Last updated: 17 Oct 2026
What this module is about
CI401 teaches you to write computer programs in Java. It starts from the very beginning.
Week by week you learn how to make choices and repeat things in code, how to store data, how to build programs out of objects, how to make programs with windows and buttons, and how to test and explain your code. The full list is in the weekly roadmap.
There is one piece of coursework at the end. It is worth 100% of the module. See Assessment at a glance.
Learning outcomes (LO1–LO6) in plain words
| LO | What the module says | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| LO1 | Use sequence, selection and iteration to develop simple applications. | Write small programs that run steps in order (sequence), make choices with if or switch (selection), and repeat things with loops (iteration). |
| LO2 | Utilise a variety of data types and collections. | Use different kinds of data. A data type is the kind of value something is, such as a whole number or some text. A collection holds many values together, a bit like a Python list. |
| LO3 | Design and develop simple programs, including detection and correction of errors in both logic and syntax. | Plan and build small programs, and find and fix mistakes. A syntax error is a spelling or grammar mistake in the code, so it will not run. A logic error means the code runs but gives the wrong answer. |
| LO4 | Test and debug simple programs. | Check that your program works (testing) and track down and fix the cause when it does not (debugging). |
| LO5 | Demonstrate a practical understanding of Object-Oriented programming techniques. | Show you can use object-oriented programming (OOP). OOP is a way of building a program from “objects”. Each object bundles some data with the actions that work on that data. It starts in Week 4. |
| LO6 | Provide documentation for programs including comments in code and simple technical descriptions. | Explain your code. That means comments inside the code, plus short written descriptions of how it works. This is called documentation. |
Module leader
Note about the email. The assessment brief spells this address j.shan@brignton.ac.uk (“brignton”). That looks like a typo for “brighton”, so this page shows j.shan@brighton.ac.uk.
The Welcome / Module Contacts page on Student Central has not been filled in yet. This page will be updated when it is.
Weekly roadmap
This is the plan for each teaching week, taken from the CI401 Module Roadmap 2026. The date is the Monday the week begins.
The roadmap says it “may be adjusted slightly as the semester progresses to fit learning pace and class needs.”
| Week | Week begins | Topic |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mon 5 Oct 2026 | Getting Started with Java Module & assessment overview · Loop – repetition with enhanced for-loops · Making choices: if-else, switch-case |
| 2 | Mon 12 Oct 2026 | Talking to Programs Input with Scanner · Repetition with the while loops |
| 3 | Mon 19 Oct 2026 | Building Blocks of Java Variables & Expressions · For and do-while loops |
| 4 | Mon 26 Oct 2026 | Collections Begin & First Steps into OOP Java types · Intro to ArrayList (continued in Week 6) · Objects and Classes – First Steps into OOP |
| 5 | Mon 2 Nov 2026 | Working with Objects and Getting Code Organized Methods · Variable scope · Intro to linking classes together (continued in Week 6) |
| 6 | Mon 9 Nov 2026 | Consolidation & New Concepts of OOP Consolidating Week 4: ArrayList · Consolidating Week 5: Linking classes · Inheritance and polymorphism |
| 7 | Mon 16 Nov 2026 | Safer Code with Encapsulation + Event-Driven GUIs in JavaFX Visibility & encapsulation · GUI and event-driven programming with JavaFX |
| 8 | Mon 23 Nov 2026 | Assessment Focus Coursework briefing: marking scheme, submission, starter projects |
| 9 | Mon 30 Nov 2026 | GUI Expansion & Bringing Programs to Life More JavaFX components (ImageView, Canvas, Pane) · Simple animation in JavaFX |
| 10 | Mon 7 Dec 2026 | Making Your Code Understandable and Robust Documenting Your Code · Testing and JUnit |
| 11 | Mon 14 Dec 2026 | Data & Collections Collections and maps · Input/output and files |
| – | Mon 21 Dec 2026 | Christmas Vacation |
| – | Mon 28 Dec 2026 | (Christmas Vacation) |
| – | Mon 4 Jan 2027 | (Christmas Vacation) |
| 12 | Mon 11 Jan 2027 | Bringing It Together PartyPlanner: applying collections, maps, files, and GUI in practice |
| 13 | Mon 18 Jan 2027 | Revision / CW Assessment week (coursework due Fri 22 Jan 2027, 14:00) |
| 14 | Mon 25 Jan 2027 | Semester 1 Exams |
| 15 | Mon 1 Feb 2027 | Semester 1 Exams |
“CW” means coursework. A GUI (graphical user interface) is a program with windows, buttons and pictures instead of just text. JavaFX is the Java toolkit used to build them.
Lab times
A lab is a practical class where you write code on a computer with staff around to help.
From the announcement of 2 Oct 2026:
- Monday groups 1 & 2: labs started in Week 2. Monday, 11:00–13:00.
- Tuesday groups 3 & 4: labs ran as normal from Week 1.
Check your own timetable to see which group you are in and the Tuesday times. The announcement does not list them.
Assessment at a glance
You hand in a project ZIP with your code and its Javadoc, plus a technical report (PDF or Word). Starter projects and full guidance arrive around Week 8.
Read the full coursework page →
“Working days” means weekdays (Monday to Friday), not weekends.
How marks come back
- Your mark is provisional at first. That means it is not final yet and could still change.
- It becomes final after the exam board. This is a meeting where university staff check and confirm everyone’s marks.
- Your final grades appear on StudentView, the university website that shows your official results: studentview.brighton.ac.uk.
To see how to check a mark on Student Central, read Checking marks.
Lecture recordings (Panopto)
Panopto is the website where recorded lectures are kept. You can watch them again at any time.
- Open the CI401 course on Student Central.
- Go to Content → Panopto Video Folder.
Week 1 warning. The 2026 Week 1 recording has no sound. Watch the 2025 Week 1 recording instead.
You can also go straight to Panopto. The university’s rules on recordings are in the lecture capture policy.
Reading List and Subject Guides
The module’s Reading List (recommended books and articles) and the Subject Guides (library help for your subject) are linked inside the CI401 Student Central course. Look for them there.
Surveys and dates
The university asks for your views a few times a year. Filling these in helps improve the module.
| Survey | When it runs |
|---|---|
| Checking In With You | 19–28 Oct 2026 |
| Module Evaluation | 7 Dec 2026 – 24 Jan 2027, and March – 30 May 2027 |
More about these: Module check-in · Student voice.
Where to get help
servicedesk@brighton.ac.uk
Phone: 01273 644444
servicedesk.brighton.ac.uk
skillshub@brighton.ac.uk
Useful links
- Student Central course – the module’s official online page: slides, lab files, announcements, recordings and (later) the submission point.
- Panopto – the website where lecture recordings are stored.
- StudentView – where your final, confirmed grades appear.
- Curriculum repository – the university’s official descriptions of modules and courses.
- Lecture capture policy – the rules about how lectures are recorded and how you may use the recordings.
- Service desk – get IT help or report a computer or login problem.
- Checking In With You survey – a short survey asking how you are getting on (open 19–28 Oct 2026).
- Module check-in – information about giving feedback on how a module is going.
- Student voice – ways you can share your views with the university.
- Avoiding plagiarism – how to use other people’s work properly and not pass it off as your own.
- Course issues and extensions – what to do if something goes wrong, including asking for more time.
- Learning Support Plans – support arrangements for students with a disability or learning difference.
- How e-submission works – step-by-step help on handing in work online.
- Checking marks – how to find your marks and feedback after marking.
- University GenAI policy – the university’s rules on using AI tools like chatbots in your work.
- CI401 Coursework – this site’s page explaining the coursework brief.