1. Introduction to computers and computer systems. Number systems. Modern operating systems. The Internet and its services (World Wide Web, electronic mail, etc.). Creation and editing of technical documents and presentations using computers. Use of spreadsheets for calculations and graphical representation of data in Civil Engineering problems.
2. Introduction to computer programming. Basic principles of algorithm development. Overview of programming languages and their role in engineering applications.
3. The importance of computer programming in the computational needs of Civil Engineering. The Fortran programming language: historical background, advantages, and relevance in engineering computations. Writing, compiling, and executing Fortran programs for Civil Engineering problems. Implementation of numerical methods through Fortran programming for the solution of Civil Engineering problems. Applications of Fortran in Civil Engineering practice.
4. Use of existing software tools. Free and open-source software for Civil Engineering applications. Programming techniques applied to computational methods for structural analysis. Computational applications in various fields of Civil Engineering.

Learning Outcomes

The course aims to familiarize students with the fundamental concepts of Computer Science and computer usage, to develop essential programming skills in Fortran for solving Civil Engineering problems, and to exploit the extensive computational legacy of Civil Engineering software.

Upon successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:

• Describe the basic structure and operation of computer systems, use modern operating systems effectively, and exploit Internet services (World Wide Web, email, etc.).
• Describe computer number systems and convert numbers between different numerical representations.
• Create and edit technical documents and presentations relevant to Civil Engineering using computer tools.
• Use spreadsheets to perform basic and advanced calculations and to produce graphs for Civil Engineering problems.
• Describe programming languages and the fundamental principles of computer programming, recognize the capabilities of programming, and explain its importance for Civil Engineers.
• Explain the value and applications of the Fortran programming language in Civil Engineering computational needs.
• Write, compile, and execute Fortran programs for solving Civil Engineering problems.
• Apply numerical methods through Fortran programming to solve Civil Engineering problems.
• Develop algorithms and Fortran programs for the solution of technical Civil Engineering problems.
• Exploit the extensive Fortran programming legacy and the large number of available Fortran programs developed for Civil Engineering applications.
• Use scientific and educational Civil Engineering software written in Fortran with accessible source code.
• Explain the principles of proper use of existing software and describe the legal framework governing software usage.
• Utilize free and open-source software for solving Civil Engineering problems.
• Perform computational applications in various fields of Civil Engineering.
• Explain computer programming techniques applied in computational methods for structural analysis and in the simulation of structural behavior under natural hazard conditions.