Home » Class Times
Category Archives: Class Times
Final Orange Event, final hand-in date, final codebash, and “Last Chance Saloon” for missed Orange Events
Dear all,
(The below message has been edited on 3rd April at 7:25 to reflect changes in the schedule. These changes were made due to popular demand.)
The final Orange event will take place during the lecture in last week of term on Monday 11th April. Please ensure you are there!
There will be no lecture on the first week back after Easter (Monday 4th April PM) but we will run the workshops in the morning that day, although the 9am workshop will start slightly later at around 9:30am.
Naturally everyone attends all lectures and workshops, so this should not come as a surprise to anyone, but I also wanted to remind you all that the final date for completing ALL NoobLab activities is FRIDAY 22nd APRIL @ 5pm. You will still be able to access NoobLab after this date but any medals earned beyond that point will not count towards your final module total.
Once again, with feeling:
THE DEADLINE FOR ALL PROGRAMMING 1 ACTIVITIES IS FRIDAY 22ND APRIL AT 5PM.
Remember that I am accepting submissions for “legacy” medals. So you are free to go back and complete missing activities from previous units, if you need to.
To help you get over the finish line I have arranged two events:
THURSDAY 21ST APRIL – SB2022/3 – 9am-5pm: CODEBASH
There will be one last Codebash on Thursday 21st April in SB2022/3. As with all Codebashes, the format is that you can drop in for as long or as little as you’d like. This will be your last chance to get supervised support so make sure you’re there if you haven’t completed all the medals before then!
FRIDAY 22ND APRIL – SB2022/3 – 9am-5pm: The Last Chance Saloon (for missed Orange Events)
For those of you who missed one or more Orange Events, there will be one and only one opportunity to do them on Friday 22nd April. If you intend to take up this opportunity it is important that you email me and book a place. IF YOU DO NOT BOOK A PLACE YOU WILL NOT BE ADMITTED ON THE DAY. Everybody will have different things they missed, so I need to know who is coming in advance so that I can make sure each attendee gets the right material.
One more, with feeling:
IF YOU DO NOT BOOK A PLACE FOR THE LAST CHANCE SALOON YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RETAKE MISSED ORANGE EVENTS.
So, do be sure to take the opportunities we are giving you to help you pass. There is no reason why anyone should fail IF they are willing to do a bit of hard work, and we’ll help you with that as much as we can.
All the best and have a good holiday period,
Paul
Tuesday Workshops are no more / Marks issued / Retrospective Medals
Dear all,
This Tuesday there were five – count them, five – students in the workshop. This is obviously not sustainable, and having looked at the timetable none of you have classes on Monday morning. Consequently the Tuesday workshop slot has now been cancelled. Those who were in the Tuesday workshop should find that your timetable now reflects this and shows a workshop on Monday morning.
There are two workshop slots on Monday morning: 9am-11am and 11am-1pm. I tend to consider them one single big long 4 hour slot so I am happy for you to come at any time during that period. However, you are reminded that attendance at all scheduled teaching events is compulsory. YOU MUST ATTEND LECTURES AND WORKSHOPS UNDER UNIVERSITY REGULATIONS. From my perspective, my attitude is that if you are doing OK I am not going to chase you very much about missing the odd lecture but if you are a perennial non-attender and if you are also currently sitting on less than 30% then you are probably going to fail. If that describes you, then it is in your own hands to fix things. Watch the lecture videos, get yourself up to speed, come to workshops. Come and see me during my office hours to discuss possible emergency strategies.
In that vein, you should all have had an email from me detailing your current marks to date. Three quarters of the module has passed so if you have 30% currently, you should be on target to get 40% (a pass mark) by the end if you stay on target. If you have less than 30% (and there is an alarming number of you) then you are in trouble. If you’ve got 40%+ then you’ve passed the module already – congratulations!
Finally, as I mentioned in the lecture, after the success of the codebash I have decided to accept late submissions for all previous medal activities. In short: if you go back and do medals from past units (e.g. Thinking Like A Programmer, the first Java unit, etc) they WILL count towards your final mark.
Good luck and see you all on Monday,
Paul
Deadline today (Friday 19th Feb) / No Workshops Next Week (Mon 22 and Tue 23 Feb) / Lecture Venue
Dear all,
The current deadline for any outstanding NoobLab activity is today, Friday 19th February, at 5pm this evening. As always, after this point you will still be able to win medals but not get any additional credit for them.
Next week there will be no practical workshops on either Monday or Tuesday, in part due to MSc teaching commitments and in part due to the fact that the Monday workshop is scheduled before the lecture and there is nothing we can actually do at that point!
Please note that after the break the lecture venue moves to JG0001 on Monday afternoons. Team Solo take the 2pm to 4pm slot and Team Skywalker the 4pm to 6pm slot. Sorry to those now on the graveyard shift; unfortunately, they’re the slots we have and there’s not much I can do about that. At least this way is fair – everyone has taken a turn on the late session.
See you next week and all the best,
Paul
Orange Event Wed 10th Feb / Code Bash / Deadline for Java
Dear all,
Most of you should know that there is an upcoming Orange Event for the Java unit tomorrow (Wednesday 10th February) during the usual lecture. I am dependent on South West Trains tomorrow so I will say that the official start will be 9:15. The odd 15 minutes is to cover you (and me) for transport difficulties, so it does not mean “you can wander in some time before lunch”, it means “aim to be there at 9am for a 9:15 start”.
We will start with a brief discussion of the mid-module feedback before going into the Orange Event.
The usual rules will apply:
- Once the test starts we will not be able to admit latecomers.
- You may use handwritten notes on the day (or printouts) but no phones, laptops, tablets/iPads or any digital devices.
Good luck in that, everyone!
Meanwhile, we will be running a Codebash all day next Monday 15th February. This will take place in SB2022/3 and will run from 9am-5pm. This will be a good opportunity for you to grab any outstanding medals. If you needed any convincing to attend, here it is:
During the Codebash, if you want to go back and pick up medals for previous units (other than Java) then these points WILL count towards your module total! So, if you didn’t do so well on TLAP, JavaScript or the Web unit, this is your chance to go back and make up for it!
Finally, the deadline for the Java unit is 5pm on Friday 19th February. After that we’ll be going on to the final unit.
All the best,
Paul
URGENT: crucial lecture tomorrow – starting time will be 9:30am NOT 9am though
Hi all,
Just to remind you all that tomorrow’s lecture (Wednesday 27th January) will introduce OO concepts in Java. It is crucial that everyone attend – anyone who does not and isn’t already an expert will almost certainly be very very lost for the rest of the year (and possibly, their university career in Programming 2 and 3!)
Unfortunately, to an unavoidable personal commitment tomorrow’s lecture will start at 9:30 rather than 9am. However, it WILL start at 9:30am SHARP. This doesn’t mean “Paul is arriving at 9:30 so I can arrive somewhere between 9:30 and 10am!” It means “Paul will start talking at 9:30 and will heckle anyone who comes in after that point”.
See you all then – 9:30am sharp!
All the best,
Paul
Codebash Monday 21st December – CONFIRMED
Dear all,
I am pleased to announce the Codebash will indeed be going ahead this coming Monday.
I don’t yet have room details I’m afraid – as Timetabling have seemingly ignored my booking I will just have to identify an appropriate computer lab and take it over on the day. I will send an email either over the weekend or early on Monday with the room. So, if you are planning to come along please keep an eye open for the room details!
The codebash will run from 9:30am to approximately 2:30pm.
All the best,
Paul
No lecture Monday 14th Dec / Hand-in date / Possible Codebash
Dear all,
Next week’s Lecture (or not!)
THERE WILL BE NO LECTURE ON MONDAY 14TH DECEMBER. I did consider running a session devoted to the Team Obi-Wan material but I thought it might perhaps be too specialist an audience. I will run a codebash instead just before Christmas (I’ll talk about that later).
Next week’s workshops
ALL WORKSHOPS WILL BE RUNNING NEXT WEEK. So the Monday 9am-11am and 11am-1pm sessions in SB1025/1026, the Tuesday 9am-11am session in EM0001 and the Friday 11pm-1pm session in SB2022 will all be running. IF YOU HAVE NOT FINISHED YOUR PRACTICAL WORK YET YOU *MUST* ATTEND AT LEAST ONE OF THEM. FAILURE TO ATTEND WILL HAVE REPERCUSSIONS.
Hand in date for Javascript / Web Apps
As announced in some of the workshop sessions, the hand in date for the current unit (Javascript for Team Skywalker, and Web App for Team Solo) will be 5pm on Wednesday 23rd December. ANY MEDALS WON AFTER THIS POINT WILL NOT COUNT TOWARDS YOUR FINAL MODULE MARK.
Codebash
With all that in mind, and in lieu of next Monday’s lecture, I will be running a codebash (subject to sufficient interest) on Monday 21st December. This will be all day on that day and it will be your last chance to complete your workshop tasks with my support. PLEASE NOTE I WILL NOT BE PROVIDING ANY SUPPORT VIA EMAIL. Between four hours of consultation hours next week, six hours of workshops next week and eight hours of codebash the week after you have 18 hours of support available to you. There is ample opportunity for you to get the work done but you must make the effort to get the support you need. If you’re not willing to get off your backside to make that effort, well, I have little sympathy for you!
IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THIS CODEBASH IT IS IMPORTANT YOU LET ME KNOW. I WILL ONLY RUN IT IF THERE IS SUFFICIENT INTEREST. PLEASE EMAIL ME AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO ATTEND.
After Christmas
After Christmas we’ll be bidding a fond farewell to the Games students – for you guys, I would just like to say it’s been a pleasure to have you and I hope Ahmed treats you just as well as I have. Keep wearing the funny hats, guys! For you Programming 1 people, you’ll all be coming back together (both Team Solo and Skywalker) for the first five weeks to do Java. Check your timetable for updated details – don’t forget locations and times are subject to change.
I won’t say “have a good Christmas” because I’ll see all of you in the workshops and/or codebash before then, won’t I? 
All the best,
Paul
TLAP Deadline / Codebash this Friday / Plagiarism / Group allocations / Sessions next week
Dear all,
Important admin things first
- As I mentioned in class, the deadline for ALL activities for Thinking Like A Programmer will be this Friday 6th November at 5pm. After this point, you will still be able to go on and collect medals towards your module total but they will not count towards your overall module mark any longer.
- As of next week, the lectures for Programming 1 will happen on MONDAYS. Team Skywalker will have their session between 2pm-4pm and Team Solo 4pm-6pm.
- If you are in the Monday workshop group, WE WILL NOT BE RUNNING THE WORKSHOPS ON MONDAY 9TH NOVEMBER. This is because the corresponding lecture is in the afternoon that same day and we won’t have anything to do on the new unit yet in the morning! Those in the Tuesday workshop, the workshop will be running as normal.
- There will be a Codebash this coming Friday most likely in SB3035 (watch Studyspace just in case the location changes). It will run from 9am to 5pm and will be the final opportunity to pick up medals for TLAP. In the past students who have attended the codebash have gone from hardly any medals to completing nearly all of them. It is an informal atmosphere and you can stay for as long or short a time as you like. Take the opportunity to get yourself a higher grade before it’s too late!
Plagiarism, Collusion and Misconduct
With the deadline approaching, some of you might be tempted to take shortcuts. I HAVE TOLD YOU IN CLASS THAT NOOBLAB CAN DETECT MISCONDUCT. I spent lots of time in the first lecture and in some of the early workshops talking about what is acceptable and what is not. If you have any doubts go back to the very first lecture video and watch it again! In short – you should not at any point be loading someone else’s code into your computer (or copying and pasting it, or manually copying it by hand). You should also not be working on exercises in groups. If you do, NoobLab will flag your activity and you WILL be found out. DO NOT TAKE SHORTCUTS. DO YOUR OWN WORK.
Some people have already been contacted by me about this. This is a serious matter. This will be the final time I say this. Now that you have been warned again, any new attempts to gain credit for someone else’s work will result in ALL of your TLAP medals being revoked. JUST DON’T DO IT.
Team Solo v Team Skywalker
You should all now have had your group allocations from me. IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN ALLOCATED TO EITHER TEAM SOLO OR TEAM SKYWALKER PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
Some people seem to think that there is some kind of grading system and that one group is “higher” than the other. This is not the case. The groups do a slightly different syllabus from each other but both still fulfil the module’s learning outcomes. The different syllabi are tailored to the abilities and the needs of each group. Just because you are in one group doesn’t mean you will get a lower mark than someone in the other group. In fact, maybe we’ll get a little inter-group competition going on and see who does better!
However, do please note that the lecture content is DIFFERENT. You cannot turn up to the wrong lecture! So, you can’t just rock along to the 2pm lecture because the timing is more convenient. You might as well go to the lecture down the corridor on Interpretive Dance; it would be just as relevant!
If anyone has any questions on the above, please let me know – hopefully that is all nice and clear.
All the best,
Paul
Recent Comments