COM1011 Programming Fundamentals in C: Teaching Curriculum and Key Concepts

Teaching Plan for COM1011 Programming Fundamentals in C

This teaching plan is designed for a computer science bachelor's degree module using the recommended textbook 'C How to Program' by Deitel (9th edition). Due to limited contact hours, only a portion of the chapters can be covered in the semester.

Week 1-2: Introduction to Programming and C Language Basics

• Introduction to programming concepts
• Overview of the C programming language
• Basic syntax and structure of C programs
• Data types, variables, and expressions in C
• Input and output operations in C
• Control structures: if-else, switch-case, loops

Week 3-4: Functions, Arrays, and Pointers

• Functions and their importance in programming
• Defining and calling functions in C
• Arrays and their use in programming
• Multi-dimensional arrays
• Pointers and their uses in C
• Address arithmetic and pointer arithmetic

Week 5-6: Strings and Structures in C

• String manipulation functions in C
• Character arrays and pointers
• Introduction to structures in C
• Defining and using structures in C
• Arrays of structures and pointers to structures

Week 7-8: File Input/Output and Dynamic Memory Allocation

• File input/output operations in C
• File opening, reading, writing, and closing
• Dynamic memory allocation and its importance in programming
• Memory allocation functions in C: malloc(), calloc(), realloc(), and free()
• Pointer arithmetic with dynamic memory allocation

Week 9-10: Advanced C Concepts

• Bitwise operators and their uses in programming
• Enumeration and typedef in C
• Preprocessor directives and their use in programming
• Command-line arguments in C
• Advanced control structures: do-while, goto

Key Concepts to be covered in class:

• Programming concepts and the C programming language
• Basic syntax and structure of C programs
• Data types, variables, and expressions in C
• Input and output operations in C
• Control structures in C
• Functions and their importance in programming
• Arrays and their use in programming
• Pointers and their uses in C
• String manipulation functions in C
• Structures and their use in C
• File input/output operations in C
• Dynamic memory allocation and its importance in programming
• Bitwise operators and their uses in programming
• Enumeration and typedef in C
• Preprocessor directives and their use in programming
• Command-line arguments in C
• Advanced control structures in C

Recommended Coverage: Due to limited contact hours, a recommended approach is to cover the first six chapters in the first half of the semester and the remaining chapters in the second half of the semester. This will provide students with a solid foundation in programming concepts and the C programming language, and also give them exposure to more advanced topics in C programming.