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Course Outlines

ACIT 1515

Scripting for IT

School School of Computing and Academic Studies
Program Computer Information Technology Diploma
Course Credits 4
Minimum Passing Grade 50%
Start Date September 03, 2019
End Date December 13, 2019
Total Hours* 60
Total Weeks 15
Hours/Weeks 4
Delivery Type Lecture/Lab
CRN 41869

Acknowledgement of Territories

The British Columbia Institute of Technology acknowledges that our campuses are located on the unceded traditional territories of the Coast Salish Nations of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam).

Instructor Details

Name Rob Neilson
E-mail rneilson1@my.bcit.ca
Location DTC 617
Office Hours

Office hours are listed on the course D2L page.

Course Description

The course introduces the fundamental concepts of programming for IT professionals, with a focus on scripting languages that are commonly found in the workplace. Projects, assignments, and activities are representative of tasks that IT professionals are likely to encounter in the workplace. Students taking this course will design, implement, test, and debug programs that incorporate: variables, expressions, assignments, I/O, conditional and iterative control constructs, functions, and parameter passing. The course assumes no previous programming experience.

Course Learning Outcomes/Competencies

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  • Analyze and explain the behavior of simple programs.
  • Create algorithms for solving simple problems
  • Choose the appropriate data structure for modeling a given problem.
  • Choose appropriate conditional and iteration constructs for a given programming task.
  • Apply the techniques of decomposition to break a program into smaller pieces.
  • Refactor a program by identifying opportunities to apply procedural abstraction.
  • Write programs that use primitive data types, variables, expressions, and command line I/O.
  • Write programs that use conditional and iterative control structures, functions, and parameter passing.
  • Write programs that use each of the following data structures: arrays, strings, sets, and maps.
  • Write programs using the standard libraries available with a chosen programming language.
  • Write programs that use file I/O to provide persistence across multiple executions.
  • Compare and contrast object-oriented programming with the procedural approach to programming.
  • Design and implement a class.
  • Apply a variety of strategies to the testing and debugging of simple programs.
  • Conduct a personal code review on a program component.
  • Contribute to a small-team code walkthrough.

Learning Resources

Students are required to have a subscription to the online ACIT 1515 Python 3 textbook, from zyBook.com. Instructions to subscribe:

  1. Create an account at zyBooks.com (note: students must use their my.bcit.ca email address when creating an account)
  2. Enter zyBook code BCITACIT1515NeilsonFall2019
  3. Click Subscribe

Students must have their own laptop computer for use in class.

Course Goals

The September 2019 offering of ACIT 1515 will be delivered using the Python 3 programming language.

Evaluation Criteria

Criteria % Comments
Online Participation 10 Students must complete at least 80% of participation activities to pass this course.
Weekly Quizzes 20 Quizzes are done online, through D2L. Lowest two quiz scores are not counted.
Lab Exercises 20 One lab exercise will be graded each week (ten in total).
Midterm Asessment 25 Hands-on assessment. See below for details.
Final Assessment 25 Hands-on assessment. See below for details.
Total 100%

Online Participation Details:

  • Weekly online activities involve completing online participation activities and writing Python programs in the zyBook.
  • Participation is automatically tracked in the zyBook, with multiple Participation Activities in each chapter.
  • Participation and Challenge Activities must be completed prior to the start of class.
  • Pre-lab exercises must be attempted prior to class, but may be corrected and re-submitted up to one week following class.
  • Students must complete a minimum of 80% of the Participation, Challenge Activity, and Pre-lab Exercises to pass this course.

Lab Exercise Details:

  • Lab exercises are started in class each week. Some exercises will be due by end of class, and others within 48 hours of end of class. This will be announced in class and posted in D2L. Late submissions not accepted.
  • Not all submissions are graded. The instructor will select one submission for assessment in each of weeks 2,3,4,5,6,9,10,11,12,13. (10 in total).

Midterm and Final Assessment Details:

  • The midterm and final assessments are practical hands-on tests which involve writing programs in a controlled test environment.
  • Each assessment is comprehensive and covers all material / skills covered up to the date of the assessment.
  • To pass the course, students must earn at least 30/50 on the combined total of the midterm and final assessments.

Attendance Requirements

Attendance is mandatory.

In case of illness or other unavoidable cause of absence, the student must communicate as soon as possible with his/her Instructor indicating the reason for the absence.

Prolonged illness which causes the student to miss 10% or more of the lessons will require a BCIT-approved medical certificate submitted to the department, substantiating the reason for the absence.

Excessive absence of 10% or more may result in failure or forced withdrawal from this course.

Course Specific Requirements

This course includes significant online content and activities. Lack of participation in the online portion of this class may result in failure of the course.

Other information

D2L Use: This course uses the BCIT D2L learning management system. Students are required to log in and monitor the D2L system for announcements regarding the course.

Use of class time: Students who are present in class are expected to be working on class activities. Students who are using class time for other activities will be asked to leave.

Statement for prior learning assessment

Students with previous programming experience: if you feel that you are already able to meet the requirements of this course, speak with the instructor. The level of instruction can be adjusted for you individually to ensure that you are getting value and learning out of the course - however you will still be required to complete the hands-on assessments.

Course Schedule and Assignments

Week #

Week Starting

Primary Topic

Online Activity (do this before class)

1

Sept 5

Programming Environments

zyBook 1: Intro to Python

2

Sept 9

Variables, Expressions, and Functions

zyBook 2: Strings, Functions

3

Sept 16

Lists and Dictionaries

zyBook 3: Lists and Dictionaries

4

Sept 23

Branching (plus IDEs and Debuggers)

zyBook 4: Branching

5

Sept 30

Looping

zyBook 5: Looping

6

Oct 7

String Manipulation

zyBook 6: Strings

7

Oct 14

File I/O

zyBook 7: File I/O

8

Oct 21

Midterm Assessment

9

Oct 28

Advanced Lists

zyBook 8: Advanced Lists

10

Nov 4

Advanced Dictionaries

zyBook 9: Advanced Dictionaries

11

Nov 11

Exception Handling

zyBooks 10: Exceptions

12

Nov 18

File Systems and Native OS Calls

zyBook 11: File Systems

13

Nov 25

Functions, Modules, and Packages

zyBook 12: More Functions

14

Dec 2

To be decided.

15

Dec 9

Final Assessment

BCIT Policy

The following statements are in accordance with the BCIT Policies 5101, 5102, 5104, and 7507, and their accompanying procedures. To review these policies and procedures please click on the links below.

Attendance/Illness:
In case of illness or other unavoidable cause of absence, the student must communicate as soon as possible with his/her instructor or Program Head or Chief Instructor, indicating the reason for the absence. Students who are seeking accommodation for a medical absence must have a BCIT approved medical certificate submitted to the department, substantiating the reason for absence. For other absences, the student should be prepared to provide appropriate supporting documentation. Unapproved absence in excess of the prescribed regulations within this outline may result in failure or forced withdrawal from the course or program. Please see Policy 5101 - Student Regulations, and accompanying procedures.

Academic Integrity:
Violation of academic integrity, including plagiarism, dishonesty in assignments, examinations, or other academic performances are prohibited and will be handled in accordance with Policy 5104 - Academic Integrity and Appeals, and accompanying procedures.

Accommodation:
Any student who may require accommodation from BCIT because of a physical or mental disability should refer to BCIT's Policy on Accommodation for Students with Disabilities (Policy #4501), and contact BCIT's Accessibility Services (SW1 2360, 604-451-6963) at the earliest possible time. Requests for accommodation must be made to Accessibility Services, and should not be made to a course instructor or Program area.

Any student who needs special assistance in the event of a medical emergency or building evacuation (either because of a disability or for any other reason) should promptly inform their course instructor(s) and Accessibility Services of their personal circumstances.

Human Rights, Harassment and Discrimination:
The BCIT community is made up of individuals from every ability, background, experience and identity, each contributing uniquely to the richness and diversity of the BCIT community as a whole. In recognition of this, and the intrinsic value of our diversity, BCIT seeks to foster a climate of collaboration, understanding and mutual respect between all members of the community and ensure an inclusive accessible working and learning environment where everyone can succeed.

Campus Mediation Services is a supportive resource for both students and employees of BCIT, to foster a respectful learning and working environment. Any student who feels that they are experiencing discrimination or harassment (personal or human rights-related) can confidentially access this resource for advice and support. Please see Policy 7507 – Harassment and Discrimination and accompanying procedure.

Students should make themselves aware of additional Education, Administration, Safety and other BCIT policies listed at https://www.bcit.ca/about/administration/policies.shtml

Guidelines for School of Computing and Academic Studies

Attempts:
Students must successfully complete a course within a maximum of three (3) attempts at the course. Students with two attempts in a single course will be allowed to repeat the course only upon special written permission from the Associate Dean. Students who have not successfully completed a course within three attempts will not be eligible to graduate from their respective program.

Approved

I verify that the content of this course outline is current.
Rob Neilson, Program Head
August 30, 2019

I verify that this course outline has been reviewed.
Thomas Lane, Program Head
August 30, 2019

I verify that this course outline has been reviewed and complies with BCIT policy.
Aaron Hunter, Acting Associate Dean
August 30, 2019

Note: Students will be given reasonable notice if changes are required to the content of this course outline.

*Course hours and credits are calculated per Policy 5012 and the associated procedure.

Total hours – Example of 3 credit lecture/lab course:

  • Full-time course: 45 hours of scheduled learning
  • Flexible Learning course: 36 hours of scheduled learning plus 9 hours of independent (non-scheduled, non-instructional) learning