This module will introduce the basics required to produce efficient and effective code. You will be introduced to the underpinning architecture of a modern computer and from this starting point learn the basic of good computer practice from a code agnostic starting point.
You will then develop your skills through computer programming (mainly in Python) with a series of guided workshops and worksheets that develop these practical skills.
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
1. Introduction to computer architecture
2. Software sustainability and good practice
3. Introduction to Python – interface structure and layout. (Inc. read/write files etc)
4 Jupyter notebooks
5. Introduction to LINUX
6. Variables, data structures and operators.
7. Arrays, vectors and matrices.
8. Visualisation
9. Logic structures and loops
10. Functions
11. The atomic simulation environment
12. Symbolic programming (e.g. Mathematica)
13. Version control
14. Errors, debugging and problem solving
15. Documentation and online resources
16. BASH scripting and file systems
Teaching and Learning Methods will focus on directed computational practical work that lead you through the varions aspects of coding in Python. These will be supported by a few lectures and more open workshops where you will get to test your new skills on previously unseen problems.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 10 |
| Guided independent study | 75 |
| Independent Study | 60 |
| Workshops | 45 |
| Wider reading or practice | 60 |
| Completion of assessment task | 50 |
| Total study time | 300 |
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Coursework | 100% |