SDPD 1 — Software Design and Program Development
COMP06003 · ATU Galway · 2026–27
Welcome to SDPD 1
A first-year undergraduate Java course that gets you designing solutions before you write them. We learn algorithms first, then code that’s readable, testable and honest about what it does — like an experienced developer is sitting beside you.
What you’ll find here
- Weekly pages — for every teaching week, an overview of what we’re covering plus a separate index of the three labs
- Lab pages — step-by-step, copy-pastable, with progress checkboxes and reveal-on-click hints. 63 of them across the year
- Self-check MCQs — embedded in every weekly page so you can test yourself before lectures and after labs
- Assessments — what counts toward your grade, when, how, and what the grader looks for
- My progress — a personal dashboard of what you’ve read, which labs you’ve completed, and your best self-check scores
Schedule
Two semesters, 13 numbered weeks each. Sem 1 has an unnumbered reading week between W6 and W7 (Mon 26 Oct – Fri 30 Oct). Sem 2 has a 2-week Easter break between W9 and W10 (Mon 22 Mar – Fri 2 Apr). Weeks 7 and 13 of both semesters are lab-exam weeks (no labs, no lectures). The optional MCQ 5 sits at the end of Sem 2 Week 13.
Week
Lectures
Labs
Notes
Semester 1 — Mon 14 Sep 2026 → Sun 13 Dec 2026
S1 W1Mon 14 Sep
3 hrs (lighter — intro)
3 × 2-hr labs
Welcome / setup
S1 W2Mon 21 Sep
3 lecture hours
3 × 2-hr labs
S1 W3Mon 28 Sep
3 lecture hours
3 × 2-hr labs
S1 W4Mon 5 Oct
3 lecture hours
3 × 2-hr labs
S1 W5Mon 12 Oct
3 lecture hours
3 × 2-hr labs
S1 W6Mon 19 Oct
3 hrs (revision-themed)
3 × 2-hr labs
MCQ 1 by Fri 23 Oct
Reading
Reading week — Mon 26 Oct → Fri 30 Oct 2026 (unnumbered · no contact · absorbs Mon 26 Oct Bank Holiday)
S1 W7Mon 2 Nov
Lab Exam 1 (10%) — no labs, no lectures
S1 W8Mon 9 Nov
3 lecture hours
3 × 2-hr labs
S1 W9Mon 16 Nov
3 lecture hours
3 × 2-hr labs
S1 W10Mon 23 Nov
3 lecture hours
3 × 2-hr labs
S1 W11Mon 30 Nov
3 lecture hours
3 × 2-hr labs
S1 W12Mon 7 Dec
3 lecture hours
3 × 2-hr labs
MCQ 2 by Fri 11 Dec
S1 W13Mon 14 Dec
Lab Exam 2 (10%) — no labs, no lectures
Break
Christmas break — Mon 21 Dec 2026 → Sun 17 Jan 2027 (4 weeks)
Semester 2 — Mon 18 Jan 2027 → Sun 2 May 2027
S2 W1Mon 18 Jan
3 lecture hours
3 × 2-hr labs
Back from Christmas
S2 W2Mon 25 Jan
3 lecture hours
3 × 2-hr labs
S2 W3Mon 1 Feb ⚠
3 lecture hours
3 × 2-hr labs
Bank-holiday clash on Mon
S2 W4Mon 8 Feb
3 lecture hours
3 × 2-hr labs
S2 W5Mon 15 Feb
3 lecture hours
3 × 2-hr labs
S2 W6Mon 22 Feb
3 hrs (revision-themed)
3 × 2-hr labs
MCQ 3 by Fri 26 Feb
S2 W7Mon 1 Mar
Lab Exam 3 (20%) — no labs, no lectures
S2 W8Mon 8 Mar
3 lecture hours
3 × 2-hr labs
S2 W9Mon 15 Mar ⚠
3 lecture hours
3 × 2-hr labs
Bank-holiday clash on Wed
Break
Easter break — Mon 22 Mar 2027 → Fri 2 Apr 2027 (2 weeks, no contact · includes Easter Monday 29 Mar)
S2 W10Mon 5 Apr
3 lecture hours
3 × 2-hr labs
Resumes post-Easter
S2 W11Mon 12 Apr
3 lecture hours
3 × 2-hr labs
S2 W12Mon 19 Apr
3 lecture hours
3 × 2-hr labs
MCQ 4 by Fri 23 Apr
S2 W13Mon 26 Apr
Lab Exam 4 (20%) · optional MCQ 5 same week — no labs, no lectures
At a glance
| Module code | COMP06003 |
| Level / credits | NFQ 6 · 20 ECTS · full-stage |
| Cadence | 3 lecture hours + 3 × 2-hr labs per week |
| Assessment | Lab Exams (Sem 1: 10% each · Sem 2: 20% each) · 5 × MCQs best 4 of 5 count (30% total) · 10 × Micro-assessments Sem 2 only (1% each, 10% total) |
| Lecturer | Mike Duignan · michael.duignan@atu.ie |
| First delivery | Monday 14 September 2026 |