CourseCYB404

Week1 of 16

SemesterII

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This week’s topics

Data structures: arrays, lists, stacks, queues, sets and dictionaries

Data structures: arrays, lists and linked lists, stacks, queues, sets, dictionaries
Graphs and trees

What you will be able to do

1.1 Describe a data structure.
1.2 Explain a range of linear and non-linear data structures.

Activity

Start with this week’s 4 videos, then: Seminar, guided reading and a short written task: describe a data structure.

Study materials

Videos

Arrays and lists · Oak National Academy, Key Stage 4 (GCSE level) · for registered students
Records and dictionaries · Oak National Academy, Key Stage 4 (GCSE level) · for registered students
Python lists, sets, and tuples explained 🍍 · YouTube · Bro Code · 15 min · for registered students
Python: Data Structures - Lists, Tuples, Sets & Dictionaries tutorial · YouTube · Programming and Math Tutorials · 19 min · for registered students

Further resources

Introduction to Computer Science, 3.1: Data Structures and Algorithms · PDF · OpenStax Introduction to Computer Science (2024), 3.1: what an algorithm is and how algorithms are described, pp. 89–96 · for registered students
Introduction to Python Programming, ch. 9: Lists · PDF · OpenStax Introduction to Python Programming (2024), ch. 9: modifying, iterating, sorting and nesting lists, pp. 211–225 · for registered students
Introduction to Python Programming, ch. 10: Dictionaries · PDF · OpenStax Introduction to Python Programming (2024), ch. 10: creating dictionaries, dictionary operations and looping over them, pp. 227–247 · for registered students
Think Python, ch. 12: Tuples · PDF · Downey, Think Python 2e (Green Tea Press), ch. 12: tuples, tuple assignment, and lists of tuples with dictionaries, pp. 115–124 · for registered students
Analysis of student misconceptions using Python as an introductory programming language · Open-access article · Johnson et al. (2020), Computing Education Practice (CEP '20), ACM. Shows how Python lists behave with +, += and references, a common trap. · for registered students

Materials marked “for registered students” open in the student portal, which is set up as soon as you receive final acceptance.

Week 2

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Course plan

Week 1: Data structures: arrays, lists, stacks, queues, sets and di…
Week 2: Choosing data structures, with a Python refresher
Week 3: Measuring complexity: Big O notation
Week 4: Problem classes: computability and Turing machines, P and N…
Week 5: Recursion and memoisation (e.g. Tower of Hanoi); the memory…
Week 6: Algorithmic paradigms: divide and conquer, backtracking, gr…
Week 7: Sort, search and pathfinding algorithms compared by time an…
Midterm: Midterm evaluation
Week 9: Writing pseudocode as a universal template for algorithms
Week 10: Checking algorithms are correct: tracing, testing and timing
Week 11: Debugging and testing implementations; review and practice …
Week 12: Applying Algorithms and Data Structures in practice: case s…
Week 13: Assignment workshop: research, planning and referencing
Week 14: Assignment workshop: drafting, feedback and improvement
Week 15: Review and coursework completion
Final: Final assessment and submission

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