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CS 103 Syllabus



Animation, the Web, and Security: Three Views of Computing



Fall 2012



CIS Department



Saint Vincent College



General Information

  • 3 credits
  • Prerequisite:
    • Although there is no formal prerequisite, the student should have some familiarity with computers and good logical thinking skills.
  • Instructor: Brother David Carlson
  • Office: Dupre S107
  • Office hours:
    • Mon, Wed, Fri 10:30 - 11:20 am
    • Tue 9:00 - 9:50 am
    • Tue 2:30 - 3:50 pm
    • Wed 2:00 - 4:30 pm
    • Thurs 3:00 - 3:50 pm
    • and by appointment
  • Phone: 724-805-2416
  • Email: david.carlson@email.stvincent.edu
  • The CIS lab in N204 of the Dupre science complex will be available according to a schedule that will be posted outside of the lab and under the CIS Department Web Page. The lab will usually be staffed by tutors who may be able to assist you with this course.
  • Text: Learning to Program with Alice, 3rd ed., by Wanda P. Dann, Stephen Cooper, and Randy Pausch. Pearson Prentice Hall (2012), ISBN 978-0-13-212247-4. Do not get a different edition as changes in the exercises and topics can cause considerable difficulty.

Description


This is an introductory, non-majors course, though sometimes beginning CIS majors take this course. Students learn how to create animated objects and worlds, tell stories, and even create games, all using the popular Alice software. Second, students learn a few key ways of creating web pages. This might lead into further webpage coursework, or even a career. Finally, computer and network security issues are investigated. This includes problems such as identity theft, spyware, botnets, and phishing attacks, as well as how to defend against them. It is not open to CIS majors without departmental approval.

Why Take This Course?


The main purpose of this course is to introduce the student to three areas of computing that are useful, fun, and might lead to additional study and possible careers.

No Prerequisite


As an introductory course, this class has no prerequisite. However, the student should have at least a little familiarity with personal computers. Thus the student should know how to start a PC and how to start a program on a PC. No prior knowledge of programming, software development, animation, web development, or computer security are needed in order to take this course. Good logical thinking skills are important in this course. Students' abilities in high school algebra and precalculus, for example, are often good indicators of this. The hope is that students will exercise and increase their logical thinking skills in this course.

The Text


The text covers the animation portion of the course. The instructor will provide additional material on animation and will provide most of the material for the other two main topics. Students may be asked to bring in some materials to aid in the course as well.

Core Goals


This course contributes especially toward the following core curriculum goals, listed in order of emphasis. Both written and oral communication skills will be worked on in this course through projects, homework, tests, class participation, etc.
  1. To form habits of ordered inquiry, logical thinking, and critical analysis
  2. To develop mathematical skills and quantitative literacy
  3. To develop effective communication skills

CIS Department Goals


This course contributes to the following departmental goals, listed in order of emphasis.
  1. The CIS graduate should demonstrate the ability to manage the complexity of a technical problem through the use of good problem solving and software engineering skills, as well as sound, ethical decision-making and information literacy skills.
  2. The CIS graduate should have a broad knowledge of the field of computing.

Course Goals


Specific course goals include the following. These goals will be assessed by means of assignments, class participation, quizzes, and tests. Informal student comments are also considered.
  1. By the end of the course, the student should be able to produce animated worlds that are well-designed and logically arranged.
  2. By the end of the course, the student should be able to create basic web pages using the technologies introduced in this course (with HTML, MySQL, and PHP being the primary such technologies).
  3. By the end of the course, the student should be able to understand and explain how common computer security attacks are carried out and how to defend against these.
Note that in carrying out the projects and assignments for this course, the student will be writing software of modest difficulty and length (a few pages). This holds both for Alice and PHP. The student will also write short web pages with the HTML markup language. The security section of the course will not involve software development. Rather, the student will run experiments to see how certain computer attacks and defenses work and will analyze some common security situations. Also note that students will need to spend time in the CIS facilities outside of class in order to complete many of the projects and homework assignments.

Grading and Course Policies

  • 20% First Exam
  • 20% Second Exam
  • 20% Final Exam: Monday, Dec 10, 8:30 am - 10:30 am
  • 40% Homework, Projects, Quizzes, Class Participation
The exams may be of differing types depending on the topics covered by the exam. Check with the instructor before each exam on this. Students may on occasion be asked to present their projects, homework solutions, security analyses, etc. to the class. Students may also be asked to research a certain topic and then to present what they have found. The purpose is both to assist others in the class and to aid the presenters in developing good communication skills.

Letter grades will be assigned according to the scheme found in the current College Bulletin. Exams will be announced in advance (but quizzes could be given at any time). Due to the technical nature of the course, the exams will be of the open-book, open-notes variety. Calculators may be used on the exams and quizzes. Cell phones and pagers should be turned off and put away during exams. On a test students may only use the test itself, books, notes, handouts, calculators, pens, pencils, and erasers. Calculators may not be passed between students. No laptops or other computers may be used on an exam or quiz unless expressly permitted by the instructor for a particular exam or quiz.

Both the instructor and students are expected to do their best to produce a good class and to treat each other with respect. This includes many factors, such as listening when someone else is speaking, trying to understand what others are saying, being of assistance to others, etc. It definitely does NOT include making fun of others. On a practical level, do your best to improve your grade: read the text, attend class, do the work, ask questions, and try to answer questions in class! This is not a spectator sport! It requires active participation and repeated practice. If you begin to feel lost, consult one of the tutors, see the instructor, or work through the difficulties with the help of another student in the course. Do not let yourself get behind. In fact, one key to academic success is to start early on homework and other tasks. Last-minute miracles seldom work! Note in particular that attendance is expected. Student performance is bound to deteriorate when classes are missed. In order to emphasize the importance of attendance, the policies outlined after this paragraph will be used.

  • If the student does not attain a passing average in the test category, a failing grade will be received for the course.
  • Each unexcused absence after the first 4 results in 1 percentage point being deducted from the final course grade.
  • Arriving late for class or leaving early (without a proper excuse) is counted as 1/2 of an absence.
  • An unexcused absence from an exam results in the failure of the course.
  • Unexcused absence from more than one-third of the semester's classes results in the failure of the course.
  • Attendance is used to decide borderline grades at the end of the semester.
  • Unexcused absence from class also means a grade of zero on any collected homework or quiz given in that class.
  • Late work is not accepted unless resulting from an excused absence.
  • Written documentation (such as a note from a doctor's office or coach of one's sports team) is normally required for an absence to be excused. Always bring a copy of such a note to give to your instructor when class must be missed. In special circumstances, check with your instructor.
  • The lowest quiz/homework grade will be dropped at the end of the semester. This is intended to cover an absence due to minor illness, sports, and the like.
Make-up quizzes will not normally be given. For an excused absence, the student will simply be excused from the quiz. Make-up exams are strongly discouraged. If possible, take the regularly scheduled exam. For an excused absence for a significant reason, the instructor may agree to give a make-up exam. Whenever possible, see your instructor ahead of time if you know you must miss an exam (e.g. due to sports). Normally some type of written documentation is required (such as a note from the coach, doctor, etc.). If the documentation or reason for missing an exam is poor, the student can count on receiving a significantly more difficult exam, if one is given at all! Do ask about a makeup exam if you have a good reason to miss an exam, as it is understood that illnesses and other complications do happen.

Intellectual honesty is important at Saint Vincent College. Attempts to pass off the work of another as one's own, or group work as one's individual work, will result in action appropriate to the seriousness of the situation. All cases of apparent intellectual dishonesty are referred to the college administration. In this course, students are expected to do entirely their own work on the exams and quizzes. Projects and homework are to be done largely by each individual unless the assignment specifies that it is a small group assignment. On each homework or project that is not of the small group type, 80% or more of the work should be your own. It is reasonable to ask questions or get ideas from others in the class, but this should account for no more than about 20% of the work. Never simply copy someone else's work, as that would be considered cheating and does little to help you to learn the material. Remember that you are responsible for knowing how to solve the assignments and that you will have to face the test questions on your own.

Be sure to read and follow the CIS Department Policies, available under the CIS Department Web Page. (This statement covers especially the proper use of departmental computing facilities, policies concerning your web pages, etc.) Be sure to read the Regulations section of the College Bulletin (which covers such things as grading, academic honesty, etc.) and the Student Handbook (which covers academic honesty, classroom etiquette, etc.).

Students with disabilities who may be eligible for academic accommodations and support services should please contact the Associate Dean of Studies, Mrs. Sandy Quinlivan, by phone (724-805-2371), email (sandy.quinlivan@email.stvincent.edu) or by appointment (Academic Affairs-Headmaster Hall). Reasonable accommodations do not alter the essential elements of any course, program or activity.

If the instructor needs to cancel class, every effort will be made to send an email message to students' Saint Vincent email accounts.

Maintained by: Br. David Carlson
Last updated: August 23, 2012
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Saint Vincent College - Computing and Information Systems Department
300 Fraser Purchase Road • Latrobe, PA 15650