ITO4001 Foundations of computing
Faculty of Information Technology
ITO4001 Foundations of computing is a level 4, 6-credit-point, postgraduate unit from the Faculty of Information Technology. It isn't offered in 2026. It has no prerequisites and unlocks 3 units, leading on to 7 units in all.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2026
- Other periods
- Monash Online
- Assessment
- No exam
- 3 tasks
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
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Requisites
Before ITO4001
Prohibitions
You can't enrol if you have passed any of these.
After ITO4001
3 units list ITO4001 as a prerequisite or corequisite.
Overview
Mathematics and Computer Science cannot be untangled. Most of the problems found in computer science are often formalized and solved with mathematical foundations. Many important problems addressed by computer scientists need the skills in logical thinking, algebraic operations, probability theory and statistical tests and optimization techniques.
This unit is designed to explore various mathematical methods required to work in the area of computer science. You will learn the fundamental concepts in tree and graph data structures, set theory and logic which include predicate and propositional logic, probability and statistics as well as linear algebra, data encoding and calculus. While learning the fundamentals, the unit offers a variety of problem solving activities concentrating on areas where mathematical foundations pave a path to computing problems. It offers an opportunity to understand how to solve computer science problems using mathematical foundations that are relevant to the program the students follow.
Offerings in 2026
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching period 1 | Monash Online | Mo |
| Teaching period 3 | Monash Online | Mo |
| Teaching period 5 | Monash Online | Mo |
Assessment
- Assessment 1Quiz / Test30%
- Assessment 2Quiz / Test20%
- Assessment 3Written50%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
apply discrete mathematical structures, especially graphs and trees to solve problems in computer science.
- 2
apply propositional logic and predicate logic to problem-solving and set theory to represent collections of data to solve real-life problems.
- 3
demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals of continuous probability and statistics, including common Probability Distributions, Bayes’ Theorem and parameter estimation.
- 4
describe the fundamental concepts relating to linear algebra such as linear functions, vectors, and matrices.
- 5
demonstrate skills and understanding on calculus, partial derivatives, differentiation, integration, gradients and gradient algorithms.
- 6
demonstrate understanding on the fundamental concepts in information theory such as entropy, encoding, decoding and data compression.
Workload and teaching
- Teaching approachOnline learning
Contacts
- Chief Examiners
- Associate Professor Anuja Dharmaratne
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ITO4001?
ITO4001 has no prerequisites.
What can I take after ITO4001?
ITO4001 is a prerequisite or corequisite for 3 units, including ITO5047, ITO5197 and ITO5201. Those lead on to 7 units in all.
When is ITO4001 offered?
ITO4001 has no offerings listed in the 2026 handbook.
Does ITO4001 have an exam?
No. ITO4001 has 3 assessment tasks and no exam.