Learning objectives
The course has the aim of guiding the student towards the following objectives:
D1 - KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
- to know and understand the theoretical basics, the lexicon and the main instruments of modern computer science
- to know the structure of a computer and of a telecommunication network
- to know binary arithmetic
- to konow how to structure and formalize the solution procedure of any problem, both simple and complex
D2 - APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
- to be able to use in a competent way computer science in the context of veterinary sciences.
- to be able to use autonomously spreadsheets to create simple graphs and simple elaborations of data.
- to be able to perform bibliographic researches in the main databases concerning veterinary sciences.
D3 - MAKING JUDGMENTS
- to be able to use the knowledge and understanding of the course topics to solve simple problems, autonomously evaluating the better solution for the problem itself.
- to be able to analyze quantitative data and to control research hypotheses through simple statistical analyses.
D4 - COMMUNICATION SKILLS
- to be able to communicate in a competent way when sepaking about information technologies or about tools for the analysis and elaboration of data
Prerequisites
None
Course unit content
1. Introduction
2. Problems, algorithms and programs
3. Problem solving formalization
4. Flow charts
5. Computer architecture
6. Operating Systems
7. Software and applications
8. Computer networks and the World Wide Web
9. Multimedia
10. Pubmed
Full programme
INTRODUCTION
The terminology of computer science. Types of computer systems.
PROBLEM, ALGORITHM AND PROGRAM
Definition of proper terms and of the differences among the concepts.
FORMALIZATION
Various degrees of formalization of the solution to a certain problem.
FLOW CHARTS
Exercises
COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE
The components of a processing system. Principle of the stored program. Instruction interpretation process. Memory hierarchy. Representation of numerical, alphanumeric and symbolic information.
OPERATING SYSTEMS
Types of Operating Systems. CPU Management. Main memory management. Management of peripheral input-output devices . File Management.
SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS
Algorithms and flowcharts. The general architecture of software applications.
Spreadsheets and their functions for the management, processing and visualization of data. Simple applications of the spreadsheet.
COMPUTER NETWORKS AND THE WEB
Introduction to computer networks. Internet: structure and protocols. Network Services. Search engines. Advanced information search functions .
Security issues in computer systems.
MULTIMEDIA
The representation of multimedia information. Handling of pictures, movies and sounds.
PUBMED
Bibliographic databases of veterinary interest.
Bibliography
Fluency - Conoscere e usare l'informatica (VI Ed.)
by L. Snyder e A. Amoroso; Pearson Education
Teaching methods
The course consists of 35 hours of classes, mostly dedicated to illustrating the course theoretical subjects. Some hours of the course will be dedicated to guided practical exercises carried out in the classroom using the students' own laptops, to provide them with practical knowledge of the most common software applications.
Assessment methods and criteria
Written test including open questions, multiple-choice questions and practical exercises.
The final grade (from 0 to 32-36) is given by the sum of the grades assigned to each question.
The test is passed with a score of 18 or higher.
A student who has obtained the ECDL certificate for all the subjects of the course will be exempted from taking the test.
Other information
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