2023/24 Undergraduate Module Catalogue
XJFY0400 Scientific Problem Solving
20 creditsClass Size: 999
Module manager: Costas Loizou
Email: C.Loizou@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2023/24
Co-requisites
| XJFY0100 | English for Engineering |
| XJFY0215 | Physics |
| XJFY0315 | Mathematics |
This module is mutually exclusive with
| XJFY0500 | Chemistry |
This module is not approved as a discovery module
Module summary
To develop awareness of the theoretical and practical skills needed for the design of experiments and of the principles of computational thinking, through the medium of English.Objectives
The module aims to enable the students to:- Develop an ability to understand and communicate in spoken and written English on scientific topics, particularly related to computing, engineering and experimentation.
- Use online tools available to University of Leeds students, to complete online tasks, give peer feedback and work as part of a team.
- Move towards an autonomous learning style with an ability to work independently and in a group situation to conduct a scientific experiment in person and in a remote online setting.
- Increase the awareness and develop the skills needed to carry out experiments.
- Develop a creative way of thinking that would be useful for programming and scientific problem solving in engineering disciplines.
- Introduce an approach to computational thinking and demonstrate a broad understanding of its concepts and techniques.
Learning outcomes
On completion of the module, the students will be able to:
1. Identify key issues when designing an experiment and reflect on its results.
2. Illustrate simple data analysis, data visualisation techniques and presentation of data in a clear and succinct way.
3. Express physical problems in a computational setting.
4. Implement core principles of computational thinking to obtain appropriate solutions of problems in a well-defined context.
Skills outcomes
On completing this module, students are expected to be able to:
1. Use the language of experimentation and computational thinking appropriately.
2. Perform simple laboratory experiments.
3. Work in a physics laboratory environment.
4. Write simple lab reports effectively.
5. Use digital resources to support their learning efficiently.
6. Understand and communicate on the module topics effectively in English.
Syllabus
Unit: Experimental Skills
1. Types of experiments
2. Experimental design
3. Experimental measurements and uncertainty
4. Error and statistical analysis
5. Data visualisation
6. Lab experiments
Unit: Computational Thinking
1. Introduction to Computational thinking
2. Logical and algorithmic thinking
3. Problem-solving techniques
4. Algorithms
5. Practical remote experiment putting computational thinking approach into practice (e.g. ReLOAD)
Teaching methods
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
| Lecture | 32 | 1.00 | 32.00 |
| Practical | 1 | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Practical | 2 | 3.00 | 6.00 |
| Seminar | 8 | 2.00 | 16.00 |
| Independent online learning hours | 46.00 | ||
| Private study hours | 96.00 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 58.00 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200.00 | ||
Private study
96Opportunities for Formative Feedback
- Independent online learning activities- Lecture attendance and participation in active learning
- Participation in workshops
- Experimental laboratory reports
- Peer feedback through tools such as Buddycheck
Methods of assessment
Coursework
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
| Practical | Assessment of Lab 1 | 15.00 |
| Practical | Assessment of Lab 2 | 15.00 |
| Practical | Practical Remote Experiment (eg. using ReLOAD) | 30.00 |
| Self/Peer Assessment | Reflection/Feedback on independent online learning activities | 5.00 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 65.00 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Exams
| Exam type | Exam duration | % of formal assessment |
| Online MCQ | 1 hr 00 mins | 15.00 |
| Online MCQ | 1 hr 00 mins | 20.00 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Exams) | 35.00 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Reading list
There is no reading list for this moduleLast updated: 14/07/2023
Browse Other Catalogues
- Undergraduate module catalogue
- Taught Postgraduate module catalogue
- Undergraduate programme catalogue
- Taught Postgraduate programme catalogue
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