Computer Science - BSc (Hons)

This module provides an introduction to object-oriented software development. Software pervades many aspects of most professional fields and sciences, and an understanding of the development of software applications is useful as a basis for many disciplines. This module covers the development of simple software systems. Students will gain an understanding of the software development process, and learn to design and implement applications in a popular object-oriented programming language. Fundamentals of classes and objects are introduced, and key features of class descriptions: constructors, methods and fields. Method implementation through assignment, selection control structures, iterative control structures and other statements is introduced. Collection objects are also covered and the availability of library classes as building blocks. Throughout the course, the quality of class design and the need for a professional approach to software development is emphasized

Mathematical reasoning underpins many aspects of computer science and this module aims to provide the skills needed for other modules on the degree programme; we are not teaching mathematics for its own sake. Topics will include algebra, reasoning and proof, set theory, functions, statistics.

• An introduction to databases and SQL, focussing on their use as a source for content for websites.

• Creating static content for websites using HTML(5) and controlling their appearance using CSS.

• Using PHP to integrate static and dynamic content for web sites.

• Securing dynamic websites.

• Using Javascript to improve interactivity and maintainability in web content.

14. A synopsis of the curriculum

This module aims to provide students with an understanding of the fundamental behaviour and components (hardware and software) of a typical computer system, and how they collaborate to manage resources and provide services. The module has two strands: ‘Hardware Architecture’ and ‘Operating Systems and Networks,’ which form around 35% and 65% of the material respectively. Both strands contain material which is of general interest to computer users; quite apart from their academic value, they will be useful to anyone using any modern computer system.

Hardware Architecture

Data representation: Bits, bytes and words. Numeric and non-numeric data. Number representation.

Computer architecture: Fundamental building blocks (logic gates, flip-flops, counters, registers). The fetch/execute cycle. Instruction sets and types.

Data storage: Memory hierarchies and associated technologies. Physical and virtual memory.

Operating Systems and Networks

Operating systems principles. Abstractions. Processes and resources. Security. Application Program Interfaces.

Device interfaces: Handshaking, buffering, programmed and interrupt-driven i/o. Direct Memory Access.

File Systems: Physical structure. File and directory organisation, structure and contents. Naming hierarchies and access. Backup.

Background and history of networking and the Internet.

Networks and protocols: LANs and WANs, layered protocol design. The TCP/IP protocol stack; theory and practice. Connection-oriented and connectionless communication. Unicast, multicast and broadcast. Naming and addressing. Application protocols; worked examples: SMTP, HTTP).

This module follows from CO322 and aims to provide students with more understanding of the theory behind the formal underpinnings of computing. It will build upon the abstract reasoning skills introduced in CO322. Matrices, vectors, differential calculus, probability and computer arithmetic will be introduced.

This module provides an introduction to human-computer interaction. Fundamental aspects of human physiology and psychology are introduced and key features of interaction and common interaction styles delineated. A variety of analysis and design methods are introduced (e.g. GOMS. heuristic evaluation, user-centred and contextual design techniques). Throughout the course, the quality of design and the need for a professional, integrated and user-centred approach to interface development is emphasised. Rapid and low-fidelity prototyping feature as one aspect of this.

Design and communication, what makes for good written communication, how people get and process information, Personal Development Project, effective spoken communication, how to work successfully in a group, doing academic research, about preparing and giving a presentation, history of computing and the history of communication, the effects of technology, Health and safety issues with computing, the Business of Computing, Employment in IT, software development and software engineering, preparing for examinations, designing –for the web: web usability and web accessibility, the basics of IPR, relevant Laws applying to the use and development of computing, such as the Computer Misuse Act and the Data Protection Acts.

A range of social issues relating to computing, Representative content might include, Digital divide, Cyber bullying, Case studies

Sustainability: e.g. energy consumption, How to estimate? Substantial challenge, Rules of thumb (eg what to upgrade and when, when not to), Legal requirements of sustainability, Economic and ethical constraints.

How to make money in the IT industry: Consultancy, Selling software, Business planning, Pricing and estimating (case studies of what (not) to do from KITC).

This module builds on the foundation of object-oriented design and implementation found in module CO320 Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming to provide a deeper understanding of and facility with object-oriented program design and implementation. More advanced features of object-orientation, such as inheritance, abstract classes, nested classes, graphical-user interfaces (GUIs), exceptions, input-output are covered. These allow an application-level view of design and implementation to be explored. Throughout the module the quality of application design and the need for a professional approach to software development is emphasized.

This module aims to provide students with a more in-depth understanding of the fundamental behaviour and components (hardware and software) of a typical computer system, and how they collaborate to manage resources and provide services. It will consider systems other than the standard PC running Windows, in order to broaden students’ outlook. The module has two strands: “Operating Systems” and “Architecture”, which each form around 50% of the material.

13. A synopsis of the curriculum Phase 1 – theory and tools:

• Introduction to basic design principles of systems;

• Software process - concepts & implementation:

o life cycle models (from Extreme Programming to CMM);

o definition, model, measurement, analysis, improvement of software and team (organization) process;

• Requirements elicitation, analysis and specification;

• Introduction to modelling principles (decomposition, abstraction, generalization, projection/views), and types of models (information, behavioural, structural, domain, and functional);

• Basic UML: uses cases, classes, sequence and collaboration diagrams;

• Risk & risk management in software:

o risk management: identification, analysis and prioritization

o software risks: project, process and product

o development methods for reducing risk

• Training in handling electrical components commonly encountered in computing systems and safe working practices.

• Software management: project estimation and metrics, software and process quality assurance, documentation and revision control;

• Introduction to project management;

• Software engineering tools: configuration control (e.g. SVN, GIT, etc.), project management (e.g Trac), integrated development environments (e.g. Eclipse, NetBeans, etc.), and a UML tool (e.g. IBM Rational Rose).

Phase 2 – Practice and techniques:

• Introduction to design patterns;

• More UML: state, activity diagrams, and OCL;

• Project management practice;

• Introduction to software testing: unit testing, coverage analysis, black box testing, integration testing, test cases based use cases, system and acceptance testing, and testing tools;

• Understanding of a number of business techniques including estimation of time, costs and evaluation of technical alternatives in the business context;

• Professional practice (reflective):

o codes of ethics and professional conduct;

o social, legal, historical, and professional issues and concerns;

• Design and implement a simple software system to meet a specified business goal.

Testing, specification, verification

• Specifying test properties, and more general logical properties

• Scaling testing

• Pre- and post-conditions, Hoare Logic, loop invariants

Data and Algorithm Design

• Dynamic data structures: trees, queues, heaps and priority queues;

• Sorting and searching algorithms, both in their own right and as components of more complex algorithms;

• Graph algorithms: depth and breadth-first search, union-find, minimal-cost spanning trees;

Estimation and efficiency

• Informal estimation and approximate calculations;

• Detailed analysis of the time complexity of some simple algorithms including best, worst and average behaviour;

• Techniques for analysing and comparing the asymptotic behaviour of algorithms.

Propositional & Predicate Logic, including proofs

• Formal languages: finite automata, regular expressions, CFGs

• Turing machines, decidability

This module provides an introduction to the theory and practice of database systems. It extends the study of information systems in Stage 1 by focusing on the design, implementation and use of database systems. Topics include database management systems architecture, data modelling and database design, query languages, recent developments and future prospects.

Building scaleable web sites using client-side and and server-side frameworks (e.g. GWT, CakePHP, Ruby on Rails).

Data transfer technologies, e.g. XML and JSON.

Building highly interactive web sites using e.g. AJAX.

Web services

Deploying applications and services to the web: servers, infrastructure services, and traffic and performance analysis.

Web and application development for mobile devices.

This module will introduce students to fundamental concepts of functional and concurrent programming, using a suitable language (e.g. Erlang) as a vehicle to put these concepts into practice. The first part of the module will cover basic ideas in functional programming, such as expressions, types, values, lists, pattern-matching and recursion, together with the specific language concurrency model, including process creation, message sending and receiving. Good concurrent design practices will be considered, based on networks of communicating processes (e.g. Actor and CSP models), and avoiding problems such as deadlock, livelock and starvation.

The later part of the module will cover more advanced topics (higher-order functions) and look at alternative concurrency models (e.g. synchronous, channel-based, join-based and shared-memory) and their relationship to the model described in the first part of the module. Alongside this, consideration will be given to the relevance and applicability of functional and concurrent programming for use in real applications.

The project gives you the opportunity to follow and develop your particular technical interests, undertake a larger and less tightly specified piece of work than you have before (at university), and develop the project organisation, implementation and documentation techniques which you have learnt in other modules. The technical and professional aspects of project courses are seen as particularly important by both employers (who will often bring them up in interviews) and by professional bodies.

The project may be self-proposed or may be selected from a list of project proposals. Typically, a project will involve the specification, design, implementation, documentation and demonstration of a technical artefact. The project is supervised by a member of the academic staff, who holds weekly meetings with the group, during which s/he will give general advice and will assess the progress of the group and the contributions by individual students.

Project deliverables are:

- a technical report, in the style of an academic paper, describing the scientific/technical outcome of the project;

- a well-indexed corpus of material that supports the achievements claimed.

In addition, each individual prepares a report outlining his/her contributions to each of the various aspects of the project. This report should not be a repeat of other material delivered as part of the project, but an assessment of the progress of the project and reflections on what the individual has learnt from undertaking it. In particular, it should include a description of the particular activities and outcomes that individual has contributed to the project, and of how the group worked together. This report will be discussed at a viva voce examination which should include a short presentation/demonstration of the project.

The project gives you the opportunity to follow and develop your particular technical interests, undertake a larger and less tightly specified piece of work than you have before (at university), and develop the project organisation, implementation and documentation techniques which you have learnt in other modules. The technical and professional aspects of project courses are seen as particularly important by both employers (who will often bring them up in interviews) and by professional bodies.

The project may be self-proposed or may be selected from a list of project proposals. Typically, a project will involve the specification, design, implementation, documentation and demonstration of a technical artefact. The project is supervised by a member of the academic staff, who holds weekly meetings with the group, during which s/he will give general advice and will assess the progress of the group and the contributions by individual students.

Project deliverables are:

- a technical report, in the style of an academic paper, describing the scientific/technical outcome of the project;

- a well-indexed corpus of material that supports the achievements claimed.

In addition, each individual prepares a report outlining his/her contributions to each of the various aspects of the project. This report should not be a repeat of other material delivered as part of the project, but an assessment of the progress of the project and reflections on what the individual has learnt from undertaking it. In particular, it should include a description of the particular activities and outcomes that individual has contributed to the project, and of how the group worked together. This report will be discussed at a viva voce examination which should include a short presentation/demonstration of the project.

Students taking this module will undertake two or (typically) more assignments for the Kent IT Clinic (KITC). Each assignment will be of one of three types: .

Work on one of KITC’s contracts with an external client. To the extent that client-funded workallows, every student will be given at least one assignment of this type. Wherever practical, astudent will be encouraged to participate in the negotiation and pricing of contracts, under theultimate supervision of KITC management. For each assignment, the student may work on theassignment individually or as part of a group, as directed by KITC.

A contribution to the infrastructure of KITC itself. These assignments work in a similar way to external assignments, but with KITC as the client.

Formulating a costed proposal for the future development of KITC, and presenting reasoned argument in support of the proposal to KITC management, as a candidate for inclusion in KITC’s strategic plan for the following academic year. Every student will have at least one assignment of this type.

The module will cover a mixture of theoretical and practical topics in the area of the Internet of Things (IoT), that is, the use of Internet technologies to access and interact with objects in the physical world. This will include coverage of the range of sensor and actuator devices available, ways in which they communicate and compute, methods for getting information to and from IoT-enabled devices, and ways of visualising and processing data gained from the IoT. A practical component will consist of building the hardware and software for a sensor network and a system to visualise data from that network.

A study of techniques for interpreting and compiling programming languages, implementing them in a typed functional programming language (e.g., OCaml, Haskell). The module will outline a whole compiler from source to machine code, but will focus in depth on key algorithms and techniques. Possible in-depth topics include:

• writing interpreters,

• Hindley-Milner type inference,

• register allocation,

• garbage collection,

• abstract interpretation,

• static single assignment form.

The implemented language will be based on a simple imperative (e.g., Pascal-like) language with some extensions to address advanced topics in data layout (e.g., closures, objects, pattern matching). The course will be organized around a simple, but complete, example compiler that the student will have to understand and modify.

The module aim is to give students an overview and understanding of key

theoretical, practical and philosophical research and issues around

computational creativity, and to give them practical experience in writing and

evaluating creative software.

The module will cover the following topics:

• Introduction to computational creativity

Examples of computational creativity software e.g. musical systems,

artistic systems, linguistic systems, proof generator systems,

furniture design systems

• Evaluation of computational creativity systems (both of the quality

and the creativity of systems)

• Philosophical issues concerning creativity in computers

• Comparison of computer creativity to human creativity

• Collaborative creativity between humans and computers

• Overview of recent research directions/results in computational

creativity

• Practical experience in writing creative software

This module explores a range of different data mining and knowledge discovery techniques and algorithms. You learn about the strengths and weaknesses of different techniques and how to choose the most appropriate for any particular task. You use a state-of-the-art data-mining tool, and learn to evaluate the quality of discovered knowledge.

Lecture Syllabus

IMAGES AND IMAGE PROCESSING

Introduction to the module. Scope, philosophy and range of relevant applications. Vision as a physiological, psychological and computational process. Image representation, spatial and amplitude digitisation, resolution, colour in images, and computational implications. Array tessellation, connectivity, object representation, binarisation and thresholding. Image histograms and properties, image quality. Image enhancement processing and filtering. Histogram modification techniques and contrast enhancement. Image subtraction, simple motion detection, skeletonisation. Image segmentation, edge-based and region-based methods, multi-attribute segmentation, the Hough transform and its generalisation. Shape descriptors and feature measurement. Morphological operators for image processing. Principles of simple image coding and implications. Case studies.

ANALYSING IMAGES

Principles of image analysis and understanding. Representation of objects and scenes. The concept of formalised pattern recognition. Pattern descriptors and pattern classes, preprocessing and normalisation. Feature extraction and imager characterisation. Texture analysis as an example of object description – texture descriptors, analysis using co-occurrence matrices. Basic decision theory and the Bayesian classifier. Cost and risk, minimum risk and minimum error-rate classification, rejection margins and error-rate trade-off, canonical descriptions of classifier structure. Implementation considerations and approaches to estimation of class-conditional feature distributions. Minimum distance classifiers. Alternative classification strategies. Case studies.

SECURITY AND BIOMETRICS

Introduction to security issues. Alternative approaches to personal identification, access control and data security, and applications in industrial, media, commercial and other related scenarios. Fundamentals of biometrics, biometric modalities, user requirements and user acceptability, template construction. Physiological and behavioural features, static and dynamic analyses, error sources and performance measures. False acceptance and false rejection measures, equal error rate, ROC descriptions. Variability and stability of biometric data, template ageing and related issues in enrolment and deployment. Characterisation of typical common modalities: face recognition, fingerprint processing, iris recognition, and automatic signature verification, and their underlying technologies. Usability issues, the human interface, system integration. Testing and evaluation of biometric systems. Revocable biometrics. Applications of biometric systems. Case studies.

NEURAL NETWORK PROCESSING

The concept of neural networks as architectures for image analysis. Exploration of techniques for automated learning and generalisation with artificial neural networks. Fundamentals of neural network design, basic design philosophy and application of neural networks to practical problems. Example: perceptrons and the perceptron learning algorithm.

Coursework

EXAMPLES CLASSES

There will be 4 assessed examples classes, one for each lecture series.

Lecture Syllabus

INTRODUCTION TO MBED

Introduction to the mbed microcontroller system. Structure of the mbed, data input/output, serial communications, interrupts and timers. Compiling and downloading code to the mbed.

EMBEDDED AND REAL TIME SYSTEMS

An introduction to operating systems. Real time operating system features. Concurrent processes and priority. Synchronising processes. Hardware and operating system constraints. Deadlines and real time scheduling. Inter-task communication, message passing and threads. Multi-processor systems and redundancy. Hardware for real time. Safety critical systems. Case studies.

MICROCOMPUTER ARCHITECTURE APPLICATIONS AND PERFORMANCE

A series of case studies illustrating design and performance issues for real-time embedded systems leading to an introduction for the assignment to control a petrol engine.

Coursework

ASSIGNMENT - RTOS DEMONSTRATOR

This laboratory uses a hardware platform to develop an RTOS application and to monitor its performance.

ASSIGNMENT - MICROCOMPUTER ARCHITECTURE APPLICATIONS AND PEFORMANCE

This laboratory assignment is concerned with the control of the ignition timing of a simulated petrol engine. A microcomputer is programmed in 'C' to generate the spark at the appropriate time.

The module will study some of the major works in the history of modern philosophy of cognitive science and artificial intelligence. An indicative list of topics is: The Turing test; the Chinese Room argument; the frame problem; connectionism; extended and embodied cognition; artificial consciousness. The approach will be philosophical and critical, and will involve the close reading of texts. Students will be expected to engage critically with the works being studied and to formulate and argue for their own views on the issues covered.

This module covers the basic principles of machine learning and the kinds of problems that can be solved by such techniques. You learn about the philosophy of AI, how knowledge is represented and algorithms to search state spaces. The module also provides an introduction to both machine learning and biologically inspired computation.

This module is designed to provide students across the university with access to knowledge, skill development and training in the field of entrepreneurship with a special emphasis on developing a business plan in order to exploit identified opportunities. Hence, the module will be of value for students who aspire to establishing their own business and/or introducing innovation through new product, service, process, project or business development in an established organisation. The module complements students' final year projects in Computing, Law, Biosciences, Electronics, Multimedia, and Drama etc.

The curriculum is based on the business model canvas and lean start up principles (Osterwalder and Pigneur 2010) on designing a business plan for starting a new venture or introducing innovation in an established organisation. It includes the following areas of study:

• The new business planning process and format, developing and evaluating the business idea, producing a business plan, which includes four main sections, namely, business concept, marketing plan, operational plan and financial plan.

• Researching internal and external environment – market research, value co-creation with customers, company’s macro (i.e. PESTEL) and industry (Porter’s five forces) environment analysis, internal company analysis (Resource Based View), external collaborator analysis, and SWOT

• Developing the business concept – Identifying/developing the value proposition, specifying the business offer (i.e. use product anatomy analysis for presentation), deciding an appropriate ownership structure, laying out mission, aims and objectives (i.e. using SMART), and identifying legal formalities including intellectual property strategies.

• Developing the marketing plan – Identifying target customer groups, designing customer relationship management strategies and distribution channels, planning the sales and marketing processes, customer perceptions and customer care, developing quality standards for the business (i.e. using 7 Ps analysis for presentation).

• Developing the operation plan – Identifying key activities to be carried out, matching key activities with resources for an effective and efficient use of resources, planning and employing staff, planning and obtaining premises, physical and financial resources; phased implementation of the business plan.

• Developing the financial plan – Identifying appropriate sources of finance, and evaluating and managing the financial viability of a business by developing Forecast cash flow statement, Sales and Profit account and Profit and Loss Account, a description of the composition of the balance sheet, financial indicator- Breakeven analysis, by highlighting underlying assumptions.

This modules contains two main components. It starts with a comprehensive and detailed study of current computer networks and communications technologies. You learn how the various hardware and software components are organised and how they actually work . A selection of key topics are then looked at in even greater depth to reveal the state-of-the-art and issues (problems) that remain to be solved.

Network Architectures and Protocols: This component provides a comprehensive study of network architecture and individual protocol layers, including details of the technologies, algorithms and protocols currently used.

The Advanced Topics component takes an in-depth look at a number of advanced topics in the area of computer communications, including details of the current practice and outstanding issues in a number of state-of-the-art areas.

Security has always been an important aspect of computing systems but its importance has increased greatly in recent years. In this module you learn about areas where security is of major importance and the techniques used to secure them. The areas you look at include computer operating systems (and increasingly, distributed operating systems), distributed applications (such as electronic commerce over the Internet) and embedded systems (ranging from smart cards and pay-TV to large industrial plant and telecommunications systems).

In this module you learn what is meant by neural networks and how to explain the mathematical equations that underlie them. You also build neural networks using state of the art simulation technology and apply these networks to the solution of problems. In addition, the module discusses examples of computation applied to neurobiology and cognitive psychology.

This module enables students to take ideas from the natural sciences and use them as inspiration for new computational techniques. You examine developments in biological-inspired computation and their applications. There is also a practical element to the module; you implement one of the algorithms discussed in the lectures on the computers. Topics covered, include evolutionary computation and swarm intelligence.

Computer graphics and animation are important for a variety of technical and artistic applications including web design, HCI and GUI development, games and simulations, digital photography and cinema, medical and scientific visualization, etc.

This module introduces the subject from the perspective of computing. You will learn about technologies and techniques for modeling, manipulating, capturing, displaying and storing 2D and 3D scenes, digital images, animations and video. You will also gain practical experience of 3D modelling and animation tools.

Digital Imaging and Video:

Human vision

Colour models

Images, video and 3D

Capture and display

Enhancement and conversion

Formats and compression (e.g. GIF, JPEG, MPEG)

Computer Graphics:

Graphics pipeline

3D object and scene modelling with polygon meshes

Transformations

Projection, clipping and visible surface determination

Illumination and shading

Ray tracing and photorealism

Computer Animation:

Key-frame animation

Warping and morphing

Articulated figures

Kinematics, dynamics and collision detection

Particle systems and flocking

Computer-generated human characters and video-realism

The scope of the module is outlined below. Note that topics will not necessarily be delivered in this order

Professional issues and professional organisations.

Data privacy legislation, and other UK laws relating to the professional use of computer systems

Criminal law relating to networked computer use, including new Anti-Terrorism legislation; and their application

Intellectual Property Rights, including Copyright, Patent and Contract Laws

Health & Safety issues.

Computer-based Projects, including the vendor-client relationship and professional responsibilities

Students taking this module will undertake one or (typically) more assignments for the Kent IT Clinic (KITC). Each assignment will be of one of three types:

Work on one of KITC’s contracts with an external client. To the extent that client-funded work allows, every student will be given at least one assignment of this type. Wherever practical, a student will be encouraged to participate in the negotiation and pricing of contracts, under the ultimate supervision of KITC management. For each assignment, the student may work on the assignment individually or as part of a group, as directed by KITC. A contribution to the infrastructure of KITC itself.

A contribution to the infrastructure of KITC itself. These assignments work in a similar way to external assignments, but with KITC as the client.

Formulating a costed proposal for the future development of KITC, and presenting reasoned argument in support of the proposal to KITC management, as a candidate for inclusion in KITC’s strategic plan for the following academic year.

Students will spend one half-day per week for ten weeks in a school with a nominated teacher. They will observe sessions taught by their designated teacher and possibly other teachers. Later they will act somewhat in the role of a teaching assistant, by helping individual pupils who are having difficulties or by working with small groups. They may take ‘hotspots’: brief sessions with the whole class where they explain a technical topic or talk about aspects of university life. They must keep a weekly log of their activities. Each student must also devise a special project in consultation with the teacher and with the module convener. They must then implement and evaluate the project.