Information about labs in 2008:
Weekly laboratory sheets will include questions targetted for students
at each level.
Determine your level based on your current level of experience,
and how well you understand, and can complete, the labsheet questions.
Then, attend the appropriate lab session.
The demonstrator at each session will be anticipating questions at the
appropriate level.
At the commencement of CITS1210 we've set the following laboratory sessions:
-
| Monday | 2pm - 5pm |
introductory |
| Tuesday | 9am - 12noon |
introductory |
| Tuesday | 2pm - 5pm |
more advanced |
| Wednesday | 9am - 12noon |
more advanced |
| Wednesday | 2pm - 5pm |
introductory |
So, what does all that mean?
- The laboratory sessions are not being run as regimented,
formal sessions.
This means:
- You do not have to register for a lab session,
- you do not have to attend each lab,
- you do not have to attend any lab,
- you do not have to attend the same lab each week, and
- laboratory work is not being assessed.
The laboratory sessions are times at which we guarantee that there will be
a demonstrator there to answer your questions, at the appropriate level
(see later).
- There are fewer available "seats" in our laboratory sessions than
there are students in the unit.
This is because we anticipate that many students
will choose not to work in the nominated laboratory times,
will choose to work in the laboratories at other times,
and undertake much of their work at home or on their laptop computers.
- Each laboratory session is listed as being 3 hours long.
In each laboratory session a demonstrator will be available for the first
2 hours to assist with all of your questions.
- Labs are nominated as either
introductory,
more advanced.
- Students who have not programmed at all before,
or who may have taken Java Programming (CITS1200) in 1st semester
and not performed as well as they had hoped,
will find the introductory labs the most suitable.
- Students who have programmed before, and have reasonable competence in
Java, will find the more advanced labs of greatest benefit.
- On the labsheets, we're using the following indicators of difficulty:
- Introductory tasks,
set for beginners to all forms of programming.
If beginning students can complete all of the introductory
tasks each week, they will be keeping up with
the requirements of the unit.
- More advanced tasks,
identified by one or more chilis,
set for students who have previously programmed in another
programming language (probably Java or Visual Basic).
More advanced students should aim to complete all introductory
and all advanced tasks each week.
Chris McDonald
July 2008.
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