75969 - Basic Informatics (1) (A-D)

Learning outcomes

At the end of this course, the student will have a basic knowledge of computer science, having learned the working principles of software systems, and understanding the technical lexicon of the discipline. The student will also grasp the fundamental concepts about design and implementation of multimedia systems, especially in World Wide Web environment.

Course contents

The goal of this course is to allow the student to handle software tools without focusing on specific applications, reasoning about theoretical and methodological aspects of computer science. The course program is focused on the new frontiers of technology: treatment of digital documents, Internet and the World Wide Web, the HTML language.

The course will take on the following topics:

• Internet, WWW and their Services: about the Internet structure, protocols, the search for information on the WWW and legal frameworks.
• Processing of Electronic Documents: what elements make an electronic document, markup languages, non-textual documents, typographic fonts and Web design.
• Fundamentals of Multimedia Processing: basic concepts about audio, images, and video; multimedia stream and their sharing on Internet; photo editing.
• Web 2.0 and the World Wide Web’s Advancements: a social phenomenon, technology, applications, and new frontiers of digital communication.
• Web Page Creation: syntax of HTML language and survey of the elements needed to create a simple Web Page.

The course arguments will be introduced in frontal lectures. The students will further their competence on the e-learning platform Moodle (https://elearning-cds.unibo.it/).

Moodle is a website that contains all the teaching materials for this course. There will be no need, thus, for a course book.

First, the student will proceed by subscribing to Moodle with the password that will be given by the teacher at the first lecture of the course.

For every access, the unibo credentials will be needed (firstname.lastname@studio.unibo.it and the associated password).

 

Non attending students

Non attending students are expected to download, after each lecture, the introductory slides that will be published on AMS Campus; the first of which, will contain the instructions to access and perform the activities of the e-learning platform. Completing these activities is required to be admitted to the exams.

 

Readings/Bibliography

All readings are available on the Moodle platform (https://elearning-cds.unibo.it/) as teaching subjects and include multiple-choice quizzes and HTML exercises.

Other teaching materials, slides and exercises, will be available on the AMS Campus site.

Teaching methods

The teaching method is based on the access to the e-learning platform Moodle, specifically designed for the acquisition of computing skills.

The lectures in the classroom will introduce weekly each subject, which the students will complete individually on the Moodle platform. On the platform, every subject is divided in sections, and at the end of each section the student will find self-assessment tests.

Before the final examinations it is mandatory:

• to read the lessons in each subject on the Moodle platform;
• to complete all quizzes for each subject on the Moodle platform with a positive mark;
• to complete and upload on Moodle the 5 HTML exercises (for the HTML final test).

Assessment methods

The final examination consists in two tests that will normally be held on the same day: a multiple-choice test, performed on computer, in the laboratory,under supervision of the teacher and the tutors; a web-page editing test, performed on computer, in the laboratory,under supervision of the teacher and the tutors.

ADMISSION to the MULTIPLE-CHOICE TEST

To be admitted to the multiple-choice test ("WebTest"), the student must have earned, two days before the exam, the badge "Informatica Generale" on the Moodle platform; that is, to have completed all the lectures and quizzes of the following sections: Internet WWW e i loro servizi, Elaborazione di documenti elettronici, Fondamenti di elaborazione multimediale, and Il Web 2.0. The badge, once earned, will be visible in the personal profile on the Moodle platform.

ADMISSION to the WEBPAGE EDITING TEST

To be admitted to the web-page editing test ("Prova HTML"), the student must have earned , two days before the exam, the badge "Web Design" on the Moodle platform; that is, to have completed all the lectures and quizzes of the section Creazione di Pagine Web, and to have completed and uploaded the exercises on the section Esercitazioni per creazione di pagine web.

EXAM SESSIONS

The final examination consists in two tests: each one has its own inscription list on AlmaEsami. It is allowed to take the web-page editing test on a later session.

The multiple choice test ("WebTest") will last 40 minutes, and normally will be on the session day’s morning. The test rating (on a scale of 40) will be displayed directly on the computer monitor, after the test is submitted. The test will be successful with a rating of 24 or more.

The web page editing test ("Prova HTML") will last 40 minutes, and normally will be on the session day’s afternoon. Only students that have successfully passed the multiple choice test are allowed to take the web page editing test.

The final grades will be published on the teacher's webpage, normally within two weeks after the exams. These grades are calculated with the Web Test rating minus 6 points, plus some points (0-4), according to the quality of the HTML redaction at the Prova HTML.

Students, after successfully passing both tests, are required to come at the teacher’s office to register the exam onto their transcript.

Should a student pass successfully the multiple choice test, but not the web page editing test, he will be required to retake just the latter.

Teaching tools

The course will be held in “blended learning” mode: partly with classroom lectures and laboratory exercises and partly via the e-learning platform Moodle (https:/elearning-cds.unibo.it/).

The teacher, and the tutors which are listed on the Moodle platform, can be contacted on the platform itself or via e-mail.

Office hours

See the website of Matteo Pascoli