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Intro to Computing

Altaf Khan

© Altaf Khan 2009-2010

Summary

Lecture notes of a course designed to develop an appreciation of various aspects of computing, generate interest through Web page development, and introduce essential productivity software packages.� Topics include: evolution of computing; hardware; software development; algorithms; Internet; World Wide Web.� The student also learnt how to develop interactive Web pages in HTML and JavaScript.

I have taught this "Intro to Computing" course to freshmen at several universities. Classroom recordings of its first offering were used for a professor-free, PC-based offering - probably the first experiment of its kind in Pakistan. Its second offering was for a distance-learning TV audience and has been broadcasted tens of times in its entirety to most corners of the world over terrestrial and satellite channels. Several thousand students have taken this course for credit (mostly in Pakistan, but also in a number of other countries) and several million have watched portions of it on TV.

The DVD's of the 45 lectures can be ordered from here. These lectures are also available on YouTube. Those recordings and the PowerPoint slides available on this page were prepared in early 2002.

Textbooks
UC -	Understanding Computers 2000: Today & Tomorrow, 2000 Edition (Charles Parker. Harcourt. December 1999.)
JS -	Learn JavaScript in a Weekend (Jerry Lee Ford, Jr. Prima Tech. March 2001.)
PowerPoint Slides, Reading Material and Assignment Schedule

W k	1st Lecture	2nd Lecture	3rd Lecture (Web Development)	Reading Material		Assignment
W k	1st Lecture	2nd Lecture	3rd Lecture (Web Development)	UC Chapters	JS Pages	Assignment
1	Introduction*	Evolution of computing	The World Wide Web	INT 1	--	Email & discussion
2	Computer systems	Building a PC	Making & hosting a Web page*	HW 1 & NET 3	10-27	HTML 1
3	Microprocessors	Binary numbers & logic*	Lists & tables	HW 2 & HW 3	28-40	Binary nos. & logic
4	Computer software	Operating systems	Interactive forms*	SW 1 & SW 2	40-47	HTML 2
5	Application software	Word processing & desktop publishing*	More on interactive forms	PS 1	244-272	Word
6	Algorithms I	Algorithms II*	Objects, properties, methods	IS 1	113-152	Algorithms & flowcharts
7	Programming languages	SW development methodology	Data types & operators*	IS 2	62-72	JavaScript 1
8	Midterm Exam (No lecture on this day)	Spreadsheets*	Flow control & loops	PS 2	79-96	Excel
9	Design heuristics	Web design for usability	Arrays*	--	104-112	JavaScript 2
10	Computer networks	Introduction to the Internet	Functions & variable scope*	NET 1	--	JavaScript 3
11	Internet services	Developing presentations*	Event handling	NET 2	100-104	PowerPoint
12	Graphics & animation	Intelligent systems	Mathematical methods*	--	157-169	JavaScript 4
13	Data management	Database software*	String manipulation	PS 3	72-76	Access
14	Cyber crime	Social implications of computing	Images & animation	LIV 2	281-290	--
15	The computing profession	The future of computing	Programming methodology	--	296-308	--
16	Review & wrap-up	--	--	--	--	--