Practical Software Tools
| Code | Completion | Credits (ECTS) | Range | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2372042 | KZ | 3 | 1P+1C+0L | Czech |
- Course guarantor:
- Vladimír Hlaváč
- Lecturer:
- Vladimír Hlaváč, Cyril Oswald
- Tutor:
- Jiří Čáp, Uliana Finaeva, Vladimír Hlaváč, Ondřej Kubec, Michal Kuchař, Matěj Kuře, Juraj Lieskovský, Cyril Oswald, Ivana Oswaldová, Goran Simeunovič, Tomáš Thoř, Pavel Trnka, Martin Vitoušek, Oto Vrána, Martin Zmeškal
- Supervisor:
- Department of Instrumentation and Control Engineering
- Synopsis:
-
Extension of students' knowledge to the level required for the preparation of technical documents, such as measurement evaluations, final project reports, or a final thesis. The course introduces students to software tools used in study and professional work, including available artificial intelligence tools. Emphasis is placed not only on producing an output, but above all on its checking and validation, safe use of tools, work with scholarly sources, and the author's personal responsibility for the result.
- Requirements:
- Syllabus of lectures:
-
- Information systems and study support systems used at CTU in Prague, security principles; responsible use of artificial intelligence tools, protection of personal data and login credentials, recognition of fraudulent messages
- Preparation of technical documents: structure of a technical text, software tools (including AI) for drafting, revising, and proofreading a document, the author's responsibility for the content
- Data structures and operations on them: tabular data, units, formulas, and charts; independent numerical verification of results, typical errors in computations proposed by AI tools
- A computer program as a model of a real-world problem; algorithm design and notation of the corresponding algorithm; programming tools languages (Python, MatLab, C, ); reading, testing, and debugging code, including code generated by AI tools
- Programming tools for the web: HTML5, CSS, validation and accessibility of web output, basic security risks of web pages and forms
- Scholarly information sources and search strategies: libraries, publication databases, DOI; verification of claims and bibliographic records, the risk of fabricated citations
- Summary: limits of software and AI tools, transfer of validation habits across text, data, code, web, and sources.
Lectures also include worked examples of the more demanding parts of the exercise assignments.
- Syllabus of tutorials:
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1. Check of student accounts, configuration of client programs. Work with the faculty's computer and information systems. KOS, e-mail, use of WiFi, remote desktops, and data storage. Introduction to document preparation (MS Word).
2. A document in the style of a technical article, two pages in length.
MS Word, alternatively LibreOffice or OpenOffice; a formatted document in the style of a technical article with advanced features according to the assignment
3. Solving an assigned problem using scientific and technical computations in MS Excel (or Calc)
Processing of measured values, graphical output, function evaluation, data visualization solving the assigned task.
4. Solving an assigned problem using scientific and technical computations in Matlab, Maple (or Python)
Processing of measured values, graphical output, function evaluation, equation solving, work with matrices, data visualization solving the assigned task.
5. Preparation and publishing of a web page according to the assignment, using an HTML/XHTML editor and generative AI tools. It must contain hyperlinks, graphical elements, and mathematical expressions, CSS the div tag. Publishing on the Internet.
6. Preparation of a literature search on a technical topic. CTU libraries, the National Library of Technology (NTK), electronic information sources of scientific publications, scientific journals, conference proceedings, online books, the digital object identifier (DOI). Verification of all retrieved sources in databases, detection of an incorrect or non-existent citation.
7. Final test
- Study Objective:
-
The aim of the course is to acquire the skills needed for the preparation of technical documents, from measurement evaluations to a final thesis. Upon completion, the student is able to work with CTU information systems and follow security principles, including the responsible use of artificial intelligence tools; can, with the support of software and AI tools, produce a technical document, process measured data, build a simple program and a web page, and carry out a literature search; and, above all, is able to independently verify the correctness of every output, correct any errors found, and document the procedure used. The student understands that responsibility for the result lies with the author, not with the tool used.
- Study materials:
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- McFedries, Paul, and Peter Weverka. Microsoft 365 Office All-in-One For Dummies. 3rd ed. Wiley, 2025. ISBN 978-1-394-29505-0.
- Attaway, Stormy. MATLAB: A Practical Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving. 6th ed. Butterworth-Heinemann, 2022.
- Pears, Richard, and Graham Shields. Cite Them Right: The Essential Referencing Guide. 12th ed. Bloomsbury, 2022.
- Eager, Bronwyn. AI-Powered Scholar: A Beginner's Guide to Artificial Intelligence for Academic Writing & Research. Routledge, 2025.
- Mollick, Ethan. Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI. Portfolio/Penguin, 2024.
- Sweigart, Al. Automate the Boring Stuff with Python. 3rd ed. No Starch Press, 2025 (freely available online).
- Note:
- Time-table for winter semester 2026/2027:
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06:00–08:0008:00–10:0010:00–12:0012:00–14:0014:00–16:0016:00–18:0018:00–20:0020:00–22:0022:00–24:00
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri - Time-table for summer semester 2026/2027:
- Time-table is not available yet
- The course is a part of the following study plans:
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- B SI 2025 - prezenční (compulsory course in the program)