CS 110-1 SyllabusComputing & Information Science ISpring 2013CIS DepartmentSaint Vincent CollegeGeneral Information
DescriptionThis course provides an introduction to problem solving and beginning computer programming in C++. Topics include algorithms, program structure, variables and data types, input/output, limitations and security problems with numbers and strings on a computer, functions and parameters, local variables, modularity and top-down design, testing and debugging, control structures, 1-dimensional arrays, and text files. Although the course primarily uses Windows console applications, there will be some two-dimensional graphics applications and at least one Windows forms application. The course concentrates on procedural programming in C++, though some use of objects and classes (but not the creation of user-defined classes) is included. The study of C++ programming is continued in the follow-up course CS 111, which concentrates on object-oriented programming. Why Take This CourseThis is a required course for CIS majors, for whom it is the first course in the C++ programming sequence of CS 110, CS 111, and CS 221. It is also useful for others who wish to learn beginning C++ programming. Programming can be used to create an endless variety of software useful in all kinds of fields. The TextThe text contains more material than can be covered in CS 110. This course covers most of chapters 1 - 8, with other topics added by the instructor. Many of the textbook topics omitted in this course are covered in CS 111, so that this text is useful to keep for that course. Core GoalsThis course contributes especially toward the following core curriculum goals, listed in order of emphasis. Written communication skills are the type emphasized and are shown by students' abilities to write both program code and documentation that describe clearly what their software does.
CIS Department GoalsThis course contributes to the following departmental goals, listed in order of emphasis.
Course Goals and Means of Assessment
Methods Used to Reach These GoalsLectures, demonstrations, class activities such as labs, and class discussion are used to assist students in mastering the course material. Homework assignments are designed to allow students to grow in their understanding of the topics at hand. Exams and quizzes provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate what they have learned. Note for Education StudentsCS 110 satisfies the following PDE requirements: 1.A.1, 1.A.2, 1.A.3, 1.A.4, 1.A.5, 1.A.6, 1.C.1, III.A., III.B. Grading and Course Policies
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 course materials, attend class, do the labs and homework, ask questions, and try to answer questions in class! Computer science 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, particularly with software development! 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.
Tests and quizzes will ask critical thinking questions that require careful analysis, explanation, and conclusions. For example, you might be presented with a section of a program and asked to trace what it produces, to write the documentation describing at a high level what this section does, or to give an alternative implementation of this section. You might also be asked to write a section of code that carries out a particular task. A few multiple choice or true/false questions may also be included. Labs involve a lot of hands-on activity to try out certain aspects of programming, but on a smaller scale than what is usually needed for programming assignments. In this course you will be asked to write programs that are about 1 to 5 pages in length, including well-written documentation. In the labs, much of the code may be written for you, so that your job is to fix errors, to make modifications, etc. There will be about 7 programming assignments in this course and about 10 labs. Homework usually consists of programming assignments. Programming involves typing code into a source file, compiling it, testing it, and fixing it as necessary. Programming assignments normally require careful planning and the use of several hours of out-of-class time. Plan to have the program done early so that there will be time to test it and to fix the problems that testing usually reveals. Engineering a program requires a development process that cannot normally be done at one sitting. Allot several hours over multiple days to develop your program. Note that it nearly always takes longer than you expect! Students may be assigned to small groups for the purpose of doing a few of the labs and homework assignments. All other homework assignments and labs must be done separately by each individual. The purpose of group homework is to allow students to learn from each other, to enable the creation of larger and more complex software, and to provide practice at a cooperative project like those demanded by many job situations. Further information about any group assignments will be provided during the course. Assignments are due anytime on the date given and are normally turned in electronically by placing a copy in one's hw110 mapped network drive. Exceptions to these deadlines are only granted for serious reasons and normally require written documentation of the reasons. Every programming homework assignment should list all sources that contributed to the solution. This would include the individual student (on an individual assignment) or the students assigned to a group (in a group assignment). It may also include the instructor, a tutor that was consulted, a reference book, a web site, etc. You may consult other students who are not part of your group only to clarify what the homework assignment is asking. If you need assistance beyond simple clarification of the description of the assignment, the best person to consult is the instructor. Tutors may also be able to assist with this, though only the instructor knows the full details of how the homework should work. You may not look at the homework code for another student in this course or show yours (even a part of it) to another student in the course. You may not work out the design or code for a homework assignment with one or more other students from the course unless you were specifically assigned a group project to work on together. If you break one of the conditions spelled out in the last two sentences, then this is a case of program plagiarism. See the next paragraph for how this gets handled and the possible consequences. 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, etc. will result in action appropriate to the seriousness of the situation. If there is some doubt as to whether you wrote a programming assignment yourself, you may be asked to explain the code. If you can do so, that provides good evidence that you did do the assignment yourself. All cases of apparent intellectual dishonesty will be referred to the administration. If the administration does not say what to do about the grades in such a case, the first offense will involve a significant grade penalty (such as a grade of zero) on the assignment, while a second offense may result in failure of the course. In this course, students are expected to do entirely their own work on tests, quizzes, and individual homework assignments. For the in-class labs, students are encouraged to help each other, so the above rules do not apply to the labs, though each student should still do mostly his/her own work. Homework or labs assigned to a group should not include any significant amount of work from a different group. Assignments that are unduly similar (which means that a prudent individual would reasonably conclude that the assignments were done by the same person or collection of persons) will be reported to the administration as likely cases of plagiarism. If you really do your own work, you will not produce something that is unduly similar to someone else's work. 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 Mrs. Sandy Quinlivan by phone (724-805-2371), email (sandy.quinlivan@email.stvincent.edu) or by appointment (Academic Affairs-2nd floor of Headmaster Hall). Reasonable accommodations do not alter the essential elements of any course, program or activity. The Notification of Approved Academic Accommodations form indicates the effective date of all approved academic accommodations and is not retroactive. If the instructor needs to cancel class, every effort will be made to send an email message to students' Saint Vincent email accounts. |