M206 Computing: An Object Orientated Approach - Introduction

The Open University Course M206 Computing: An Object Orientated Approach will teach you how to understand and design solutions to computing problems. M206 also teaches electronic computer conferencing if you have not used this method before, it uses the OU's FirstClass conferencing system to work in groups using electronic conferencing. You learn the important principles of human-computer interaction and the importance of network computing. The course is a fairly gentle way to get into computer programming learning the skills necessary for constructing software, though there is nothing too complex in this course. The M206 course makes use of print, computer, television, CD-ROM, internet to get the information across. M206 contains a lot of practical work as you learn programming skills using the object-oriented language Smalltalk.

The M206 course uses the object-oriented view of software development, which basically means that each part of the software is considered an object and the completed software is a collection of objects that interact by sending messages to each other and reacting to the answers to the messages (senders and receivers).

I studied M206 during the 1999 presentation of this course and enjoyed it. The one thing that sticks in my mind is programming those damn Frogs and Toads to do various things on the screen. I found that I spent more than the suggested time on this course especially around TMA time but then that seems to be the norm for me.

The M206 course itself deals with Object-orientated programming using the Smalltalk language, the second part of the course has been changed since I took it and it now introduces Unified Modeling Language UML and since this is used in M301 it is an ideal way to prepare for M301 which uses Java.

Advice

As soon as your course materials arrive load the software onto your computer as soon as possible and make sure it works. People do have problems with course software so it is best to find out quickly if your are going to be one of these, contact the help desk initially if you have problems - luckily it is on a minority that do. Once the software is installed work through the setting up booklet and make sure you don't have any problems. You will need to work through all of the exercises in the course book - it does help with the TMA's and the year I did M206 several of the questions couldn't be completed without doing the exercises.

Get ahead with your studies as soon as you can (I know that;s easier said than done) but it will pay dividends later if you come to a part of the course that causes problems for whatever reason.

Also on the Site

Also on the site are my complete TMA's TMA1, TMA2, TMA3, TMA4, TMA5, TMA6, TMA7. However there may be the odd error in them as I had to scan all of them not having them in electronic format anymore, note TMA4 there is no content as this TMA has been completely lost.

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