CSC 101 Course Syllabus

CSC 101: Fundamentals of Computer Science I
Course Syllabus

Instructor

Gene Fisher
Office: Building 14, Room 210
Email: gfisher@calpoly.edu
WWW home page: http://www.csc.calpoly.edu/~gfisher
Phone: (805) 756-2416
Office hours: MWF 11AM-12PM, Tu 9-11AM

Prerequisites

CSC or CPE 100, or CSC 111, or an equivalent course in "computer literacy".
MATH 118 and MATH 119, or equivalent courses in pre-calculus algebra and trigonometry.

Course Objectives

to learn principles of programming and problem solving
to learn the syntax and semantics of the C++ programming language and how to implement problem solutions in C++
to learn fundamental principles of program specification, design, and documentation
to develop a number of programs in C++ to gain practical programming experience

Textbooks and Other Class Materials

The following textbooks are required. In the online WWW version of this syllabus, there are links for online textbook purchase (at amazon.com).

Dale, Weems, and Headington, Programming and Problem Solving with C++, D.C. Heath and Co., 1996.
Dale, A Laboratory Course in C++, D.C. Heath and Co., 1996.
Hahn, Harley Hahn's Student Guide to UNIX, McGraw-Hill, 1996.
Cal Poly, UNIX User Guide, El Coral Publications, 1997

In addition to these texts, other course materials are available online in the master class directory at http://www.csc.calpoly.edu/~gfisher/classes/101. Online materials are organized in the following subdirectories:

lectures -- lecture notes, as presented in class
labs -- lab notes, as distributed in lab
handouts -- various informational handouts, as distributed in class or lab
assignments -- programming assignments, as distributed in class
solutions -- solutions to programming assignments, quizzes, and exams
grades -- grade information for programming assignments, quizzes, and exams

The online course files are available in following formats:

HTML, suitable for viewing with a WWW browser, such as Netscape; these files have a ".html" extension.
PostScript, suitable for printing on a PostScript laser printer and for viewing on a workstation PostScript previewer, such as ghostview; these files have a ".ps" extension; all paper notes and handouts distributed in class are printed from these online PostScript files.
PDF, suitable for viewing with the Adobe Acrobat document reader, which is available for free download from http://www.adobe.com/supportservice/custsupport/download.html ; these files have a ".pdf" extension.
Plain ASCII text, suitable for viewing on a plain ASCII terminal or with a plain text editor (such as vi or emacs); these files have a ".txt" extension; note that plain text files do not contain graphic figures that appear in the HTML, PostScript, and PDF versions.

When accessing files from the web, all links will go to the HTML versions of the files. To access the PostScript, PDF, or plain text version of a document, go to the desired directory and view or copy the desired file with the ".ps", ".pdf", or ".txt" extension.

Programming Assignments

There will be six programming assignments, due Mondays starting on the third week of class. The class schedule below gives the exact due dates. These programming assignments constitute the main focus of the class in terms of your learning experience. They are worth 45% of your total grade.

Labs and Lab Exercises

There are three hours of lab each week. The labs are held in a room with computers where you will do your work in groups of two people.

Each week there will be a set of lab exercises assigned for you to work on. For the first couple weeks, the labs will involve familiarizing yourself with the UNIX operating system and a UNIX text editor. Starting in the third week, lab exercises will focus more on programming.

The lab exercises are not graded. You are expected to work on the exercises during the normal class lab times, and as much outside of class as necessary to complete the work. The purpose of the labs is to familiarize you with the concepts necessary to complete the programming assignments and do well on the quizzes and exams.

Quizzes and Exams

There will be two lab quizzes, three lecture quizzes, one midterm, and one final exam. The lab quizzes will cover some of the basic concepts of computing not directly related to programming and problem solving (e.g., UNIX concepts). Lab quizzes will be twenty minutes each. The lecture quizzes and exams will cover the concepts of programming and problem solving that you will use in your work on the programming assignments. Each quiz will be twenty minutes, the midterm fifty minutes, and the final one hour and fifty minutes. The final will be cumulative.

All quizzes and exams are open book and open note. In general, if you keep up with the programming assignments, you should not have to spend a lot of additional time studying for the quizzes and exams.

Late Assignments

Late work on the programming assignments will not be accepted after the due date. You may turn in a partially completed program to receive partial credit. In general, it is far better to turn in something as a solution than nothing, since substantial partial credit can be given for programs that do not run correctly because of some minor problem.

Grading

The following is a complete point breakdown for all graded items. The percentages are based on 100% of the total grade for the class.

Six programming assignments:
      number 1: 3%
      number 2: 4%
      number 3: 5%
      number 4: 10%
      number 5: 11%
      number 6: 12%
for a subtotal of 45% of the grade
One lab quiz: 3% each, for a subtotal of 3%
Three lecture quizzes: 5% each, for a subtotal or 15%
One midterm: 12%
One final: 25%

for a grand total the 100%. If you receive 90% or above you are guaranteed an "A" (or "A-") in the course, between 80% and 89% a "B" (or "B-"), between 70% and 79% a "C" (or "C-"), between 60% and 69%" and "D" (or "D-"). At the end of the course, the grading curve may be lowered, so that it may be possible to score a lower percentage for a given grade. Under no circumstances will the curve be raised; i.e., 90% or above guarnatees an "A", etc.

Lecture and Lab Attendance

Attendance is not required, except on the days of quizzes and exams. As long as you can successfully complete all programming assignments, quizzes, and exams, you may choose to attend the lectures and labs as you see fit. Obviously, your instructor thinks it's a pretty good idea for you to attend.

Limits on Collaboration

You are expected to complete each of the programming assignments individually. During labs, you will work with a lab partner on the lab exercises. In general, you are free to consult with anyone on lab exercise work. You are also free to discuss general class concepts with others inside and outside of the class, including tutors. However, when in comes time to do the specific work on the programming assignments, you must do so on your own.

Any programming assignment that is discovered to be the work of more than one student will be considered plagiarism. The CSC department has a computer program that can reliably detect similarities among several student program files, and this program will be used if necessary. Suspected plagiarism will result in a zero on the assignment for all students (the one copied from as well as the copiers) and a request to visit the instructor in office hours for a discussion of how to resolve the problem and possibly to reinstate the deserved grade. A second violation of this policy may result in handling by the University Judicial Affairs Officer, being failed from the course, or being dismissed from the university.

Class Schedule

The following is the class schedule for the quarter. The abbreviation "DWH" in the reading column refers to the Dale, Weems, and Headington text. The "Emacs Primer" in the reading column refers to a handout that will be distributed with the second week lab notes.

Week Lecture Topics Reading Quiz or Exam Assignment Due
1 Intro to the course
Overview of programming
    & problem solving DWH Ch 1
Hahn Ch 1-4,13,15,16,17

2 C++ Syntax & semantics
Program development DWH CH 2
Hahn Ch 6,8,9,10
Emacs Primer Lab Quiz 1 (Fri)

3 Arithmetic expressions,
    functions, input/output DWH Ch 3, Ch 4 pp 132-136
Hahn Ch 19,20,24,25,26 Program 1 (Mon)

4 More on input/output
Logical expressions
    & conditionals DWH Ch 4 pp 132-152,
Ch 5 pp 185-212 Quiz 1 (Wed) Program 2 (Mon)

5 Intro to software design
More on functions
DWH Ch 5
Ch 7 pp 323-341 Lab Quiz 2 (Wed) Program 3 (Mon)

6 Looping & other
    control constructs DWH: Ch 6, Ch 9 Midterm (Wed)

7 More on functions
    & design DWH Ch 7, 341-376 Program 4 (Mon)

8 Program scoping DWH: Ch 8 Quiz 2 (Wed)

9 Simple data types
Intro to arrays DWH Ch 10,
Ch 11 pp 591-610 Quiz 3 (Wed) Program 5 (Mon)

10 More on arrays DWH Ch 11 pp 610-637,
Ch 12 pp 647-653

finals Final (per class
    schedule) Program 6 (Mon)

Week	Lecture Topics	Reading	Quiz or Exam	Assignment Due
1	Intro to the course Overview of programming & problem solving	DWH Ch 1 Hahn Ch 1-4,13,15,16,17

2	C++ Syntax & semantics Program development	DWH CH 2 Hahn Ch 6,8,9,10 Emacs Primer	Lab Quiz 1 (Fri)

3	Arithmetic expressions, functions, input/output	DWH Ch 3, Ch 4 pp 132-136 Hahn Ch 19,20,24,25,26		Program 1 (Mon)

4	More on input/output Logical expressions & conditionals	DWH Ch 4 pp 132-152, Ch 5 pp 185-212	Quiz 1 (Wed)	Program 2 (Mon)

5	Intro to software design More on functions	DWH Ch 5 Ch 7 pp 323-341	Lab Quiz 2 (Wed)	Program 3 (Mon)

6	Looping & other control constructs	DWH: Ch 6, Ch 9	Midterm (Wed)

7	More on functions & design	DWH Ch 7, 341-376		Program 4 (Mon)

8	Program scoping	DWH: Ch 8	Quiz 2 (Wed)

9	Simple data types Intro to arrays	DWH Ch 10, Ch 11 pp 591-610	Quiz 3 (Wed)	Program 5 (Mon)

10	More on arrays	DWH Ch 11 pp 610-637, Ch 12 pp 647-653

finals			Final (per class schedule)	Program 6 (Mon)