The C++ courses may be presented in English

Students intending to attend this course should be prepared for lectures and exercises in English.

Attendees always have the option to address the teacher in either Dutch or English, and may submit exercises using either Dutch or English.

The lectures will be in Dutch if that's preferred by all attendees. However, all assignments and presentation sheets always use English.



dr. Frank B. Brokken
Please don't hesitate to contact dr. Frank B. Brokken (f.b.brokken@rug.nl) if there are any questions.

All activities mentioned below are accessible to students/employees of the University of Groningen, of the `Hanzehogeschool', of the UMCG and to others who are interested.

Both domestic and foreign (guest) students and employees of the University of Groningen, of the `Hanzehogeschool' and of the UMCG can register until the maximum number of participants has been reached. There are no personal charges other than the (optional) books that are used with the C++ courses. Employees interested in attending are advised to seek consent from their department's chairs or comparable, prior to enrolling.

The courses are open to other (external) participants as well. External participants should contact the lecturer before enrolling or attending the C++ courses.

Please feel free to contact dr. Frank B. Brokken (phone +31 50 363 9281) if you have any questions about the courses or their organization.

Registration for the course(s) is NOW open.


Organized courses:

The C/C++ course consists of three parts. Each part takes about 7 to 8 weeks. Provided all requirements are met each part can be attended independently of the other parts and each part can be completed independently of the other parts. The standard form of each of these parts will be rewarded with 5 ECTS study points (when completed successfully).

Note: According to the Artificial Intelligence study guide (ocasys) the C/C++ course consists of only two parts. This information is incorrect: the C/C++ course consists of three parts, as described below.


Lightweight versions of the courses are also available.

All lectures and all literature offered for the standard courses is also offered for the various lightweight variants, but the amount of practice varies for the lightweight variants.

The lightweight variants are rewarded with 2 ECTS points (approx. 55 hrs. study load, maximum grade: 7), 3 ECTS points (approx. 85 hrs. study load, maximum grade 8), or 4 ECTS points (approx. 110 hrs. study load, maximum grade 9). The maximum grade for the full (5 ECTS points) course is 10.

If you're completing a heavier variant than your study is willing to support, then your maximum grade is determined by the variant you complete, and not by the number of credit points your study is willing to recognize. Furthermore, the particular variant that you complete should be mentioned in the overview of your results, as registered in, e.g., Progress.

It is possible to select a different light-weight variant for each of the three parts of the C++ course, and it is possible to modify the (lightweight) level while a course is actually being offered.

When registering for the C++ course(s) no particular registration is required for the lightweight variant you might want to opt for: just select your favorite level while attending the course(s).


To join the C++ course, you may register for for each part or just for part I. Once you've registered for a certain part it is assumed that you intend to attend subsequent parts as well. There is no obligation, but it allows you to continue the course without any further administrative hassle.

In September you start with part I. In November you continue with part II, and finally, in January you enter part III. So, the full C++ course takes about half a year to complete. It is also possible to attend the individual parts, omitting one or two other parts. When joining during later courses, it is assumed that your entry level is at least equal to the exit level of the previous part. When in doubt, contact the lecturer.

C++ Courses organized by the Center of Information Technology:

Programming in C/C++, part I The following information is available to students attending part I of this course in the academic year 2011-2012:

Programming in C/C++, part II The following information is available to students attending part II of this course in the academic year 2011-2012::

Programming in C/C++, part III The following information is available to students attending part III of this course in the academic year 2011-2012:

Finally, there's will be many things that will remind those who'll join the C/C++ courses to the Unix Operating System. Linux and Cygwin being two well-known branches that grew from the Unix tree.
Considering this close relationship, it is at least funny, and probably useful, to (re)familiarize you with The Unix Haters Handbook, brought to my attention by one of my colleagues, Mr. Adri Mathlener. Although aiming at Unix, it also has a chapter (10) about C++. So, know what you're doing when you're joining the gang. Morbid....
Thanks, Adri!


Frank B. Brokken (f.b.brokken@rug.nl)
28 March 2012