Module Information
Course Delivery
Assessment
Due to Covid-19 students should refer to the module Blackboard pages for assessment details
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Exam | 24 Hours Take-home paper (24 hour online exam) | 20% |
| Semester Assessment | 50 Hours Programming Assignment | 60% |
| Semester Assessment | 8 Hours 10 assessed quizzes (best 8 from 10) | 20% |
| Supplementary Exam | 24 Hours 24 hour online exam Students must resit failed examination and/or resubmission of failed/non-submitted coursework components or ones of equivalent value. | 40% |
| Supplementary Assessment | 50 Hours Assignment Students must resit failed examination and/or resubmission of failed/non-submitted coursework components or ones of equivalent value. | 60% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Compare, critically evaluate and discuss different options for implementation and deployment of a mobile app idea.
2. Design, implement and evaluate the human user interface of a mobile application against manufacturers’ guidelines and current best practice.
3. Select and apply relevant design patterns in mobile app implementation.
4. Build and test mobile applications for either iOS or Android, using appropriate language features.
5. Build Android apps that function as part of a larger distributed architecture.
Aims
Mobile phones and tablets have become the most numerous form of computer, and the most frequently used. Designing for such a small device involves a range of skills that students do not often exercise in other contexts. This module will explore the techniques and design choices involved in building apps, and give concrete experience of doing so for one of the main phone app development environments.
Brief description
The module will explore the different ways in which people are using handheld devices such as phones and tablets, and the larger systems those devices are part of. The module will cover types of devices and users, the importance of user interface issues, the different kinds of trade-offs that are made when building for mobile devices, and techniques for building an app as part of a distributed system. It will ground these issues in the practical development of Android apps built using Kotlin.
Content
Scope of mobile systems, mobile web, native apps, design choices, main platforms, overview of implications.
2. Software Engineering for mobile
Relevant design patterns, platform design considerations, handling data, handling device variation, using sensors and location.
3.User interfaces for mobile
Developing your ideas, getting the interface right, appropriate user interface guidelines. Accessibility.
4. Kotlin’s role in Android. An introduction to Kotlin. The Android Kotlin class library.
5. Building and debugging in Android Studio. Finding solutions to problems. Android application architecture. UI elements, views and Activity lifecycle. Data and its display: components for displaying data lists, files, preferences, object-relational mapping and SQLite. Threading for responsiveness. Intents for sharing functionality. Security using permissions. Dealing with multiple screen resolutions and sizes including the use of fragments. Services and working with the web. Testing.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | Inherent to the module. |
| Communication | Program produced must be understandable. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Continuous examples of what is being learnt enable self-evaluation. |
| Information Technology | Inherent to the module. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Experience of module will enhance students' career prospects, |
| Problem solving | Inherent to the module. |
| Research skills | Need to find information on how to address specific programming challenges. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Module focuses on useful subject specific skills. |
| Team work | None. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6