Assessment Brief: Advanced Programming

Module Leader: Michael Meredith Level: 5

Module Name: Advanced Programming Module Code: 55-508225

Assignment Title: Smart Home System

Individual Task Weighting: 100% Magnitude: ~40 hours (notionally1)

Submission date/time: Blackboard submission: Yes Format: Single ZIP file containing C/C++
19th December 2024 / 3pm Turnitin submission: No Visual Studio 2022 project
Planned feedback date: Mode of feedback: Rubic and written
23rd January 2025
In this assessment are Inclusivity and accessability Not applicable
students asked to consider: Sustainability Not applicable

Module Learning Outcomes

 Describe, identify and apply good-practice object-oriented principles and concepts in a modern programming
language, such as C++, to implement object-oriented designs and encapsulate functionality associated with
classic computer science algorithms and data-structures

 Identify and apply appropriate facilities provided in standard libraries and design patterns in the development
of an application, including event-based and reactive programming.

 Identify and apply memory management principles and demonstrate the impact of resource allocation within
a program

Assessment Brief
The purpose of this assessment is for you to demonstrate and apply your learning from all aspects and topics
covered in the module; the more you demonstrate your knowledge from the module, the higher your grade will be,
and if you continue to demonstrate relevant knowledge beyond the materials covered, your grade will continue to
rise.

Smart Home System

Create a Smart Home System in C/C++ that allows you to manage a collection of smart devices using an object-
oriented approach. You application needs to support the following types of smart devices (required actions given in
brackets):

 Light (on/off, adjust brightness, sleep timer)

 Temperature & Humidity Sensor (live and historic data)
 Speaker (volume, play/stop)
 Heating Thermostat (on/off, schedule, heating boost2)
 Socket / Plugs (on/off, schedule, sleep timer, live and historic energy usage)
 Radiator valve (on/off, current temperature, schedule)

1
This will depend on your level of skill, experience, knowledge, and engagement in the module.
2
This would turn the heating on for just 1 hour
All devices should also have a user-editable device name that is unique across your system (case insensitive). Your
system needs to be able to handle zero or more of any of the above devices, in any combination, and unlimited in
number.

While you aren’t expected to interact with actual hardware smart devices (in fact, don’t do this even if you know
how), your application needs to demonstrate interactivity with the device features. For example, your application
knows the state of a light and when you interact with the on/off feature, it changes that state.

All devices should have a “Quick View” that shows at-a-glance relevant information and either no or a single “one-
click” action. For example, a Light might show the following based on its state:

Bedroom: 60% Brightness [switch off]

Bedroom: off [switch on]

A Temperature & Humidity Sensor might look like the following3 (note, the intended absence of a “one-click” action
as there isn’t one associated with this type of device):

Living Room: 21C / 62% humidity

To activate the “one click” action, you should just type the device name into your user prompt. It is up to you
whether you show that device again to demonstrate the state change or reshow the entire list of devices.

When you list all devices in your Smart Home System, you should show the Quick View for each device.

When your application starts, you need to load your collection of smart devices from a single file into objects in
memory that represent them. When your application ends, you should write that in-memory representation back to
a single file. While the programming is running, all operations must be done to the in-memory data and no disk/file
operations should be made until the program ends, at which point you will persist the data by writing it back to your
single file.

From the main user prompt, you need to offer sorting the devices by name, or by device type and then name. You
also need to be able to add a new device and select a particular device to interact with its full feature set. You will
be using a command-line interface to interact with your Smart Home System, and suggest the following menu
system that is shown at the end of the device list:

[device name]: Perform that device’s one-click action

1: List devices
2: Sort by name
3: Sort by device type (by name as secondary order)
4 [device name]: Select device to interact with it’s full feature set
5: Add device
9: Exit

You should present a similar and relevant menu system to the user upon selecting to interact with a device’s full
feature set (option 4 in the above example menu system). That sub-menu also needs to give the user the option to
delete that device / itself.

You should make your application as robust as possible against user input.

3
It is up to you to determine how to generate live and historic sensor data, but it must not be hard coded but stored in memory
and read and written to file as part of the application launch and terminate file operations
General Coding Tips and Comments
 Look over the topics we have covered in this module and think about how to demonstrate them in a
meaningful way through this coursework. The more you demonstrate back to us, the better your mark.
 Remember to use appropriate data types for variables, objects, and full encapsulation principles
 Sensibly clean up dynamic memory as soon as it is no longer needed
 Write good object-oriented code where algorithms that operate on data are put into the same class and
data members have as restrictive access as possible. A poor design is one where you have a class of data and
just get and set methods and the operations on those bits of data are done outside of the class
 You are expected to extract an inheritance-based class structure from this brief, which you can apply
polymorphic operations
 Use runtime type operators to help identify the subtype of an object in a collection of supertypes
 Try and sensibly use more advanced aspects of C/C++ such as function pointers and smart pointers, although
don’t neglect the basics
 Think about your code, use appropriate C/C++ constructs, and keep the implementation as simple as it
allows – code that is unnecessarily complex is harder to maintain, debug, and likely inefficient

Submission
Your assignment should be submitted electronically through the module Blackboard site as a single ZIP file that
contains your project and source code files (without version control, build or intellisense4 files).

Your last on-time attempt will be viewed and graded (as per university regulations).

The project submission must be in the form of a C/C++ Visual Studio 2022 project within the compressed ZIP file
and contain all files that allow the project to be opened, built, and run on a campus computer. Make sure that you
upload the correct files by checking what you have submitted by downloading it again from Blackboard and
opening the project from the unzip of the submission - mistakes discovered after the deadline cannot be corrected;
it is your responsibility to ensure that you submit the correct files by the deadline. You may be asked to provide a
walkthrough of your code during which you will need to discuss all aspects of the work you submitted before a grade
is awarded.

Assessment Criteria
The assessment for this task will be based on your ability to demonstrate what you have learnt in the module against
the implementation of this case study. If you submit a production-ready application but fail to demonstrate the
concepts learning covered in the module, you will get a poor grade but conversely, if you show a solid understanding
of the module learning through your code with only a partial solution, you will still be rewarded with a suitable
grade.

You will receive an overall grade for your work against that demonstration of module learning/teaching, that
corresponds to the grade characteristics provided in the Level 5 University Grade Descriptor at the end of this
document.

The areas of competencies that you should pay particular attention to include:

 Sensible code separation (use of class and functions), encapsulation, inheritance, and data validation
 Use of OO in C++ including, polymorphism, runtime type operators, operator overloading and general
language usage (and all other topics we cover in the module)
 Use of Standard Template Library
 Dynamic memory management and ownership without memory leaks

4
The intellisense files get large and stored in the hidden .vs folder in the root of the project folder – you can safely delete the .vs
folder with the project closed as that folder is recreated by visual studio when the project is opened next
  Clean concise code, good use of comments, spacing, constants, source files, naming and labelling and code
structure without unnecessary repetition

Avoiding Plagiarism
Looking for snippets of code on the internet and searching for materials that will help solve parts of a problem is part
of software development. If you do this, you must add a comment in your code stating:

 the URL for snippets of code that have heavily influenced your solution and
 a short summary of what you have taken / learnt to demonstrate you understand

You should not directly copy from the internet (or elsewhere), even once referenced; make the code your own.
There is no need to reference core learning that you apply to this task – for example, if you have learnt how to use
lambda expression and applied it here, that is fine.

This assessment is about you demonstrating your knowledge and understanding when it comes to programming and
not the internet’s, your friend’s, or Discord’s. If you try to pass off work as your own that isn’t, then an academic
conduct meeting will be arranged, and you’ll likely get zero marks. A second offense can lead to withdrawal from the
course, so please ask if you’re unsure.

Artificial Intelligence and Academic Integrity – AI&AI

It is important you do not use AI tools to generate an assignment and submit it as if it were your own work. Our
regulations state:

Contract cheating/concerns over authorship: This form of misconduct involves another person (or artificial
intelligence) creating the assignment which you then submit as your own. Examples of this sort of misconduct
include: buying an assignment from an ‘essay mill’/professional writer; submitting an assignment which you have
downloaded from a file-sharing site; acquiring an essay from another student or family member and submitting it as
your own; attempting to pass off work created by artificial intelligence as your own. These activities show a clear
intention to deceive the marker and are treated as misconduct.

Further guidance is available here: https://blogs.shu.ac.uk/assessment4students/preparing-to-submit-work/#AI

 University Grade Descriptor: Level 5 - Generic grade descriptor: relationship of degree classification and equivalent percentage
Mark
Class Category % General Characteristics
range
Exceptional breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding of the area of study, significantly beyond what has been taught in all areas; evidence of
extensive and appropriate selection and critical evaluation/synthesis/analysis and of reading/research beyond the prescribed range, in both breadth and depth, to
93 -
Exceptional 1st 96 advance work/direct arguments; excellent communication; performance beyond expectation. The ability to make decisions and carry out tasks/processes with
1st 100 autonomy; excellent leadership skills in group contexts; creative flair; extremely well-developed problem-solving skills; the ability to carry out sustained critical
reflection on practical work within the wider context of industry/workplace. Fully meets expectations set by the industry/employment context.
High 1st 85 - 92 89 Outstanding/excellent knowledge and understanding of the area of study as the student is typically able to go beyond what has been taught (particularly for a
mid/high 1st); evidence of extensive and appropriate selection and critical evaluation/synthesis/analysis of reading/research beyond the prescribed range, to
Mid 1st 78 - 84 81 advance work/direct arguments; excellent communication; performance deemed beyond expectation of the level. The ability to make decisions and carry out
1st
tasks/processes with autonomy; creative flair and the ability to (re)interpret predefined rules/conventions to select and justify individual working practice; highly
Low 1st 70 - 77 74 developed problem-solving skills; accuracy and fluency; excellent command of skills appropriate to the task; the ability to reflect critically on practical work
within the wider context of industry/workplace. Broadly meets expectations set by the industry/employment context.
High 2.1 67 - 69 68 Very good knowledge and understanding of the area of study as the student is typically able to relate facts/concepts together with some ability to apply to
known/taught contexts; evidence of appropriate selection and evaluation of reading/research, some beyond the prescribed range, may rely on set sources to
Mid 2.1 64 -66 65 advance work/direct arguments; demonstrates autonomy in approach to learning; strong communication skills. Broadly autonomous completion of practical
2.1
tasks/processes; ability to adapt in response to change or unexpected experiences; technical/artistic decision making is highly developed; a clear command of the
Low 2.1 60 - 63 62 skills relevant to the task/process; ability to reflect on practical work and set future goals within the wider context of industry/workplace. Adherence to standards
set by the industry/employment context.
High 2.2 57 - 59 58 Good knowledge and understanding of the area of study balanced towards the descriptive rather than analytical; evidence of appropriate selection and
evaluation of reading/research but generally reliant on set sources to advance work/direct arguments; communication shows clarity, but structure may not
2.2 Mid 2.2 54 - 56 55 always be coherent. A confident approach to practical tasks; a solid grasp of the related processes, tools, technology; creativity in the completion of the task;
proficiency is demonstrated by an accurate and coordinated performance; tasks are completed with a good level of independent thought; some autonomy is
Low 2.2 50 - 53 52
evident; an ability to reflect on practical work and set future goals. General adherence to standards set by the industry/employment context.
High 3rd 47 - 49 48 Knowledge and understanding sufficient to deal with terminology, basic facts and concepts but fails to make meaningful synthesis; some ability to select and
evaluate reading/research however work may be more generally descriptive; strong reliance on available support set sources to advance work; arguments may be
Mid 3rd 44 - 46 45
weak or poorly constructed; communication/presentation is generally competent but with some weaknesses. Competence in technical/artistic skills;
3rd
tasks/processes are completed with a degree of proficiency and confidence; tasks are completed with a basic level of independent thought; effective judgements
Low 3rd 40 - 43 40 have been made; basic evaluation and analysis of performance in practical tasks is evident. Errors in workflow or completion of the task; general adherence to
appropriate rules/conventions set by the industry/employment context.
Insufficient knowledge and understanding of the subject and its underlying concepts; some ability to evaluate given reading/research however work is more
Borderline Fail 30 - 39 35 generally descriptive; naively follows or may ignore set material in development of work; given brief may be only tangentially addressed or may ignore key
aspects of the brief; communication shows limited clarity, poor presentation, structure may not be coherent. Practical tasks are attempted; skill displayed in
Mid Fail 20 - 29 25 some areas; there are a significant number of errors; a lack of proficiency in most areas; guidance may be needed to reproduce aspects of the task and/or apply
learned skills. Tasks may be incomplete; failure to adhere to some of the rules/conventions set by the industry/employment context.
Fail
No evidence of knowledge or understanding of the subject; no understanding of taught concepts, with facts being reproduced in a disjointed or
decontextualised manner; ignores set material in development of work; fails to address the requirements of the brief; lacks basic communication skills. A
Low Fail 6-19 10
general level of incompetency in practical tasks; an evident lack of practice; set tasks are not completed; few or no skills relating to tasks are evident. No
adherence to rules/conventions set by the industry/employment context.

Zero Zero 0-5 0 Work not submitted, work of no merit, penalty in some misconduct cases.