Unit 2: Computer Programming

Unit Aim
The unit aims to help learners to understand the differences and similarities between different programming languages, the advantages conferred by object-orientated programming and how to leverage programs to solve problems.

Unit Overview
It is designed for those seeking to develop a career in computing and information systems. It equips learners with the knowledge and skills required to understand the fundamentals of data structures and algorithms, giving a thorough introduction into different programming languages, their suitability for different tasks, and the reasons why one language might be chosen over another. This unit will also help learners to understand object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts.

Learning Outcomes
After successfully completing this unit, the learner will:
1. Evaluate common programming languages
2. Apply common data types, data structures, and algorithms to problem solving
3. Analyse the process of source code compilation and machine code execution
4. Apply code tracing methods to determine the output of a function for a given input
5. Analyse the advantages of object-orientated programming