ICT1511/101/0/2024

Tutorial Letter 101/0/2024

Introduction to Programming
ICT1511

Year Module

Department of Computer Science

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Please register on myUnisa, activate your myLife e-mail account and
make sure that you have regular access to the myUnisa module
website, ICT1511-2024-Y, as well as your group website.

Note: This is a fully online module. It is, therefore, only available on myUnisa.

BARCODE
 CONTENTS

Page

1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 4
1.1 Getting started. ............................................................................................................................... 5
2 OVERVIEW OF ICT1511 ................................................................................................................ 5
2.1 Purpose .......................................................................................................................................... 5
2.2 Outcomes ....................................................................................................................................... 5
3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION ............................................................................................ 6
4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS .................................................................................... 6
4.1 Lecturer(s) ...................................................................................................................................... 6
4.2 Department ..................................................................................................................................... 6
4.3 University ........................................................................................................................................ 6
5 RESOURCES ................................................................................................................................. 6
5.1 Prescribed book(s) .......................................................................................................................... 6
5.2 Recommended book(s) .................................................................................................................. 7
Recommended books can be requested online, via the library catalogue ................................................. 7
5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves) ..................................................................................................... 7
5.4 Library services and resources ....................................................................................................... 7
6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES ................................................................................................. 8
6.1 First-Year Experience Programme ................................................................................................. 9
7. STUDY PLAN ................................................................................................................................. 9
8 HOW TO STUDY ONLINE ............................................................................................................. 9
8.1 What does it mean to study fully online? ........................................................................................ 9
9. ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................................................. 10
9.1 Assessment criteria ...................................................................................................................... 10
9.2 Assessment plan .......................................................................................................................... 10
9.3 Assessment due dates ................................................................................................................. 11
9.4 Submission of assessments ......................................................................................................... 11
9.5 Formative assessments ................................................................................................................ 13
9.6 Summative assessment (Examination)......................................................................................... 13
9.6.1 Invigilation/proctoring .................................................................................................................... 13
10. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY .......................................................................................................... 14
10.1 Plagiarism ..................................................................................................................................... 14

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10.2 Cheating ....................................................................................................................................... 14

10.3 For more information about plagiarism, follow the link below: ...................................................... 14
11. STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES ................................................................................... 14
12. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS .......................................................................................... 15
13. SOURCES CONSULTED ............................................................................................................. 15
14. IN CLOSING ................................................................................................................................. 15

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1 INTRODUCTION
Dear Student

Welcome to Introduction to Programming.

Unisa is a comprehensive open distance e-learning (CODeL) higher education institution.

The comprehensiveness of our curricula encapsulates a range of offerings, from strictly
vocational to strictly academic certificates, diplomas and degrees. Unisa's "openness" and its
distance eLearning character result in many students registering at Unisa who may not have
had an opportunity to enrol in higher education. Our CODeL character implies that our
programmes are carefully planned and structured to ensure success for students ranging
from the under-prepared but with potential to the sufficiently prepared.

Teaching and learning in a CODeL context involves multiple modes of delivery ranging from
blended learning to fully online. As a default position, all post graduate programmes are
offered fully online with no printed study materials, while undergraduate programmes are
offered in a blended mode of delivery where printed study materials are augmented with
online teaching and learning via the learner management system – myUnisa. In some
instances, undergraduate programmes are offered fully online as well.

Furthermore, our programmes are aligned with the vision, mission and values of the
University. Unisa's commitment to serve humanity and shape futures combined with a clear
appreciation of our location on the African continent, Unisa's graduates have distinctive
graduate qualities which include

• independent, resilient, responsible and caring citizens who are able to fulfil and serve
in multiple roles in their immediate and future local, national and global communities

• having a critical understanding of their location on the African continent with its
histories, challenges and potential in relation to globally diverse contexts

• the ability to critically analyse and evaluate the credibility and usefulness of
information and data from multiple sources in a globalised world with its ever-
increasing information and data flows and competing worldviews

• how to apply their discipline-specific knowledges competently, ethically and creatively

to solve real-life problems

• an awareness of their own learning and developmental needs and future potential

As this module is offered as a fully online (all information is available via the internet), we use
myUnisa as our virtual campus. This is an online system that is used to administer, document
and deliver educational material to you and support engagement with you. Look out for
information from your lecturer as well as other Unisa platforms to determine how to access the
virtual myUnisa module site. Information on the tools that will be available to engage with the
lecturer and fellow students to support your learning will also be communicated via various
platforms. You are encouraged to visit myUnisa frequently. You will need to use myUNISA to
study and complete the learning activities for this module.

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This module is presented in English only since this is the predominant language in the field of
study.

The website for your module on myUNISA is ICT1511-2024-Y.

We wish you every success with your studies!

1.1 Getting started.

Owing to the nature of this module, you can read about the module and find your study material
online. Go to the website at https://my.unisa.ac.za and log in using your student number and
password. Click on “myModules”at the top of the web page and then on “Sites” in the top right
corner. In the new window, click on the grey Star icon next to the modules you want displayed
on your navigation bar. Close the window in the top right corner. Then select the option “Reload
to see your updated favourite sites”. Now go to your navigation bar and click on the module you
want to open. We wish you every success with your studies!

2 OVERVIEW OF ICT1511
2.1 Purpose

Students who have completed this module successfully will be able to do the following:

• demonstrate a clear understanding of problems and their statements, as stated by

computer users in various industries.
• demonstrate understanding of general computer programming concepts through the use
of algorithms and operators.
• demonstrate a clear understanding of object-oriented concepts.
• design a solution for problem statements in a particular industry by writing algorithms and
programs in sequential steps.

2.2 Outcomes

For this module, you will have to master several outcomes:

• Specific outcome 1

Use mathematical concepts and principles to analyse problems and provide logical solutions;
Use programming languages to analyse problems and provide solutions (e.g., writing sequential
steps of algorithms and programs)

• Specific outcome 2:

Use arithmetic to analyse problems; Function procedures and sub procedures; Arrays; Error
handling and debugging techniques; Use an Object Orientation approach to programming;
Apply Selection control structures and Iterations.

• Specific outcome 3:

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Use tables and graphs to explain phenomena to peers and clients (e.g., explaining best-fit
curves of data); Use a computer to investigate and solve scientific problems in the field;
Communicate in the language of business, academic-report-like English.

3 CURRICULUM TRANSFORMATION
Unisa has implemented a transformation charter, in terms of which the university has placed
curriculum transformation high on the teaching and learning agenda. Curriculum transformation
includes student-centred scholarship, the pedagogical renewal of teaching and assessment
practices, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and the infusion of African epistemologies
and philosophies. All of these will be phased in at both programme and module levels, and as a
result of this you will notice a marked change in the teaching and learning strategy implemented
by Unisa, together with the way in which the content is conceptualised in your modules. We
encourage you to embrace these changes during your studies at Unisa in a responsive way
within the framework of transformation.

4 LECTURER(S) AND CONTACT DETAILS

4.1 Lecturer(s)

The primary lecturer for this module is Mr. M.M. Molebatsi:

Department: Computer Science
Telephone: 011 670 9328
E-mail: [email protected]

In the subject field of the email, clearly indicate the module code and the reason for the email.
Only emails received from your myLife email account will be acknowledged and answered.

4.2 Department

You can contact the Department of Computer Science as follows:

Telephone number: 011 670 9200

E-mail: [email protected]

4.3 University

To contact the University, follow the instructions on the "Contact us" page on the Unisa website.
Contact addresses of the various administrative departments appear on the Unisa website:
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Contact-us/Student-enquiries.

Please include the student number in all correspondence

5 RESOURCES
5.1 Prescribed book(s)

You MUST purchase the prescribed book:

Authors: Hetsie Erasmus, Correlie Pretorius
Name: Basic Programming Principles
ISBN: 9781775786030
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Year: © 2012
Edition: 2nd Edition

5.2 Recommended book(s)

• Beginning Programming All-In-One Desk Reference for Dummies by Wallace Wang

• Coding for Beginners in easy steps by Mike McGrath

Recommended books can be requested online, via the library catalogue

5.3 Electronic reserves (e-reserves)

E-reserves can be downloaded from the library webpage Find e-reserves. More
information is available at: http://oasis.unisa.ac.za/search/r

5.4 Library services and resources

The Unisa Library offers a range of information services and resources. The library has
created numerous library guides, available at http://libguides.unisa.ac.za

Recommended guides:

• For brief information on the library, go to https://www.unisa.ac.za/library/libatglance

• For more detailed library information, go to
http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library
• Frequently Asked Questions,
visit https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Frequently-Asked-Questions
• For research support and services such as the Personal Librarian service and the
Information Search Librarian's Literature
Search Request (on your research topic) service,
visit http://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-services/Research-
support
• For library training for undergraduate
students, visit https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-
services/Training
• Lending Services https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Library-
services/Lending-services
• Services for Postgraduate students -
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-Postgraduates
• Support and Services for students with disabilities -
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/corporate/default/Library/Services-for-students-with-
special-needs
• Library Technology Support -https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/techsupport
• Finding and using library resources and tools -
http://libguides.unisa.ac.za/Research_skills
• A–Z list of library databases – https://libguides.unisa.ac.za/az.php

Important contact information:

• Technical problems encountered in accessing library online services: Lib-
[email protected]
• General library-related queries: [email protected]
• Queries related to library fines and payments: [email protected]

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 • Interlibrary loan service for postgraduate students: [email protected]
• Literature Search Service: [email protected]
• Social media channels: Facebook: UnisaLibrary and Twitter: @UnisaLibrary

6 STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES

The Study @ Unisa brochure is available on myUnisa: www.unisa.ac.za/brochures/studies

This brochure contains important information and guidelines for successful studies through
Unisa.

If you need assistance with regard to the myModules system, you are welcome to use the
following contact details:

• Toll-free landline: 0800 00 1870 (Select option 07 for myModules)

• E-mail: [email protected]

You can access and view short videos on topics such as how to view your calendar, how to
access module content, how to view announcements for modules, how to submit assessment
and how to participate in forum activities via the following link: https://dtls-
qa.unisa.ac.za/course/view.php?id=32130

Registered Unisa students get a free myLife e-mail account. Important information, notices
and updates are sent exclusively to this account. Please note that it can take up to 24 hours
for your account to be activated after you have claimed it. Please do this immediately after
registering at Unisa, by following this link: [email protected]

Your myLife account is the only e-mail account recognised by Unisa for official
correspondence with the university and will remain the official primary e-mail address on
record at Unisa. You remain responsible for the management of this e-mail account.

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6.1 First-Year Experience Programme

7. STUDY PLAN
Specific Chapter Nr. Latest possible
Outcome date

1 1 2024/03/01
2 2024/04/01
3 2024/05/01
4 2024/05/30
2 5 2024/06/15
6 2024/06/30
7 2024/07/01
8 2024/07/02
3 9 2024/08/07
10 2024/09/11
11 2024/09/16

8 HOW TO STUDY ONLINE

8.1 What does it mean to study fully online?

This means that this module will be offered in an online environment and no portion could be
accessed on campus or campus meeting. In other words, the communication with lectures and
tutors including access to assignments and exams will be done over the systems in place such
as MyModules.

• All your study material and learning activities for online modules are designed to be
delivered online on myUnisa.
• All your assignments must be submitted online. This means that you will do all your
activities and submit all your assignments on myUnisa. In other words, you may NOT
post your assignments to Unisa using the South African Post Office.

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 • All communication between you and the University happens online. Lecturers will
communicate with you via e-mail and SMS, and will use the Announcements, Discussion
Forum, and Questions and Answers options. You can also use all these platforms to ask
questions and contact your lecturers.

9. ASSESSMENT
9.1 Assessment criteria

• To successfully complete this module, you will be required to submit 4 formative

assessments (assignments) and 1 summative assessment (exam). The exam consists of
a Quiz.
• All information about when and where and how to submit your assessments will be made
available to you via the myModules site for this module (ICT1511).
Component Percentage
Year Mark 35
Venue Examination 65 Sub-minimum 40%

9.2 Assessment plan

• To complete this module, you will be required to submit 5 assessments.

• All information about when and where to submit your assessments will be made available
to you via the myModules site for your module.
• Due dates for assessments, as well as the actual assessments are available on the
myModules site for this module.
• To gain admission to the examination, you will be required to submit two (2)
assignments.
• To gain admission to the examination, you need to obtain a year mark average of 35%
for the assignments.
• The assignment weighting for the module is 35%.
• You will receive examination information via the myModules sites. Please watch out for
announcements on how examinations for the modules for which you are registered will
be conducted.
• The examination will count 65% towards the final module mark.

Assessment Method of Outcomes covered Weigh Contribution

number assessment in assessment contribution towards
of assessment Final Mark

1 Quiz 1 25% 35%

2 File submission 1&2 25%

3 Quiz 1, 2 & 3 25%

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4 File submission 1, 2 & 3 25%

5 Quiz 1, 2 & 3 100% 65%

9.3 Assessment due dates

• There are no assignment due dates included in this tutorial letter.

• Assignment due dates will be made available to you on the myUnisa landing page for this
module. We envisage that the due dates will be available to you upon registration.

• Please start working on your assessments as soon as you register for the module.

• Log on to the myUnisa site for this module to obtain more information on the due dates
for the submission of the assessments.

9.4 Submission of assessments

• Unisa, as a comprehensive open distance e-learning institution (CODeL), is moving

towards becoming an online institution. You will therefore see that all your study material,
assessments and engagements with your lecturer and fellow students will take place
online. We use myUnisa as our virtual campus.

• The myUnisa virtual campus will offer students access to the myModules site, where
learning material will be available online and where assessments should be completed.
This is an online system that is used to administer, document, and deliver educational
material to students and support engagement between academics and students.

• The myUnisa platform can be accessed via https://my.unisa.ac.za. Click on the

myModules 2024 button to access the online sites for the modules that you are
registered for.

• The university undertakes to communicate clearly and as frequently as is necessary to

ensure that you obtain the greatest benefit from the use of the myModules learning
management system. Please access the announcements on your myModules site
regularly, as this is where your lecturer will post important information to be shared with
you.

• When you access your myModules site for the module/s you are registered for, you will
see a welcome message posted by your lecturer. Below the welcome message you will
see the assessment shells for the assessments that you need to complete. Some
assessments may be multiple choice, some tests, others written assessments, some
forum discussions, and so on. All assessments must be completed on the assessment
shells available on the respective module platforms.

• To complete quiz assessments, please log on to the module site where you need to
complete the assessment. Click on the relevant assessment shell (Assessment 1,
Assessment 2, etc.). There will be a date on which the assessment will open for you.

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 When the assessment is open, access the quiz online and complete it within the time
available to you. Quiz assessment questions are not included in this tutorial letter
(Tutorial Letter 101) and are only made available online. You must therefore access the
quiz online and complete it online where the quiz has been created.

• It is not advisable to use a cell phone to complete the quiz. Please use a desktop
computer, tablet or laptop when completing the quiz. Students who use a cell phone find
it difficult to navigate the Online Assessment tool on the small screen and often struggle
to navigate between questions and successfully complete the quizzes. In addition, cell
phones are more vulnerable to dropped internet connections than other devices. If at all
possible, please do not use a cell phone for this assessment type.

• For written assessments, please note the due date by which the assessment must be
submitted. Ensure that you follow the guidelines given by your lecturer to complete the
assessment. Click on the submission button on the relevant assessment shell on
myModules. You will then be able to upload your written assessment on the myModules
site of the modules that you are registered for. Before you finalise the upload, double
check that you have selected the correct file for upload. Remember, no marks can be
allocated for incorrectly submitted assessments.

9.4.1 Types of assignments and descriptions

All assignments are defined as either optional, mandatory, compulsory, or elective.

• Elective assignments
- If not submitted, the student gets no mark for this item.
- The best of the required submissions will count.
• Mandatory assignments
- If not submitted, the student gets no mark for this item.
• Compulsory assignments
- If not submitted, the result on the student’s academic record will be absent.
• Optional assignments – You are encouraged as a student to do optional
assignment so that it may benefit your learning.

I. Elective assignments
a. the student is given a choice of which assignments within an identified group to
submit, only the best result(-s), the number of which is specified in advance, will
contribute towards the year mark.
b. elective assignments must also be grouped into an elective group.
c. for the student to select which assignment to submit, the elective assignments must
be grouped together. For such an elective group, relevant information must be
provided to the student, such as how many of the assignments must be submitted
and how many of the assignment marks should be combined into the year mark.
d. The selection criteria define how marks received for assignments in an elective group
are to be combined into the year mark. Three different criteria may be used for
calculating the year mark:
• The best mark should be used, or
• If the student submits fewer than the required number of assignments per group or
no assignment in a group, a mark of 0% will be used.
• 0% is awarded to all non-submitted or unmarked assessments. A best mark is
then calculated from all items.

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II. Mandatory assignments

a. contribute to the year mark.
b. If a student fails to submit a mandatory assignment, no mark is awarded and the year
mark is calculated accordingly. The student will therefore forfeit the marks attached to
this assignment when the final mark for the module is calculated.
III. Compulsory Assessment
a. when not submitted, the student will fail a Continuous Assessment module but will be
shown as absent from the examination in the case of other modules.

IV. Optional assignments – You are encouraged as a student to do optional assignment so

that it may benefit your learning.

9.5 Formative assessments

As indicated in section 9.2, you need to complete 4 assessments for this module.

There are no assignments included in this tutorial letter. Assignments and due dates will be
made available to you on myModules for this module. We envisage that the due dates will be
available to you upon registration.]

9.6 Summative assessment (Examination)

Examination information and details on the format of the examination will be made available to
you online via the myUnisa site. Look out for information that will be shared with you by your
lecturer and e-tutors (where relevant) and for communication from the university.

9.6.1 Invigilation/proctoring

Since 2020 Unisa conducts all its assessments online. Given stringent requirements from
professional bodies and increased solicitations of Unisa’s students by third parties to unlawfully
assist them with the completion of assignments and examinations, the University is obliged to
assure its assessment integrity through the utilisation of various proctoring tools: Turnitin,
Moodle Proctoring, the Invigilator App and IRIS. These tools will authenticate the student’s
identity and flag suspicious behaviour to assure credibility of students’ responses during
assessments. The description below is for your benefit as you may encounter any or all of these
in your registered modules:

Turnitin is a plagiarism software that facilitates checks for originality in students’ submissions
against internal and external sources. Turnitin assists in identifying academic fraud and ghost
writing. Students are expected to submit typed responses for utilisation of the Turnitin software.

The Moodle Proctoring tool is a facial recognition software that authenticates students’ identity
during their Quiz assessments. This tool requires access to a student’s mobile or laptop
camera. Students must ensure their camera is activated in their browser settings prior to their
assessments.

The Invigilator “mobile application-based service does verification” of the identity of an

assessment participant. The Invigilator Mobile Application detects student dishonesty-by-proxy

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 and ensures that the assessment participant is the registered student. This invigilation tool
requires students to download the app from their Play Store (Google, Huawei and Apple) on
their mobile devices (camera enabled) prior to their assessment.

IRIS Invigilation software verifies the identity of a student during assessment and provides for
both manual and automated facial verification. It has the ability to record and review a student’s
assessment session. It flags suspicious behaviour by the students for review by an academic
administrator. IRIS software requires installation on students’ laptop devices that are enabled
with a webcam.

Students who are identified and flagged for suspicious dishonest behaviour arising from the
invigilation and proctoring reports are referred to the disciplinary office for formal proceeding.

Please note:

Students must refer to their module assessment information on their myModule sites to
determine which proctoring or invigilation tool will be utilised for their formative and summative
assessments.

10. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

10.1 Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of taking the words, ideas and thoughts of others and presenting them as
your own. It is a form of theft. Plagiarism includes the following forms of academic dishonesty:

• Copying and pasting from any source without acknowledging the source.
• Not including references or deliberately inserting incorrect bibliographic information.
• Paraphrasing without acknowledging the original source of the information.
10.2 Cheating
Cheating includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Completing assessments on behalf of another student, copying the work of another

student during an assessment, or allowing another student to copy your work.
• Using social media (e.g. WhatsApp, Telegram) or other platforms to disseminate
assessment information.
• Submitting corrupt or irrelevant files, this forms part of examination guidelines
• Buying completed answers from so-called “tutors” or internet sites (contract cheating).
10.3 For more information about plagiarism, follow the link below:
https://www.unisa.ac.za/sites/myunisa/default/Study-@-Unisa/Student-values-and-rules

11. STUDENTS LIVING WITH DISABILITIES

The Advocacy and Resource Centre for Students with Disabilities (ARCSWiD) provides an
opportunity for staff to interact with first-time and returning students with disabilities.
If you are a student with a disability and would like additional support or need additional time for
assessments, you are invited to contact (name and e-mail address of the lecturer must be
inserted) to discuss the assistance that you need.
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12. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

A list of frequently answered questions will be saved under Additional resources on the
myModules platform.

13. SOURCES CONSULTED

www.unisa.ac.za and UNISA Academic Calendar

14. IN CLOSING
Thank you for taking the time to read this tutorial letter. I hope that the information provided has
been insightful and valuable to your learning journey. Should you have any further questions or
require additional assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out. Remember, practice makes
perfect, so keep applying what you've learned and never stop exploring new knowledge.
Wishing you continued success in your endeavours. Farewell, and may your path be filled with
endless opportunities for growth and achievement.

©
Unisa 2024

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