To ensure that students have a thorough grasp of the basics of object-oriented programming in Java 1.5. The emphasis is on fundamental principles and their application in practice. Language constructs and library classes are introduced as embodiments or examples of the principles and best practice is emphasised throughout.

The only formal prerequisite is basic computer literacy and the ability to think logically and solve abstract problems.

A student successfully completing this module should be able to:

• Explain the relationship between real - world entities and software objects with suitable examples.
• Make appropriate use of existing classes
• Write simple classes to model application domain concepts.
• Use the basic imperative features of Java with confidence
• Create programs consisting of small collections of classes, which obey the basic best practice rules of responsibility assignment, low coupling etc.
• Build simple inheritance hierarchies which pass the is-a test
• Handle runtime errors using exception handling in accordance with best practice
• Create very simple GUI applets and applications using Swing
• Perform basic stream I/O and file handling
• Calculate the complexity of simple algorithms using collections and explain why it matters

The full syllabus is as follows:

The assessment is 100% coursework based (50% programming exercises, 50% projects) where students are asked to tackle progressively more challenging programming exercises. After each exercise/project, the student uploads their solution to our learning environment. This assessed is marked by the course tutor and feedback returned to the student with their grade.

All distance learning course materials and related resources will be available electronically through our website on registration.

The unit is a 100% distance learning course, with the core material provided as a CBT package.The course is delivered using a virtual learning environment (VLE). The material is supplied as a Computer Based training Package (CBT) and the students are guided through their study using a series of work packages presented by the VLE.

A series of assessments associated with the course must be periodically submitted to the Course Assessor or Tutors who will respond with relevant feedback.

The VLE provides a bulletin board facility that the students are encouraged to use to communicate with one another, this board is moderated by the tutors and course assessor. Students also have weekly online tutorials. Discussion of the assessments is encouraged, but the actual exercise and project work is done individually.