This course is designed for students with a wide range of programming backgrounds. Students in this course may include people who have taken Athabasca University's introductory programming and data structures in C++, as well as students from other colleges and universities who have taken an introductory programming course in any language other than Java.
COMP 501 covers most of the important core packages of Java programming; however, we cannot cover all of Java in depth in a single course. Those areas that are not covered in great depth in this course are generally core elements of other courses. For example, the material on programming in a server environment (networking, distributed systems, enterprise beans, servlets, JSP) is limited. These topics are covered in detail in other courses; e.g., Multiagent Systems and Advanced Distributed Computing.
After completing COMP 501, you will be expected to program at a competent and independent level in Java and be able to adopt new packages and classes as required. Other courses in the MSc IS curriculum depend on these skills. In other words, students may come into COMP 501 with different levels of Java expertise, but all are expected to leave as competent Java programmers.
You are students in a university graduate program, and a great deal is expected of you. As you are here, you must have already demonstrated your capabilities and should now be looking forward to success in your program, as well as in your courses. The Introduction provides you with essential information that will help you succeed in this course.
Updated July 27 2020 by FST Course Production Staff