Applied Data Structures, Algorithms, and Security

This unit advances beginning programmers by integrating intermediate data structures, core algorithms, debugging, and secure application practices into real projects. Students will apply object-oriented design, UI and web basics, database file handling, and testing to build more robust, maintainable, and secure programs that prepare them for capstone development work in the next unit.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze and compare common data structures (resizable arrays, linked lists, sets, deques, hash tables, and trees) and justify selection for a given problem using time and space complexity metrics
• Apply debugging and testing techniques (breakpoints, stepping, watches, unit tests) to locate, fix, and verify defects in multi-file and object-oriented programs
• Demonstrate implementation and performance measurement of search and sorting approaches (insertion sort, shell sort, adversarial search strategies, phonetic and regular-expression based search) on representative datasets
• Evaluate and implement secure programming and data-handling practices, including use of symmetric/asymmetric encryption, secure computing principles, and safe database/file operations to protect application data