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CSE 115 - Spring 2008 - Introduction to Computer Science for Majors I |
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CSE 115 - Spring 2008 - Introduction to Computer Science for Majors I |
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Syllabus
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Name |
Office |
Phone 645-3180 |
Email |
Web |
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Adrienne Decker |
130 |
Ext. 161 |
adrienne@cse.buffalo.edu |
Course Information
Credit hours: 4
Course Website: http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/faculty/adrienne/SP2008/cse115
Lecture Times:
Section
B - Monday, Wednesday, Friday 2:00 – 2:50 210 NSC
Recitation Times:
B1 Tuesday 2:00 – 3:50 21 Baldy
B2 Wednesday 10:00 – 11:50 21 Baldy
B3 Thursday 12:00 – 1:50 21 Baldy
B4 Friday 8:00
– 9:50 21 Baldy
Course Description
Provides the fundamentals of
the field to computer science and computer engineering majors, introducing
students to algorithm design and implementation in a modern, high-level
programming language. Emphasizes problem solving by abstraction. Topics include
object-oriented design using a formal modeling language; fundamental
object-oriented principles such as classes, objects, interfaces, inheritance
and polymorphism; simple event-driven programming; data types; variables;
expressions; basic imperative programming techniques, including assignment,
input/output, subprograms, parameters, sequencing, selection and iteration; the
use of aggregate data structures, such as arrays or more general collections;
simple design patterns.
This course adheres closely to the recommendations of
ACM's CC2001 curriculum document for a first semester introductory course. It
covers topics from the following knowledge units: PF1 Fundamental programming
constructs, PF2 Algorithms and problem-solving, PF5 Event-driven programming, PL1
Overview of programming languages, PL4 Declarations and types, PL5 Abstraction
mechanisms, PL6 Object-oriented programming, HC2 Building a simple graphical
user interface, SP1 History of Computing, SE1 Software design, SE2 Using APIs,
SE3 Software tools and environments.
Schedule of Topics
The following is a tentative
schedule of topics. A more detailed
schedule is maintained on the course website and should be checked often for
updates.
2 weeks – Objects and
relationships 1
week – Programming with graphics
2 weeks – Methods,
parameters, and encapsulation 2
weeks – Arithmetic, selection, iteration
3 weeks – Inheritance and
polymorphism 2
weeks – Collections and iterators
Course Objectives
At the end of this course,
students will be able to independently create a program that uses
object-oriented design and its key concepts of encapsulation, inheritance, and
polymorphism. Students will also be able
to create a program that has a graphical user interface (GUI) and components
that the user of the program can interact with (menus, buttons, etc). Students will also be able to identify where
and when to use constructs such as selection and iteration in their programs
and be able to create and use various types of collections along with iterators
in their programs.
ABET Program Objectives
Our computer engineering program is accredited by
ABET. This course is required of all
computer engineering students and has a significant relationship with the
following program objectives for computer engineering:
(a) An ability to apply
knowledge of mathematics, probability and statistics, computer science and
electrical engineering as
it applies to the fields of computer software and hardware.
(g) An ability to
effectively communicate technical information in speech, presentation, and
writing.
(j) A knowledge of contemporary issues.
This course has a strong
relationship with the following program objectives for computer engineering:
(e) An ability to identify, formulate, and
solve hardware and software computer engineering
problems
using sound computer engineering principles.
(k) An ability to use the techniques, skills,
and modern hardware and software engineering tools
necessary
for computer engineering practice.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites
for this course. You do not need
previous programming experience to take this course.
Textbooks and Materials
The required textbooks for
this course are:
·
Carl Alphonce
& Adrienne Decker. From Conceptual
Model to Executable Model: An Object Oriented
Problem Solving Process [Available at Great Lakes
Graphics & Printing, located in the UB Commons.]
·
Deborah S. Ray & Eric J. Ray. 2006. UNIX: Visual
Quick Start Guide (Third Edition), Addison Wesley. (ISBN: 0321442458)
·
Carlos Valcarcel. 2005. Eclipse
3.0 Kick Start, Sams Publishing.
(ISBN: 0672326108)
This book is recommended as a
reference for the Java language:
o
Cay S. Horstmann
& Gary Cornell. 2005. Core Java 2 Volume I – Fundamentals, seventh
edition, Prentice Hall (ISBN:
0-13-148202-5)
Additional reading material
may be assigned during the course, and will be announced in lecture.
Computing Resources
You will be provided with a
CSE undergraduate computing account. You may use the undergraduate lab
facilities in Baldy. These facilities are available for use as listed on the
course website. They are on card-access
- use your UB card to open the door. For your own safety, and to protect the
equipment in the lab, do not open or hold the door open in order to allow other
people to gain entry to the lab. All students who are authorized to use the lab
will be granted card access.
The name of the server that
you will be connecting to in the lab will be styx.cse.buffalo.edu. You have the ability to connect to nickelback.cse.buffalo.edu
remotely from other sites, on or off campus.
You are expected to become
proficient at using the machines in the lab, the Unix system, the Java compiler
as integrated with Eclipse IDE, and whatever other software development tools
the course requires you to use. It is your responsibility to ensure that any
programs you write for this course compile using the Java compilers installed
on the department's machines.
You are also required to read
mail sent to your CSE e-mail account. Any e-mail communication that you send
regarding this course must be sent from your CSE e-mail account or your UB
e-mail account. Under no circumstances will e-mail from non-UB accounts be acknowledged
or answered. You must include an informative subject line in all e-mail, and
include your full name in any e-mail correspondence.
All e-mail that we send in
reply to your e-mail will be sent to the address from which you sent your
e-mail. Our feedback on materials you hand in electronically will be sent to
your CSE e-mail account only. Since you may request re-grades of work only
within a set period from the time that the feedback was provided to you, it is
in your best interest to read your CSE e-mail account on a daily basis.
Course Organization
The course has both a lecture
component and a lab (recitation) component. Each component plays a role in
helping you achieve the objectives of the course. If you do not participate
fully in both you should not expect to do well in the course.
Lectures
The conceptual and
theoretical course content will be delivered primarily in the lectures,
complemented by readings from the text books. You must review readings prior to
attending a lecture, and you are expected to review the readings again, along
with any notes you took, after the lecture.
Some of the topics will be
difficult. It is therefore absolutely essential that you ask questions whenever
something is said which you do not understand.
You are expected to attend
all lectures. If you are unable to attend a lecture because of sickness or
similar reasons, make sure you get the notes from a classmate. If you are out
of class for an extended period of time because of sickness, notify your
instructor as soon as possible, and see your instructor immediately upon your
return in order to determine how to catch up. If you have missed a significant
portion of the semester due to illness, it is recommended that you resign from
the course.
Labs
The labs are an integral part
of the course. In each lab section, the TAs will cover material pertinent to
the current assignment. The lab sections
are held in the computer lab in Baldy 21 and you will have the opportunity to
work on your assignments during recitation and ask questions of the TA about
your work. Attendance in lab will
therefore be critical for your ability to complete the programming projects.
The labs may also review and
extend lecture material and are also an excellent forum for asking more individual
questions about the course material than can typically be addressed in lecture.
Some material needed to do the programming projects will be covered only in lab. Attendance in lab is expected and will be
taken every week.
Labs do not meet in the first
week of classes.
Time outside of class
Office hours
Office hours offer you the
opportunity to ask more individual questions about the course material than can
typically be addressed in lecture. Both the instructor and the teaching
assistants have scheduled office hours. Office hours are held on a first-come
first-served drop-in basis. No appointment is necessary to attend office hours.
Be aware that office hours become increasingly busy the closer it is to a project
deadline. Plan your use of office hours accordingly. Individual appointments
may be arranged, if needed, as schedules allow.
Study time
In this course, as in any
course, you are expected to put in additional time beyond the scheduled class times.
Professors generally expect that for each credit hour a class carries a typical
student will put in 2 - 3 hours of time each week outside of class. Since this
is a 4 credit course that translates into 8 - 12 hours of time outside of
lecture and recitation times, each week. During this time you should review
your lecture notes, attend office hours as needed, get hands-on practice
applying the concepts and theoretical constructs discussed in class, and
possibly arrange to meet in small groups to study or review the concepts from
class. As a rough guide, you should expect to spend at least the following time
working on this course, each week:
o
Lectures: 3 hours
o
Lab time: 2 hours
o
Programming
assignments: 4 hours
o
Individual study:
4 hours
Course evaluation
The following indicates the
grade breakdown which will be used in assigning grades in the course. The right
is reserved to make small adjustments to the breakdown if it is necessary.
Exam component (50% of
final course grade)
There will be ten examinations
given during the semester and one final examination at the end of the term. The
in-class exam schedule will be posted on the course website. The final examination will be given on a date
to be specified by the University. Do not make travel plans for times during
the examination period until the final examination schedule has been posted.
If you miss an examination
because of sickness or similar reasons, visit a physician and obtain a note
detailing the period during which you were medically incapable of taking the
exam. Notify your instructor immediately via e-mail or telephone (voice mail)
if you are going to miss an exam, before the exam takes place unless medically
impossible. See your instructor as soon as you return to class.
If you miss an examination
without a valid excuse, you will receive a zero grade for that examination.
No make-up examinations will
be available without a valid excuse. You
must bring a valid form of picture ID with you to each examination (a UB Card
will suffice).
There are two options for
calculating your score for the exam component of the course. Under the first
option the in-class exams count for 25% of your grade (2.5% each), while the
final exam counts for 25%.
Under the second option the
final exam counts for 50% of your grade. The option which gives you the highest
score in the course will be used automatically.
You must attempt all in-class
exams in order for the final-exam only option to be available to you. If you do not write all in-class exams, you
cannot make use of the final-exam only option.
The motivation for having two
grading options available is to ensure that you are not penalized if you had a
rough start in the course, but managed to do really well on the final exam. If
you do poorly on the in-class exams, you can still do well in the course by
demonstrating that you have learned the material on the final exam. Of course,
if you do poorly on the in-class exams, this means you are playing without a
safety net.
The following table
summarizes the grading of the exam component of the course:
|
|
Option #1 |
Option #2 |
|
In-class exams |
25% |
0% |
|
Final Exam (Cumulative) |
25% |
50% |
A necessary but not sufficient
condition for receiving a passing grade in the course is having a passing exam
component grade.
Communication
component (10% of final course grade)
Whether you
decide to enter the workforce or go on to graduate school after graduation,
communication is an essential skill in computer science and computer
engineering. Teamwork, technical
writing, and presentations to management, customers and peers are all essential
skills to the future computer scientist or computer engineer. To start building good communication skills
you are required to participate in either writing a technical paper, giving a
presentation, or the creation of a tutorial.
Details about each of these are available on the course website. You must successfully complete one of the
three communication tasks in order to pass the class.
Project component (40%
of final course grade)
There will be regular
programming projects. The purpose of these is to reinforce and deepen your understanding
of the broader concepts discussed in class through application of those
concepts to concrete problems. The programming projects are designed to give
you hands-on experience analyzing problems, developing solutions to them, and
implementing these solutions in Java. The programming projects also serve to
give you feedback on your understanding of the material.
We expect that we will have
nine programming projects, weighted as described in the following table.
|
Lab |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
|
Weight |
2% |
2% |
3% |
4% |
4% |
5% |
5% |
6% |
10% |
It is your responsibility to
ensure that any programs you write for this course compile using the Java compilers
installed on the department's machines. Submissions which do not compile will
not be graded.
You must have a passing
average on the lab component of the course in order to pass the class.
Early policy for programming project submissions
Any programming project
submission which occurs before the due date is considered early, and will have
a 2% bonus (of the maximum score obtainable) added per full day early (24
hours), up to a maximum of 8%.
Late policy for programming project submissions
Any programming project
submission which occurs after the due date is considered late, and will have a
50% penalty (of the maximum score obtainable) imposed per day (24 hours), or
portion thereof, late. A submission more than one day late (i.e. two or more
days late) will therefore be awarded no points.
Re-grading
If you have a question about
the grading of any piece of work, first consult with the teaching assistant who
graded your work. If you cannot resolve your questions with the teaching
assistant, you should consult with the instructor of the course.
Any questions about the
grading of a piece of work must be raised within one week of the date that the
work was returned by the teaching assistant or the instructor. In other words,
if you do not pick up your work in a timely fashion, you may forfeit your right
to question the grading of your work.
Class Participation & Attendance
An important part of
participating in this class is actually attending the classes. Therefore, attendance is required and will be
taken at times to ensure that students are attending lecture regularly. Attendance at lab times is critical to enable
the transmitting of information about the current programming assignment. Frequently, there will be parts of the lab
assignment that must be completed and turned in for a grade before the end of
the lab time.
Incomplete (I) grades
We will follow the UB
Undergraduate Catalog Statement on Incomplete Grades, found in the Undergraduate
Catalog.
Generally, incomplete (“I”)
grades are not given. However, very rarely, circumstances truly beyond a student's
control prevents him or her from completing work in the course. In such cases
the instructor can give a grade of “I”. The student will be given instructions
and a deadline for completing the work, usually no more than 30 days past the
end of the semester. University and department policy dictate that “I” grades
can be given only if the following conditions are met:
o
An Incomplete
will only be given for missing a small part of the course.
o
An Incomplete
will only be given when the student misses work due to circumstances beyond his/her
control.
o
An Incomplete
will only be given when the student is passing the course except for the missed
material.
o
An Incomplete is
to be made up with the original course instructor within the time specified by the
appropriate University regulation (see appropriate document above), and usually
within the following semester.
o
An Incomplete
will not be given to allow the student to informally retake the entire course,
and have that grade count as the grade of the original course.
Incompletes can not be given
as a shelter from poor grades. It is your responsibility to make a timely
resignation from the course if you are doing poorly for any reason. The last
day to resign the course is Friday, March 28th.
Letter grades
The following table indicates
the number to letter grade mapping I will use to assign final grades at the end
of the course. The Grade points column is included for your convenience only,
and is not official information. The official mapping can be found in the
Undergraduate Catalog.
|
Percentage
score |
Letter
grade |
Grade
points |
|
90-100 |
A |
4.0 |
|
85-89 |
A- |
3.67 |
|
80-84 |
B+ |
3.33 |
|
75-79 |
B |
3.0 |
|
70-74 |
B- |
2.67 |
|
65-69 |
C+ |
2.33 |
|
60-64 |
C |
2.0 |
|
55-59 |
C- |
1.67 |
|
50-54 |
D |
1.0 |
|
0-49 |
F |
0.0 |
General Notes
If you don't understand
something covered in class, ask about it right away. The only silly question is
the one which is not asked. If you get a poor mark on an assignment, quiz, or
exam, find out why right away. Don't wait a month before asking. The instructor
and teaching assistants are available to answer your questions. Don't be afraid
to ask questions, or to approach the instructor or T.A. in class, during office
hours, or through e-mail.
This course is intended to be
hard work, but it is also intended to be fun. Play with the computer, and have
fun with the neat and elegant programming ideas covered in this course. We
think computer science is interesting and exciting, and we want to convince you
of this. Work hard, but have fun!
Disabilities
If you have a diagnosed
disability (physical, learning, or psychological) that will make it difficult for
you to carry out the course work as outlined, or that requires accommodations
such as recruiting note-takers, readers, or extended time on exams or
assignments, you must consult with the Office of Disability Services (25 Capen
Hall, Tel: 645-2608, TTY: 645-2616, Fax: 645-3116,
http://www.student-affairs.buffalo.edu/ods/).
You must advise your
instructor during the first two weeks of the course so that we may review
possible arrangements for reasonable accommodations.
Your attention is called to
the
Distractions in the Classroom - Behavioral
Expectations
The following is the text of
a policy adopted by the Faculty Senate. You are expected to know and adhere to
this policy.
OBSTRUCTION OR DISRUPTION IN THE CLASSROOM –
To prevent and respond to
distracting behavior faculty should clarify standards for the conduct of class,
either in the syllabus, or by referencing the expectations cited in the Student
Conduct Regulations. Classroom "etiquette" expectations should
include:
Academic Integrity
Source:
http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/academics-academic integrity.shtml
The academic degrees and the
research findings produced by our Department are worth no more than the
integrity of the process by which they are gained. If we do not maintain
reliably high standards of ethics and integrity in our work and our
relationships, we have nothing of value to offer one another or to offer the
larger community outside this Department, whether potential employers or fellow
scholars.
For this reason, the
principles of Academic Integrity have priority over every other consideration
in every aspect of our departmental life, and we will defend these principles
vigorously. It is essential that every student be fully aware of these
principles, what the procedures are by which possible violations are
investigated and adjudicated, and what the punishments for these violations
are. Wherever they are suspected, potential violations will be investigated and
determinations of fact sought. In short, breaches of Academic Integrity will
not be tolerated.
Departmental Statement on Academic Integrity in Coding Assignments and Projects
The following statement
further describes the specific application of these general principles to a common
context in the CSE Department environment, the production of source code for
project and homework assignments. It should be thoroughly understood before
undertaking any cooperative activities or using any other sources in such
contexts.
All academic work must be
your own. Plagiarism, defined as copying or receiving materials from a source
or sources and submitting this material as one's own without acknowledging the
particular debts to the source (quotations, paraphrases, basic ideas), or
otherwise representing the work of another as one's own, is never allowed.
Collaboration, usually evidenced by unjustifiable similarity, is never permitted
in individual assignments. Any submitted academic work may be subject to
screening by software programs designed to detect evidence of plagiarism or
collaboration.
It is your responsibility to
maintain the security of your computer accounts and your written work. Do not
share passwords with anyone, nor write your password down where it may be seen
by others. Do not change permissions to allow others to read your course
directories and _les. Do not walk away from a workstation without logging out.
These are your responsibilities. In groups that collaborate inappropriately, it
may be impossible to determine who has offered work to others in the group, who
has received work, and who may have inadvertently made their work available to
the others by failure to maintain adequate personal security In such cases, all
will be held equally liable.
These policies and
interpretations may be augmented by individual instructors for their courses.
Always check the handouts and web pages of your course and section for
additional guidelines.
Departmental and Course
Policy on Violations of Academic Integrity
If, after following the
procedures required by the University for investigation of suspected breaches of
academic integrity, a student is found guilty, the policy of the department of
Computer Science & Engineering is that the student minimally receive a
grade of F in the course.
University at
Department of Computer Science & Engineering
I, ____________________________________________(PRINT
name), acknowledge that I have read and understood the syllabus for this
course, CSE 115 Introduction to Computer Science for Majors I.
I also acknowledge that I
understand the definition of academic integrity as outlined in the syllabus,
and that I will minimally receive a grade of F in the course if I am found to
have breached academic integrity.
Signature: ________________________________________________ Date: _____________