The computer environment

Presentation & objectives

The objective of session 1 is to introduce the computer science teaching unit. It is a mandatory first step to students discovering these fields, and also a useful reminder for the others to ensure we all use the same terminology.

At the end of this first session you should understand the components of your computer, and be able to use a terminal to run commands.

Before the class

Technical requirements

To be able to start working on the activity, you should meet the following requirements:

• Please bring your own computer.
• Make sure to have a functional network connection.

During the class

Knowledge acquisition

To be able to start the practical activity efficiently, we will introduce some needed concepts during the first class. To save you some time, we will present you a few slides, that you can find hereafter:

• Slides of the session.

These slides only cover the main elements of the course, and many more details are given in the associated articles. Thus, you should study the following articles at home after the session:

• What is a computer?
• The operating system.
• The terminal.

You can verify your understanding of these articles here:

• Self-assessment quiz.

Practical activity

The second class is dedicated to a practical activity. When ready, click on the link below to start:

• Practical activity.

After the class

Complete the current session

Before the next session, you should:

• Review the contents of the articles above.
• Complete the non-optional parts of the practical activity.

Prepare the next session

Also, you should:

• Check the “Before the class” section of the next session, and make sure you do everything required to prepare it.