Course: Computer Science 135 A, Computer
Programming 1, Spring 2003, Central
College.
Professor: Tom Linton, 312 B Central
Hall, (641) 628-5264, email: lintont@central.edu.
Class Meets: MWRF 1:00 to
1:50 PM in Central Hall 313, we meet in CH 310 on Thursdays.
Office Hours: 9 AM Mon, Fri,
1 PM Tues, 3 PM Wed, or by appointment.
Text: An Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming with JAVA,
2nd edition, by C. Thomas Wu.
Technology: We will make
extensive use of computers and software related to "programming".
No prior knowledge of these tools is assumed. We will use the programming
environment Bluej to
develop most of our programs. This software program is specifically
designed for teaching introductory programming concepts. The class
web page is located at the URL http://www.central.edu/homepages/lintont/classes/spring03/prog1frameset.html
and information relevant to this course may come via email. You
should check your email and the class web page on occasion. We will
also use the on-line course management program Blackboard to distribute and
collect materials for this class, as well as post grades for completed
assignments.
Final Exam: 1 PM Wednesday May 7,
Central Hall 313.
Class Overview This course is intended for students
with a serious interest in programming and computer science.
This course meets the m core requirement for mathematical
reasoning, and will involve a significant component of abstract thinking,
problem solving, and mathematics. If you have concerns or questions
about this course, please talk to me at your earliest convenience.
Computer programming is introduced using an object-oriented programming
language (we'll use Java). Algorithms, program control structures (sequence,
selection, repetition), graphical user interfaces, classes, objects,
methods, files, and arrays will be covered. Students will spend a significant
amount of time out of class designing, writing, collaborating on, and
debugging computer programs.
Goals and Objectives Upon completion of this course,
students will:
- be able to understand and write relatively straightforward
programs in the object-oriented language Java;
- understand the basic principles of objects,
classes, and methods;
- be familiar with control structures such as
conditionals and loops;
- be familiar with simple data structures such
as variables and arrays.
American Disabilities Act
Central College abides by interpretations of the Americans with
Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
that stipulates no student shall be denied the benefits of an education
“solely by reason of a handicap.” Disabilities covered by
law include, but are not limited to, learning disabilities, hearing,
sight or mobility impairments, and other health related impairments.
If you have a documented disability that may have some impact on
your work in this class and for which you may require accommodations,
please see me and Nancy Kroese, Director of Student Support Services
and Disability Services Coordinator, (x5247) so that such accommodations
may be arranged.
Grades, based on the letter, or A, A-, B+, B, B-, . . . system,
will be based on a weighted curve of the total points in the
class. The curve used will be the traditional 100-93 A, 92-90 A-,
89-88 B+, etc. (or an easier curve). The breakdown of the points in
the class is given below. There is no extra credit for this class.
You are encouraged to work together on group assignments (including
homework), but copying answers of others (including those in the back
of the text) will result in no credit. Several assignments in this
class will be completed on an individual basis (working with others
is forbidden). Working together does NOT mean copying
someone else's code, in fact, a good rule to always follow is:
When you require help on a program or homework problem, you should
only have your helper
look at what you have done, and give you advise.
You should never look at what they have done.
Exams We will have three midterm exams. These exams will most
likely follow our completion of chapters 3, 7, and 9. We will
also have a cumulative final exam on Wednesday, May 7 at 1 PM.
Homework, Quizzes, and Activities I will assign and collect homework
problems on a regular basis (one assignment from each chapter
we cover). Recording "just the answer" will receive little or no
credit. You should show and/or explain your work on all assignments
for this class. You are encouraged to work together on homework assignments,
but this does NOT mean copying the work of others nor answers from a
solution set. We will do several in-class activities throughout the semester
(where new concepts are introduced, or old notions are examined in more
detail). Most of these activities will be done in groups, and all will
contain questions similar to homework problems. We will have regular
(roughly every week) quizzes.
Programming Assignments We will complete several (6 to 10) programming
assignments. You will be allowed to work in pairs on some of
these, but others will be done individually, where sharing code
will be strictly forbidden. It is important to keep up with the
programming assignments. Falling behind on the programming assignments
normally has a substantial negative impact on your class grade.
Participation You are expected to be in class each day. If you
miss a day of class, you are still responsible for the materials-activities
completed that day. You are expected to participate in class
discussions, ask questions, and to be engaged in the day to day
actions of the class.
Your final grade in this course will be based on participation, homework
assignments, activities, quizzes, programming assignments, the
midterm exams, and the cumulative final exam. These items will be
weighted as follows:
5% participation
34% homework assignments,
quizzes, and activities
25% programming assignments
24% midterm exams (8% each)
12% final exam
Academic Dishonesty
Plagiarism (which includes working together on an
individual assignment, or editing someone else's code and turning
it in without citing that person's work), or copying answers from
other people or books without citing the source is a serious offense
and will result in no credit for the work and possibly more serious
punishment (failing the class, placing a letter in your file, and withdrawl
from school are possibilities). It is OK to discuss your answers
with other groups on group assignments, but the work you turn
in must be your own, not a modified version of someone else's work.
Central College's Academic Honesty Policy
"Academic dishonesty is defined as behavior that is
inappropriate for academic pursuits, including plagiarizing, cheating
and other such dishonest activities. Some examples of misconduct
are
- presenting other's work as your own:
copying homework or test answers from other students, unauthorized
collaboration on class activities, using unauthorized materials
in a test, having someone else write your paper or test,
- improper computer usage: inappropriate
or illegal use of computers, including such things as pirating of
programs or files, unauthorized access to files or passwords, altering
records, and/or damaging programs
- plagiarism and/or misuse of ideas from other
sources: deliberately using or adopting materials, ideas, or
images produced by another person and taking credit for them, regardless
of the format in which they originally appeared, including books,
journals, web pages, video or audio recordings, and/or computer files,
accessing or using privileged information without authorization, quoting,
paraphrasing, and/or copying materials without footnoting or proper
attribution, using privileged information without authorization.
Depending on the nature of the offense, the penalty
for academic dishonesty ranges from permission to redo the project
(if plagiarism was inadvertent), failing the project, to failing
the course. A second offense is grounds for dismissal from Central
College."