Introduction to programming

By Andrew Caruana

The software development sector has been booming for the past twenty-five years or so and it does not seem like it is going to slow down any time soon. On the contrary.  Here at STC Higher Education, we are confident of this, and make sure that our students too understand the broadness of the possibilities that they are provided with when embarking on such a journey. As part of the foundation course provided in preparation for higher levels of education, the students at STC are introduced to programming using Visual Basic.Net.  Before actual coding is introduced however students will be assisted in installing the required software packages to do the job and are guided through the familiarisation process. From this point onwards the module consists of a balance between theory and practice where students are introduced to topics such as decision making, code repetitions and data structures, first on a console level and then moving on to creating functional Graphical User Interfaces.  During class, students are encouraged to explore the subject and try out their ideas without fear of mistakes or judgment. To consolidate their learning outcomes Introduction to Programming bases its assessment on a home assignment that will provide the students with a case study for the students to solve.  This will allow them to bring together what they learn and experience in class together and give them a sense of achievement when completed successfully.