• Description

This subject is the starting point to learn programming techniques. It is an introductory subject, in which you will learn the fundamentals of programming in C.  

• The subject within the syllabus as a whole

Algorithm design and  C language programming will allow you to acquire the essential knowledge to carry on other subjects within this degree: 

• Programming in Practice 

• Object-Oriented Programming

• Professional fields to which it applies

• Prior knowledge

• Learning objectives and results

Degree's competences

• Ability to design and build computer applications through development, integration, and reuse techniques. 

• Basic knowledge of computer usage and programming, operating systems, databases, and computer programs with engineering applications. 

Course competences

The general subject's objective is to learn to design algorithms/programs that meet a quality criterion. This general objective is specified within the following specific objectives: 

• To know and understand the fundamental algorithmic concepts by learning and understanding the algorithmic notation, syntax, and semantic. 

• To know and understand the concepts, methods, and techniques, needed to specify the precise behaviour that the solution to a specific problem must have, and design and implement the corresponding program. 

• To know how to use the algorithmic schemes as an effective technique for building algorithms. Modularity will also be seen as an ideal way to deal with complex problems by dividing them into a set of simpler subproblems. 

• Acquire practice in the application of the previous concepts in a real programming development environment. Thus, the student will acquire not only conceptual but also practical knowledge of how to write a program, compile it, assemble it and execute it.

• Content

Algorithmic language or pseudocode will be studied as a formal design tool for algorithms, which can then be translated into any programming language (in our case the C programming language). 

Algorithm design

• Introduction to programming 

• Data types: basic (integer, real, character and boolean), structural (vectors, matrices, tables and records) and abstract (pile, queue and list) 

• Control structures: alternative, sequential and iterative

• Algorithimic schemes: traverse and search

• Modularity 

• Recursion

C Programming

• Style Guide in C

• C Language guides

  • Basic data types

  • Casting operations

  • Character strings

  • Input and output functions

  • Input and output parameters

  • Pointers

• Programming environment

  • Introduction to CodeLite IDE

  • Modularity in CodeLite

  • Automatic tester 

• View the UOC learning resources used in the subject

• Additional information on support tools and learning resources

In the virtual classroom, you will find access to our xWiki that contains all the resources needed: contents of the different learning units, algorithmic and C language guides, and the guidelines to perform the different proposed activities. 

From the classroom you will be able to access the collection of frequent questions (FAQ) which will help you find quick answers to the most common questions and which is very useful for solving CAA and PR.

From the classroom resources you can also access the virtual machine (VM) which includes the software that you need to program in C, and you will also find the example code snippets that are used in the xWiki. 

• Guidelines on assessment at the UOC

The assessment process is based on students' own work and the assumption that this work is original and has been carried out by them.

In assessment activities, the following irregular behaviours, among others, may have serious academic and disciplinary consequences: someone else being involved in carrying out the student's assessment test or activity, or the work being not entirely original; copying another's work or committing plagiarism; attempting to cheat to obtain better academic results; collaborating in, covering up or encouraging copying; or using unauthorized material, software or devices during assessment.

If students are caught engaging in any of these irregular behaviours, they may receive a fail mark (D/0) for the assessable activities set out in the course plan (including the final tests) or in the final mark for the course. This could be because they have used unauthorized materials, software or devices (e.g. social networking sites or internet search engines) during the tests, because they have copied text fragments from an external source (internet, notes, books, articles, other student's projects or activities, etc.) without correctly citing the source, or because they have engaged in any other irregular conduct.

In accordance with the UOC's academic regulations , irregular conduct during assessment, besides leading to a failing mark for the course, may be grounds for disciplinary proceedings and, where appropriate, the corresponding punishment, as established in the UOC's coexistence regulations.

In its assessment process, the UOC reserves the right to:

• Ask the student to provide proof of their identity, as established in the university's academic regulations.
• Request that students provide evidence of the authorship of their work, throughout the assessment process, both in continuous and final assessment, by means of an oral test or by whatever other synchronous or asynchronous means the UOC specifies. These means will check students' knowledge and competencies to verify authorship of their work, and under no circumstances will they constitute a second assessment. If it is not possible to guarantee the student's authorship, they will receive a D grade in the case of continuous assessment or a Fail in the case of final assessment.
  For this purpose, the UOC may require that students use a microphone, webcam or other devices during the assessment process, in which case it will be the student's responsibility to check that such devices are working correctly.

• View the assessment model