When we talk about programming, you may think of languages such as Python, PHP, Java, and HTML/CSS/JavaScript that you have learned. Here, we will take a look at the programming exercises conducted in our laboratory.

Even if you have studied programming in class, almost no one can write programs fluently from the very beginning. Those who are already somewhat comfortable with programming have likely gained experience through prior practice or by actually developing some kind of system. Programming skills cannot be acquired without continuous practice—thinking through problems on your own, writing source code, and debugging when things do not work as expected (that is, finding and fixing bugs in the program)!

In our seminar, programming in system development is regarded as simply a tool. In other words, like a tennis player’s racket or a carpenter’s hammer, it is something that you should be able to use freely and skillfully.

In our seminar, C programming assignments are given in the first half of the first semester to ensure that all students acquire programming skills. Through these assignments, students learn how to write source code using features such as structures and pointers in C. These assignments require continuous effort, and students are expected to work on them independently outside of class, such as at home. During class time, we mainly focus on evaluating and reviewing the assignments. The photo shows a scene from the assignment evaluation session for programming.

In recent years, Python has become very popular due to the rise of generative AI and deep learning. However, in our laboratory we believe in learning the fundamentals first, so we use C, a language that is commonly taught as a foundation for beginner programmers, along with Java. Some students may feel anxious because they have never used C before. However, aside from the concept of pointers, C is quite similar to Java. Therefore, if you already have some programming experience in other languages, learning C should not be a problem.
There are many different types of Programming Languages!

In system development using Kansei (affective) information, program code often reaches 3,000 to 4,000 lines. In typical course assignments, the maximum is usually around 100 lines of code. However, in the latter half of the first semester, students take part in an exercise where they implement soft computing techniques in actual programs, based on the topics they study and present in the seminar sessions!
The following is an example of an assignment.