Unit 1: Object-Oriented Programming Fundamentals

Unit Overview

This unit introduces and reviews objects and related terminology. Object-oriented programming involves many keywords, such as class, instance, object, information hiding, and encapsulation, to name just a few. These keywords describe some very important concepts in object-oriented programming. This unit provides a good overview of these keywords so that you can begin to incorporate them into your thought processes. Soon you will be incorporating them into your programming.

Learning Outcomes

After completing this unit, you should be able to

1. describe the basics of object-oriented programming with Java;
2. explain the common definitions of objects;
3. discuss the benefits of object-based systems;
4. explain the meaning of object, method, class, request, object behaviour, servant, and other terms related to objects.

Learning Activities

1. Read the Learning Notes and follow the links to read the recommended online materials.
2. Read the Review Questions and use the discussion board of this course to
   1. answer any two of the review questions;
   2. share any useful information about the supplemental reading materials that you have read;
   3. comment on another student’s response to the review questions;
   4. answer any questions posed to you.
3. Complete the Unit Exercises and share the experience with your peers on the discussion board. [Note: Do not post assignment-relevant pseudocodes or source codes at any time; however, you can post your thoughts, ideas, and problem-solving steps.]
4. To start the Self-Assessment Activity, go to MEGA World and select Play Now to register an account. Choose for your avatar to be born at East Gate (in Midora City). Before you begin the game, you are encouraged to select the User Guide to learn the basics of navigating and playing MEGA World.
   1. In the Self-Assessment Activity discussion, do not ask for answers to the quests you accept from non-player characters (NPCs). Do post if you encounter any bugs.
   2. You will see quests at different difficulty levels, and they may be based on the content in different units. You may come back to MEGA World at the end of other units.

Learning Notes

Read the following recommended online materials:

1. Aleksy, M., Korthaus, A., & Schader, M. (2005). Object-Oriented Paradigm. In Implementing Distributed Systems with Java and CORBA (pp. 6–8). Berlin: Springer.
   1. Read Section 2.1: Object-Oriented Paradigm.
2. Garrido, J. M. (2009). Object Orientation. In Object Oriented Simulation: A Modeling and Programming Perspective (pp. 51–58). New York, NY: Springer.
   1. Read Chapter 5: Object Orientation.
3. Poo, D., Kiong, D., & Ashok, S. (2008). Object-Oriented Programming and Java (2nd ed.). London: Springer-Verlag.
   1. Read Chapter 1: Introduction (pp. 1–5).
   2. Read Chapter 2: Object, Class, Message and Method (pp. 7–15).