Syllabus
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Programming Fundamentals
CMPS 221 - Fall 2011
Dr. Melissa Danforth
Office: Sci III 338, 654-3180
Office Hours: MF 2:00 - 3:00pm and W 2:00 - 5:00pm (or by appointment)
Email: melissa@cs.csub.edu (preferred for all course communication)
Course web site: http://www.cs.csubak.edu/~melissa/ under Teaching menu
http://moodle.cs.csubak.edu/moodle/course/view.php?id=44
Course meets MWF 12:20pm - 1:40pm in Sci III 315 and
Th 12:20pm - 2:50pm in Sci III 311 (different room on Th)
Course Description:
Introduces the fundamentals of procedural programming. Topics include
data types, control structures, functions, arrays, and standard and file
I/O. The mechanics of compiling, linking, running, debugging and testing
within a particular programming environment are covered. Ethical issues
and an historical perspective of programming within the context of computer
science as a discipline are given.
Prerequisite:
Passing score on ELM OR satisfaction of the ELM exemptions AND a passing
score on the Pre-Calculus Readiness Test (see Class Schedule for details)
OR completion of math remediation.
Textbook:
You may use either the 6th edition or the 7th edition of the textbook:
6th edition: Starting Out with C++: From Control Structures through Objects,
Tony Gaddis. Publisher: Addison Wesley, 2009. ISBN: 0321545885.
7th edition: Starting Out with C++: From Control Structures through Objects,
Tony Gaddis. Publisher: Addison Wesley, 2011. ISBN: 0132576252
Material Covered:
Chapter 1 Introduction to Computers and Programming
Chapter 2 Introduction to C++
Chapter 3 Expressions and Interactivity
Chapter 4 Making Decisions
Chapter 5 Loops and Files (6th edition: Looping)
Chapter 6 Functions
Chapter 7 Arrays
Chapter 8 Searching and Sorting Arrays
Chapter 9 Pointers
Chapter 10 Characters, Strings and More about the string Class
Chapter 11 Structured Data
Chapter 13 Introduction to Classes (if time permits in the course)
Attendance:
Students are responsible for their own attendance. The topics covered
in lecture will be listed on the course website. Lab attendance is not
required but is strongly encouraged.
Academic Integrity Policy:
Homeworks and labs may be worked on and discussed in groups. If the
assignment is a group assignment, the group can turn in one assignment
for the entire group. If the assignment is an individual assignment,
each student must turn in their own code; no direct copying is allowed.
Refer to the Academic Integrity policy printed in the campus catalog
and class schedule.
Tutoring Center and Open Use Computer Lab:
The walk-in computer lab in Sci III 324 is available for use by students
in this course outside of class time on a first come, first serve basis.
Priority in the lab is given to students who are completing assignments
for Computer Science and Computer Engineering courses.
Tutoring is also provided on a limited basis in the walk-in lab. A tutoring
schedule will be posted on the department website by the end of the first
week of classes. Students in this course may ask the tutors for assistance
on assignments. The tutors are not allowed to solve the assignment for you,
but they can assist with problems like cryptic compiler errors.
Grading:
Labs/Homework 35%
Midterms (2) 20% each, 40% total
Final 25%
Labs:
Lab assignments will be posted on the course website. Labs are worth 10
points and usually involving writing 1-2 short programs. The labs are due
at midnight on the day of the lab. Partial credit will be given for incomplete
labs. Late labs will not be accepted. The lowest lab grade will not be
counted towards the overall lab grade.
Homework:
Homework assignments and due dates will be posted on the course website.
Homeworks are worth 20 points and consist of multiple small programs.
Programs which do not compile may be given partial credit depending on
the severity of the error. Late homework will be accepted. Late homework
will be marked down 10% for every weekday it is late. Weekends (Sat. and Sun.)
count as only one day late (e.g. if it is due Fri and you turn it in Sun, it
would only be one day late). If there is a notice on the assignment that late
homework will not be accepted beyond a certain date, then that is the final
day homework will be accepted. Otherwise, assignments more than three days
late will not be accepted.
Labs/Homework Submission:
Assignments are submitted by emailing the instructor all assignment code
files from the Computer Science department server. Do not use GMail, webmail
or any other email method as the campus firewall and spam filter may silently
reject the email. All assignments MUST be submitted to the instructor's
Sleipnir account (melissa@cs.csubak.edu).
Refer to the Lab 1 handout on the course website for instructions on how to
use the Computer Science department email. If you believe you submitted the
assignment on time but the instructor has not received the email, contact the
instructor.
Midterms:
Midterm 1 will be given on Monday October 3, 2011 during class time.
Midterm 2 will be given on Monday October 24, 2011 during class time.
Makeup midterms will not be given, but the other midterm will be counted
proportionally higher if you have a valid reason for missing a midterm.
Final:
Monday November 21, 2011 from 2:00 to 4:30pm in Sci III 315.
You may arrange to take the final at a different time by emailing or speaking
to the instructor.