CSC1031 : Fundamentals of Computing
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Available to incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students
- Module Leader(s): Dr Jason Steggles
- Co-Module Leader: Dr Abolfazl Lavaei
- Teaching Assistant: Mr Haowei Xu, Mr Behrad Samari
- Owning School: Computing
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 10 |
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
• To develop confidence in the use of fundamental techniques in Computer Science.
• To provide a knowledge of the formal concepts essential for study and professional practice in Computing
Science and Software Engineering.
• To practice the basic techniques for modelling and solving computing problems.
• To prepare students for the more advanced topics they will encounter on their degree. To develop an awareness
of the role of formal techniques in Computing Science.
Outline Of Syllabus
• Set Theory.
• Numbers and their Representation.
• Real Valued Functions.
• Vector and Matrices.
• Combinatorics.
• Relations and Functions.
• Proof Techniques.
• Graph Theory.
• Propositional Logic.
• Predicate Logic.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 22 | 1:00 | 22:00 | Lectures (in person). |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 22 | 1:00 | 22:00 | Lecture follow-up. |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 60 | 1:00 | 60:00 | Revision for end of semester assessment. |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 2 | 1:30 | 3:00 | End of semester assessment. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 23 | 1:00 | 23:00 | Tutorial support session (in person). |
| Guided Independent Study | Skills practice | 20 | 1:00 | 20:00 | Online tutorial exercises supported by sample solutions. |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 20 | 1:00 | 20:00 | background reading. |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 20 | 1:30 | 30:00 | Online Study Videos. |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures (PiP) and online study videos will be used to introduce the key module material and for demonstrating the key concepts by example. Students are expected to follow-up lectures within a few days by re-reading and annotating lecture notes to aid deep learning.
Tutorial exercises will be provided online and integrated into the study materials. These allow students to gain practical skills and understanding in the theory and techniques developed during lectures. A weekly tutorial support session (PiP) will be provided to allow students to access individual help with the module material and to do further examples exercises via an online quiz.
Further practical application related to this material will be developed in the co-requisite modules Portfolio 1 and Portfolio 2.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Examination | 90 | 1 | A | 50 | Digital Exam. |
| Digital Examination | 90 | 2 | A | 50 | Digital Exam. |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital Examination | 1 | M | Sample digital exam 1.5 hours released to students to aid exam preparation. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The computer assessments given at the end of each semester ensures students get the vital opportunity to go back over the material covered (this is important given the type of technical topics considered) and is very well suited to formally assessing the type of material covered.
A range of small formative assessments are provided weekly. They are used to support student’s self-study during the module and gauge their understanding as the course progresses.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- CSC1031's Timetable