Course syllabus for Introduction to programming and AI

Course syllabus adopted 2025-02-19 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameIntroduktion till programmering och AI
  • CodeMMS320
  • Credits7.5 Credits
  • OwnerTKMSK
  • Education cycleFirst-cycle
  • Main field of studyComputer Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics
  • DepartmentMECHANICS AND MARITIME SCIENCES
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language Swedish
  • Application code 44118
  • Open for exchange studentsNo
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0125 Written and oral assignments 1.5 c
Grading: UG		1.5 c
0225 Examination 2.5 c
Grading: TH		2.5 c
0325 Written and oral assignments 3.5 c
Grading: UG		 3.5 c

In programmes

Examiner

Information missingGo to coursepage (Opens in new tab)

Eligibility

General entry requirements for bachelor's level (first cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

The same as for the programme that owns the course.
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites

No formal prerequisites.

Aim

The course aims to introduce programming, algorithmic thinking, and artificial intelligence for engineering applications. After completion of the course, the student should be able to use a computer to solve and analyze elementary engineering problems. The skills acquired should cover basic programming, data manipulation, implementation of algorithms, and application of AI tools.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

  • Use the computer as a tool to solve and numerically analyze engineering problems
  • Develop own programs from problem descriptions
  • Interpret and extend existing programs
  • Recognize the benefits and limitations of artificial intelligence, including its ethical and societal implications
  • Apply AI tools and algorithms to solve elementary engineering problems, demonstrating enhanced algorithmic thinking and computational skills

Content

The course comprises the following elements:
  • Programming is presented as a combination of up two five components: input, output, arithmetic, conditional execution, and repetition. The teaching contains information on basic definitions and concepts, variables/data types, if-while-for, functions, plotting, printout to screen, algorithms, write to/read from file, efficiency and style, numerics, error messages and debugging, and visualization.
  • Special emphasis is placed on algorithmic thinking, which represents an important foundation for both programming and engineering problem-solving in general.
  • An overview of artificial intelligence as a field is provided, highlighting its goals, history, and key concepts, including knowledge representation, reasoning, search algorithms, and machine learning. Special emphasis is placed on data manipulation and planning.
  • An insight into the inner workings of Deep Learning-based tools is provided, including Generative AI models and Large Language Models. Practical examples showcase their applications in engineering contexts. The sessions emphasize the capabilities and limitations of these tools, as well as the ethical considerations surrounding their use.

Organisation

The teaching consists of lectures, exercises in small groups and supervision. To learn programming, it is absolutely necessary to develop and run programs oneself. Therefore, the mandatory assignments play a central role where the students are tasked with constructing their own programs.

Literature

"Python från början" by Jan Skansholm, 2nd Edition, Studentlitteratur 2024

Examination including compulsory elements

During the course, an individual exam is given at the computer, where the student's ability to construct and understand simple programs is documented. At the exam, graded grades are given which constitute the final grade for the course. For an approved course, it is also required that the mandatory submissions have been submitted and approved. For the assignment modules, only pass and fail grades are given.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers about disability study support.