Unit information: Computing Skills in 2013/14

Unit name	Computing Skills
Unit code	PHYSM3415
Credit points	10
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Academic Year (weeks 1 - 52)
Unit director	Professor. Nick Brook
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None,
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Physics
Faculty	Faculty of Science

Description including Unit Aims

This unit will give students hands-on experience with performing computational physics related tasks. In this unit, computational skills are developed, with an emphasis on manipulating, analysing and presenting scientific data, and also simulation of experimental data. Students work in pairs and the unit is self-directed against a work-sheet of problems, with hands-on guidance from demonstrators and with a final computational project, which is carried out independently.

Aims:

• To develop computational skills for the analysis of scientific data and the presentation of the results in a scientifically correct, clear and attractive way.
• To develop techniques for simulating experimental data.
• To enable students to locate and fix faults in their programmes
• To develop students’ ability to write logically structured and clearly laid out programmes.

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit students will be able to:

• write programs to analyse scientific data and present the results clearly, accurately and concisely

• simulate experimental data and evaluate theoretical problems computationally

• write logically structured and clearly laid out programmes

• find and repair faults in their programmes

Teaching Information

The students work in a self-directed way through a set list of problems, with demonstrators available in the computer laboratory for drop-in assistance for set hours each week. Problems must be completed to a time-table. The final computational project is then carried out individually.

Assessment Information

Assessment is based on marking of the set problems (40%) done in pairs during the six weekly drop in sessions. These will be marked by postgraduate demonstrators and moderated by the academic coordinator, and will provide formative assessment, with feedback given to the students before the final exercise. The final exercise (60%) will be completed by the students, working independently, during a three week period after the end of the six scheduled weekly drop-in sessions. The final exercise will be marked by the academic coordinator, with the primary assessment based on whether the programme is fit for purpose (i.e. performs the set task correctly).

Reading and References

Material appropriate to the unit is publicised on the web-pages for this unit.