CSCI 120

Introduction to Computing

Contents:

[Instructor][ Office Hours][ Teaching Assistant][ Text][ Lecture Time][ Lab Time]

[ Grading][ Academic Honesty][ Topics][ Assignments][ Links]

Instructor

Li Han, Mathematics/Computer Science, BP344, (508)793 7344. E-mail: lhan@clarku.edu

Office Hours

TR 9:00--10:00am, T 12:00--1:00pm and by appointment

Teaching Assistants

Brian Koopman (bkoopman@clarku.edu), 5--6pm Tuesdays, and by appointment

Christopher Skoglund (cskugland@clarku.edu), 7--8pm Thursdays, and by appointment

Textbooks

Java Software Solutions -- Foundations of Program Design, Fifth Edition, by John Lewis and William Loftus (Addison-Wesley)

(A Local Copy of the Example Programs )

Reference: Invitation to Computer Science (Java Version), Third edition, by G. Michael Schneider and Judith L. Gersting (Thomson Course Technology) (downloadable chapter 2 )

Lecture Time

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:25 -- 11:40am, BP316

Lab Time

Thursdays, 1:25 -- 2:40pm, BP310
Labs will complement lectures via "hands on" demonstrations and programming practice.

Course Work and Grading Policies

There will be two exams and one final (to be held during the finals week), and various assignments. Labs also entail graded exercises. They are weighted as follows:

All assignments need to be completed by each individual student. Discussion is allowed and encouraged, but each student should write his/her own solution. The reference solutions to the homework problems will be posted on the course CICADA website (to be announced later).

Unless otherwise stated, each homework assignment will be due by the beginning of the lecture on its due date. You need to show your solution and demonstrate your code (when applicable) in the lab to a TA, and you will receive feedback and your grade on the spot.

On Academic Honesty

You can learn a great deal from each other, and we encourage you to study and work together in all aspects of the course, including programs, provided they are not directly related to a graded assignment. Sometimes, working together (even on programs unrelated to an assignment) accounts for some stylistic or even technical similarities in programs handed in by students. Also, some of the assignments will be built on code that we already give you, and hints given to you in lectures and labs. Again, this leads to certain types of similarities.

However, plagiarism is not allowed. All coding you hand in to be graded must be done by you and you alone. Copying other students' programs, whole or in part (and possibly altering them to look "different"), is an excellent way to get nothing out of this course, and is contrary to the University's principle of academic honesty. For more information on the academic honesty policy at Clark see the web page on Academic Integrity: Clark University Academic Integrity Policy. All instances of plagiarism are, following University policy, reported directly to the Dean of Academic Advising.

Topics (Tentative and subject to change)

Week of

Tue

Thu

Assignments (Thu.)

Labs

Aug. 31

Overview  (Inv. to CS, Chapter 1 )

Pseudo-code  (Inv. to CS Chapter 2,

download the revised chapter2)

HW1 out

No Lab

Sept. 7

Pseudo-code Algorithms

Java Programming Overview (Chap. 1)

 

Lab1: Programming Basics

Sept. 14

Data and Expressions (Chap. 2) 

 Expressions (cont.)                                   

HW1 due, HW2 out

Lab2: PP. 2.6, 2.7

Sept. 21

Control Structures  (Chap. 5)

Control Structures (continued)          

 

Lab3: PP 5.13 (a)

 Sept. 28

Control Structures (misc)

review

 HW2 due

Lab4: PP 5.5

Oct. 5

Exam 1

Using Classes (Chap. 3)                            

 

Lab5: PP 3.1

Oct. 12

Fall Break

Writing Classes (Account and Trans. classes) 

HW3 out

Lab6: Wring and Using Classes

Oct. 19

Writing Classes (cont.)

 More class examples (Coin, Flight)

 

Lab7: PP 4.2

Oct. 26

Object References (Chap. 5)

More on Ref. and Intro. to GUI

 

Lab8: revised PP3.7

Nov. 2

 GUI (cont.)

Review                                                       

HW3 due

 Lab9: PP 4.16

Nov. 9

Exam 2

Object Oriented Design (Chap. 6)               

HW4 out

Lab10: PP 6.2

Nov. 16

Object Oriented Design (cont.)

Arrays  (Chap. 7)

 

Lab11:  revised PP7.1

Nov. 23

No Lecture -- working in lab

Thanksgiving Break

 

No Lab

Nov. 30

Arrays (cont.)

TBA                                                          

 HW4 due

TBA

Dec. 7

TBA

Review

 

TBA

Final Exam (based on the Registrar's current schedule): 10:30am--12:30pm, Dec. 18, Friday

Homework (Tentative and Subject to Change)

Miscellaneous Links