Open source development tools
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| 3 Interactive computer-marked assignments (iCMAs) | |
| End-of-course assessment | No residential school |
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This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees may vary by country.
Summary
This twelve-week course is the fifth of six that together make up the Certificate in Web Applications Development. The Open Source movement has had a significant and lasting impact on the way that software can be engineered, distributed and used. This course introduces its origins and aims, and its principles of software development and distribution. You’ll also examine the ‘distributed team’ nature of Open Source development and how versioning tools, such as CVS, can be used to help manage source. The course highlights the characteristics of Open Source components for use in web applications, and provides an appreciation of the development task through the creation of a Web application using APache, MySQL and PHP.
Course content
The course includes a DVD-ROM, which includes a range of Open Source software investigated and used in the course, and two further books covering the Open Source movement and Open Source versioning tools.
All the remaining supporting material is presented on a website to which only registered students have access. There is an online forum so that you can ask for help and advice on any aspect of the course.
By the end of the course you will be able to:
- describe the origins and main actors in the Open Source movement.
- discuss the issues and principles behind Open Source distribution and outline the different licensing terms that can be considered for distribution.
- explain the advantages and disadvantages of applying Open Source components as part of an application.
- describe a range of major Open Source projects.
- describe how Open Source is developed in a distributed fashion and the role of CVS.
- discuss reasons for the growth of PHP for WWW application development.
- apply PHP variables, flow control constructs, and functions to the creation of web pages.
- create PHP scripts to validate form data and create server-side response pages.
- create PHP scripts to process stateless transactions utilising Cookies and Session variables.
- combine these concepts and skills to construct a small web application using PHP.
Please note that the teaching material and assignments for this course are available from the course website three weeks before you need them. Therefore, if your circumstances do not allow you to study over the whole 12 weeks please think closely before registering for this course.
Entry
The course will appeal to a wide variety of people, for example:
- those who have already taken Web applications: design, development and management (TT280), The client side of application development (TT281), The server-side of application development (TT282) and Databases within website design (TT380), or
- those who have some experience of developing dynamic web pages using a scripting language, such as JavaScript or VBScript.
Although you are not prevented from registering for TT381 without any previous experience, we would not recommend this as you will need to have an understanding of the technicalities of this particular course. We therefore strongly recommend that you complete the preceding four courses (TT280, TT281, TT282, TT380) in the Certificate before starting this course. A student who fulfils the entry requirements should expect to devote 10 hours of study per week. Students with less experience will need more time.
TT381 is a Level 3 course and as such places certain academic requirements on its students. For example, you will need to be able to complete a 2000-word report at the end of the course, with little help or advice and construct arguments in support of critical judgements. If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service. We strongly advise against studying two or more courses at the same time.
Visit the dedicated website to learn more about the details of the Certificate in Web Applications Development.
Qualifications
TT381 is a compulsory course in our
The Certificate in Web Applications Development comprises of six courses. If you wish to complete all six courses in order to obtain the Certificate, you should be aware that this Programme is coming to an end and you should plan to include these courses in your study plan in the near future. See the qualification description for details.
TT381 is an optional course in our
It can also count towards most of our other degrees at bachelors level, where it is equally appropriate to a BA or BSc. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change. You should think carefully about fitting 10 points into a degree that consists mostly of 30-point and 60-point courses.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
The course requires extensive use of a computer, the internet and electronic communications. If you use special hardware or software you must, well before the course begins, find out whether it will work with the course software. The course materials are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. Large print versions of the course material can be provided on request. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklet Meeting Your Needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
Access to the course website and Web Certificate DVD-ROM containing specialist software and multiple web browsers. Downloadable software for taking part in a single/national online forum.
You will need
You should be prepared to spend significant amounts of time online (at least three hours a week). This may mean extra charges to your telephone bill unless you have a package which provides unlimited access to the internet.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave. Some of your course software will be provided on disk.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new Windows computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual. Please note that you cannot use an Apple Mac or Linux computer unless it is running windows Boot Camp or similar.
Teaching and assessment
Study support
The course is taught entirely online. You will not have an individual tutor, but you can use the online forum to ask for help and advice about any aspect of the course. The forum will be moderated by experienced tutors.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You must use the online eTMA system to submit your computer-marked assignments (CMAs). The written end-of-course assignment (ECA) must also be submitted electronically.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
We expect this course to be available twice a year, February and May.
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
About this page
An undergraduate course in Computing and ICT.
Study explained
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- Credit points
- - show how much study is required to complete a course or qualification. One credit point represents roughly 10 hours of study.
- Level
- - indicates how difficult a course is. Undergraduate study starts at Level 1.
- Financial support
- - find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.
- Study explained
- - all you need to know about studying with the OU.
Student Reviews
This course in my opinion is by far the best in the certificate. The first thing I noticed was that ...
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Although the subject matter was interesting the course presentation was severely flawed. For the May 2007 presentation the course text ...
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The writing out of the text book for this course was necessary as the book was becoming obsolete. Third party ...
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