt:

Information lectures
Professional skills laboratories
Assignments

This syllabus covers this material.

In addition, there are a number of technical laboratories integrated into the Laboratory Programme which cover learning outcomes from the following technical modules in the Computer Science and Software Engineering programmes:

COMP1312 Programming I
COMP1313 Computer Systems I
COMP1314 Data Management
COMP1322 Programming II
COMP1323 Networks and Security

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Keep an appropriate record of your work in a log book
Work effectively as part of a team, recognising the different roles within the team, and reflecting on both your own and the team's performance
Effectively plan and monitor your time and work using recognised methods
Adopt an inclusive approach to engineering practice and recognise the responsibilities, benefits and importance of supporting equality, diversity and inclusion
Search effectively for appropriate sources of information, and critically evaluate those sources.
Communicate your work effectively, both orally and via written reports
Plan and record self-learning and development as the foundation for lifelong learning
Recognise the environmental, economic and societal impacts of computer systems.
Appreciate how an engineer is expected to conduct work ethically and professionally and apply knowledge of relevant legal, environmental and societal matters

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Understand basic principles of designing solutions for engineering design problems
Use software development environments and version control tools effectively
Use practical laboratory skills to investigate complex computer science problems

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Physical Lectures: traditional delivery in a lecture theatre, delivered to the entire cohort.

Online Lectures: most of the transferrable and professional material will be delivered in a flipped fashion, making use of pre-recorded resources from the ECS Professional Skills Hub, which are then discussed in tutorials and orientation sessions.

Laboratory Sessions: the majority of the activities in COMP1300 are supervised laboratories, in which teaching is delivered through specially constructed practical exercises, and through directed self-study in the preparation for those laboratories.

Study time
Type	Hours
Wider reading or practice	50
Follow-up work	12
Completion of assessment task	64
Lecture	24
Total study time	150

Assessment

Assessment strategy

This module is a zero credit module. The overall mark from the Laboratory Programme is evenly shared between the Part I modules that contribute to it, as listed above; thus, each of those modules should derive 20% of its final mark from this module.

This module is core on all programmes; students must achieve a pass mark in the Laboratory Programme in order to progress to Part II.

Assessed Laboratories: The marking scheme assesses on the basis of preparation, progress, understanding and logbook usage. These are provided in the Laboratory Programme website for individual laboratories. Preparation is assessed at the beginning of the lab session. Progress, Understanding and Logbooks are assessed at the end of each timetabled lab session. Feedback is given throughout the lab by academics and postgraduates, and at the end of the lab. If a student fails a lab, they can choose to reattempt it a number of times during the semester (subject to available resources/supervision), with their mark capped at 40%.

Assignments: The technical writing assignment is a mixture of self, peer and staff assessed, with a structured feedback and reflection exercise. The oral presentation assignment is assessed by academic and teaching staff (with suggestions from students’ peers), and feedback provided at the time.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Group Oral Presentation	20%
Technical report	30%
Laboratory Exercises	50%