Munster Programming Training
Inspiring Students Across Munster to the Possibilities of Computing
The Munster Programming Training initiative began in October 2004 in the Department of Computer Science at University College Cork. It is a programme designed to encourage transition year secondary school students to open their minds to the exciting areas of computer programming and multimedia. A diverse range of students from all across Munster have attended the course in recent years. Participating schools from within Cork city itself have included: Douglas Community School, Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh Presentation Brothers College, Regina Mundi, St Aloysius and Christian Brothers College plus many more. Schools willing to make long journeys to ensure their placement on the MPT course have included Millstreet Community School, CBS Charleville, Schull Community School plus schools from Youghal, Bandon and Dunmanway.
The programme requires dedication from both students and parents to allow them to attend the course each Saturday morning; especially those who may have a round trip commute of 120 to 140 miles. Those who partake in the course benefit greatly by learning new computing skills essential for modern day living, many of the skills learned can be applied to school projects, university, and their working lives. Not only does the course provide them with new skills but it is also a great way for students to make new fiends from schools all across Munster and learn in the same environment as undergraduate and postgraduate computer science students.
Beginning in October, the programme runs for twenty weeks with classes being held on Saturday mornings between 10:00 and 13:00. This training consists of a series of formal lectures and practical tutorials held in state-of-the-art computer laboratories.
Towards the end of the training period, a graduation ceremony is held, in May, where parents and teachers are invited to attend. This is to acknowledge the tremendous effort the students have put into the course.
During the period of the training programme, a set of competitions are held to provide fun and exciting challenges, these competitions include subject areas such as programming, website design and video production. These works are evaluated by a panel of judges with prizes awarded at the graduation ceremony.
Shortly after the graduation in May, an intense, week-long summer camp is held in the beginning of June to teach additional computer graphics and multimedia skills.
The course is not solely limited to classroom-based study but also includes excursions to visit companies in Cork that both produce and use technology; past excursions have included trips to Apple Computers, Heineken and the RTE studios.
One of the principle objectives of the programme is to provide a panel of students from the Munster region to partake in the All-Ireland Programming Competition, which is usually held every year in January. Those who show promise are put forward to be part of the Irish panel for the International Programming Olympiad.
This is an international competition, run on an annual basis, that pits the best programmers of secondary school age against others from all over the globe. Attendees of the course have won several competitions at National level, in both the Junior and Senior divisions. Some have even been included as part of the Irish panel partaking in International Olympiad, travelling as far afield as Mexico and Croatia to pit their wits against the best from countries around the globe.
To prepare for this momentous achievement, the students who possess the required enthusiasm and aptitude for programming may progress to the second year of the course to hone their skills in preparation for theses National and International events.
The second year of the course runs after school on Wednesday evenings from 15:00 to 17:00 and has provided many successes to date. Participation is limited to those who have already completed a full year of MPT.
Contact Details
The programme is free to all participants. It is organised and delivered by Dr Sabin Tabirca, Computer Science, UCC. Interested parties, both schools and parents, may email Ms Ann O’Brien, MPT programme coordinator at: a.obrien@cs.ucc.ie
Enquiries may also be made to the Computer Science Departmental Office at: secretary@cs.ucc.ie or call 021-4205892.
Further information
The course notes and details of trips and events are all available on the course webpage: http://multimedia.ucc.ie/training
Website of the International Olympiad in Informatics: http://olympiads.win.tue.nl/ioi/
Website of the All-Ireland Schools Programming Competition: http://www.eeng.dcu.ie/~oconaire/IOImain.html
