FIT3082 Programming languages and paradigms - Semester 1, 2009

Clayton

• Bernd Meyer
• Maria Garcia de la Banda

Prerequisites

FIT2004 or CSE2304, FIT2014 or CSE2303

or equivalent.

Students beginning FIT3082 are assumed to be competent programmers in at least one programming language based on a paradigm other than procedural Students are required to have a thorough understanding of datatypes and recursion and the fundamental concepts of formal languages and grammars. Knowledge of first order predicate calculus is required.

Relationships

FIT3082 is an elective unit in the Bachelor of Computer Science and the Bachelor of Software Engineering.

Before attempting this unit you must have satisfactorily completed

FIT2004 or CSE2304, FIT2014 or CSE2303

You may not study this unit and

CSE3322

Unit leader

Lecturer(s) :

Lectures will be used to present new concepts, introduce the fundamental approaches to problem solving with particular paradigms, compare different approaches, analyse their advantages and disadvantages, and propose general questions. The aim is to give students an overview of the concepts and to challenge them to think further. Tutorials and practicals will be used to link the theory with practice and deepen the students understanding and practical abilities. To this end, tutorials and practicals are tightly integrated into sessions where theoretical discussion and practical programming work complement each other. 

Tutorial allocation

Communication, participation and feedback

Monash aims to provide a learning environment in which students receive a range of ongoing feedback throughout their studies. You will receive feedback on your work and progress in this unit. This may take the form of group feedback, individual feedback, peer feedback, self-comparison, verbal and written feedback, discussions (on line and in class) as well as more formal feedback related to assignment marks and grades. You are encouraged to draw on a variety of feedback to enhance your learning.

It is essential that you take action immediately if you realise that you have a problem that is affecting your study. Semesters are short, so we can help you best if you let us know as soon as problems arise. Regardless of whether the problem is related directly to your progress in the unit, if it is likely to interfere with your progress you should discuss it with your lecturer or a Community Service counsellor as soon as possible.

Unit Schedule

Prescribed text(s) and readings

 Text books are available from the Monash University Book Shops. Availability from other suppliers cannot be assured. The Bookshop orders texts in specifically for this unit. You are advised to purchase your text book early.

Recommended text(s) and readings

Kenneth C. Louden "Programming Languages, Principles and Practice", Thomson.

David A. Watt "Programming Language Design Concepts", Wiley.

The following technical reports / journal articles may also be helpful and interesting:

(LP III) K. Knight: Unification: A Multidisciplinary Survey. ACM Computing Surveys 21(1)1989:93-124

(LP V) T. Fruwirth et al: Constraint Logic Programming - an informal introduction (ECRC Tech Report 93-5)

(LP V) P. van Hentenryck: Constraint logic programming, The Knowledge Engineering Review 6(3)1991:151-194

(Tutorial and Labs for LP) D.H.D. Warren: Logic Programming and Compiler Writing. Software - Practice and Experience 10, 1980:97-125

(Tutorials and Labs for LP) J. Cohen and T.J. Hickey: Parsing and Compiling Using Prolog. ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems 9(2)1987:125-163

Required software and/or hardware

You will need access to

* SML/NJ (latest version)

* SICStus Prolog (latest version)

both are installed in the labs. For home use you can download SML/NJ from http://www.smlnj.org . Several free Prolog Systems are publicly available on the web (unfortunately, SICStus is not free).

Equipment and consumables required or provided

Study resources

Study resources we will provide for your study are:

• Weekly detailed lecture notes outlining the learning objectives, discussion of the content, required readings and  exercises;
• Fortnighlty tutorial and laboratory tasks and exercises;
• Assignment specifications and sample solutions;
• A sample examination and suggested solution
• Access to past examination papers when available
• Discussion groups;
• This Unit Guide outlining the administrative information for the unit;
• The unit web site on MUSO (Moodle), where the resources outlined above will be made available.

Library access

The Monash University Library site contains details about borrowing rights and catalogue searching.  To learn more about the library and the various resources available, please go to http://www.lib.monash.edu.au.

The Educational Library and Media Resources (LMR) is also a very resourceful place to visit at http://www.education.monash.edu.au/library/

Monash University Studies Online (MUSO)

All unit and lecture materials are available through MUSO (Monash University Studies Online). Blackboard is the primary application used to deliver your unit resources. Some units will be piloted in Moodle. If your unit is piloted in Moodle, you will see a link from your Blackboard unit to Moodle (http://moodle.monash.edu.au) and can bookmark this link to access directly. In Moodle, from the Faculty of Information Technology category, click on the link for your unit.

You can access MUSO and Blackboard via the portal: http://my.monash.edu.au

Click on the Study and enrolment tab, then Blackboard under the MUSO learning systems.

In order for your Blackboard unit(s) to function correctly, your computer needs to be correctly configured.

For example:

• Blackboard supported browser
• Supported Java runtime environment

For more information, please visit: http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/students/downloadables-student.html

You can contact the MUSO Support by phone : (+61 3) 9903 1268

For further contact information including operational hours, please visit: http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/students/contact.html

Further information can be obtained from the MUSO support site: http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/index.html

Unit assessment policy

The unit is assessed with two assignments (assessed in the pracs) and a three hour closed book examination. To pass the unit you must:

• attempt at least one assignment and the examination
• achieve no less than 40% of the possible marks in the total non-examination assessment
• achieve no less than 50% of the possible marks in the examination
• achieve no less than 50% of possible marks overall

Note that there are also four "Hurdle Pracs" assessed as pass/fail. You will only be eligible to submit Assignment 1 if you pass at least one of the Hurdle Pracs 1, 2 and you will only be eligible to submit Assignment 2 if you pass at least one of the  Hurdle Pracs 3, 4.

Assignment tasks

• Assignment Task

  Title : Functional Programming

  Description :

  This will consist of programming tasks in ML including advanced functional concepts, such as higher order functions, list comprehensions, simulated laziness etc.

  Weighting : 15%

  Criteria for assessment :

  Your programs will be marked on correctness, style, efficiency, clarity and documentation. Specific tasks and marking criteria will be distributed at the appropriate time during the semester.

  Due date : April 24

• Assignment Task

  Title : Logic Programming

  Description :

  This will consist of programming tasks in Prolog/CLP ranging from introductory concepts, such as lists, terms, and unification, to advanced concepts, such as meta-programming, DCGs, constraint solving, extra-logical features etc.

  Weighting : 15%

  Criteria for assessment :

  Your programs will be marked on correctness, style, efficiency, clarity and documentation. Specific tasks and marking criteria will be distributed at the appropriate time during the semester.

  Due date : June 5

Examinations

• Examination 1

  Weighting : 70%

  Length : 3 hours

  Type ( open/closed book ) : Closed book

  
  

Assignment submission

Assignments will be submitted by mixed electronic and paper submission. On-campus Students Submit the assignment in the pracs, with the appropriate cover sheet correctly filled out and attached Off Campus (OCL) students [OCL only] Mail your assignment to the Off-Campus Learning Centre with the cover sheet attached. Do not email submissions. The due date is the date by which the submission must be received/the date by which the the submission is to be posted

Assignment coversheets

All assignments must include an assignment coversheet. For the paper submission, the coversheet can be found in  http://infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/students/assignments/  For the electronic submission, the coversheet can be found in MUSO (Moodle).  

Due dates and extensions

The due dates for the submission of assignments are given in the previous section. Please make every effort to submit work by the due dates. It is your responsibility to structure your study program around assignment deadlines, family, work and other commitments. Factors such as normal work pressures, vacations, etc. are seldom regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. Students are advised to NOT assume that granting of an extension is a matter of course.

Requests for any other extension must be made to the unit lecturer or head tutor at your campus at least two days before the due date. You will be asked to forward original medical certificates in cases of illness, and may be asked to provide other forms of documentation where necessary. A copy of the email or other written communication of an extension must be attached to the assignment submission.

Late assignment

Return dates

Students can expect assignments to be returned within two weeks of the submission date or after receipt, whichever is later.

Assessment for the unit as a whole is in accordance with the provisions of the Monash University Education Policy at http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/assessment/

Plagiarism, cheating and collusion

Plagiarism and cheating are regarded as very serious offences. In cases where cheating  has been confirmed, students have been severely penalised, from losing all marks for an assignment, to facing disciplinary action at the Faculty level. While we would wish that all our students adhere to sound ethical conduct and honesty, I will ask you to acquaint yourself with Student Rights and Responsibilities (http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/about/committees-groups/facboard/policies/studrights.html) and the Faculty regulations that apply to students detected cheating as these will be applied in all detected cases.

In this University, cheating means seeking to obtain an unfair advantage in any examination or any other written or practical work to be submitted or completed by a student for assessment. It includes the use, or attempted use, of any means to gain an unfair advantage for any assessable work in the unit, where the means is contrary to the instructions for such work. 

When you submit an individual assessment item, such as a program, a report, an essay, assignment or other piece of work, under your name you are understood to be stating that this is your own work. If a submission is identical with, or similar to, someone else's work, an assumption of cheating may arise. If you are planning on working with another student, it is acceptable to undertake research together, and discuss problems, but it is not acceptable to jointly develop or share solutions unless this is specified by your lecturer. 

Intentionally providing students with your solutions to assignments is classified as "assisting to cheat" and students who do this may be subject to disciplinary action. You should take reasonable care that your solution is not accidentally or deliberately obtained by other students. For example, do not leave copies of your work in progress on the hard drives of shared computers, and do not show your work to other students. If you believe this may have happened, please be sure to contact your lecturer as soon as possible.

Cheating also includes taking into an examination any material contrary to the regulations, including any bilingual dictionary, whether or not with the intention of using it to obtain an advantage.

Plagiarism involves the false representation of another person's ideas, or findings, as your own by either copying material or paraphrasing without citing sources. It is both professional and ethical to reference clearly the ideas and information that you have used from another writer. If the source is not identified, then you have plagiarised work of the other author. Plagiarism is a form of dishonesty that is insulting to the reader and grossly unfair to your student colleagues.

Register of counselling about plagiarism

The university requires faculties to keep a simple and confidential register to record counselling to students about plagiarism (e.g. warnings). The register is accessible to Associate Deans Teaching (or nominees) and, where requested, students concerned have access to their own details in the register. The register is to serve as a record of counselling about the nature of plagiarism, not as a record of allegations; and no provision of appeals in relation to the register is necessary or applicable.

Non-discriminatory language

The Faculty of Information Technology is committed to the use of non-discriminatory language in all forms of communication. Discriminatory language is that which refers in abusive terms to gender, race, age, sexual orientation, citizenship or nationality, ethnic or language background, physical or mental ability, or political or religious views, or which stereotypes groups in an adverse manner. This is not meant to preclude or inhibit legitimate academic debate on any issue; however, the language used in such debate should be non-discriminatory and sensitive to these matters. It is important to avoid the use of discriminatory language in your communications and written work. The most common form of discriminatory language in academic work tends to be in the area of gender inclusiveness. You are, therefore, requested to check for this and to ensure your work and communications are non-discriminatory in all respects.

Students with disabilities

Students with disabilities that may disadvantage them in assessment should seek advice from one of the following before completing assessment tasks and examinations:

• Faculty of Information Technology Student Service staff, and / or
• your Unit Coordinator, or
• Disabilities Liaison Unit

Deferred assessment and special consideration

Deferred assessment (not to be confused with an extension for submission of an assignment) may be granted in cases of extenuating personal circumstances such as serious personal illness or bereavement. Information and forms for Special Consideration and deferred assessment applications are available at http://www.monash.edu.au/exams/special-consideration.html. Contact the Faculty's Student Services staff at your campus for further information and advice.