CPSC 115L Course Syllabus Spring 2004
Catalog Description
A fundamental treatment of computer science
topics featuring the study of the high-level programming language Java. Topics
discussed will include computer architecture, programming languages, and ethical
issues involved in computer use. Problem solving techniques involved in writing programs
will be studied, proper style and documentation will be required, and object oriented
program design will be introduced. A required weekly lab will involve an intensive
study of programming techniques in Java. (1.25 course credits)
Classrooms
| MWF Lectures: | 11 - 11:50 AM | MCEC 246 | (Morelli) |
| Tues Lab : | 1:15-
3:55 PM | LIB 03 | (Morelli)
|
| Wed Lab : | 1:15-
3:55 PM | Clement 106 | (Dinkins)
|
| | | |
Course Policies
Attendance
Attending class is crucial to benefiting from the
course. Therefore, if you must miss a lecture class for any reason --
e.g., illness, travel, over-sleeping -- it is imperative that you
demonstrate that you have adequately mastered the material for that
class. This will be done by writing a 2-page paper outlining the
material assigned on the schedule for that day's lecture. The outline
should demonstrate that you have studied and absorbed the assigned
material. These papers will be due at the next class. They will be
graded PASS/FAIL, but each failure will result in your final grade
average being lowered approximately one point (e.g., 90 to 89). Each
student is allowed one missed lecture class for which a paper need not
be written. If you miss a lab, you must complete the missed lab and
hand it in by the next scheduled lab.
Reading Assignments
The course schedule lists the reading and
homework assignments for each lecture session. You are expected to
finish the reading and homework before coming to class. We
will use part of the lectures to go over questions that come up in the
reading or homework. You are encouraged to ask questions about the
reading and homework and to participate in class discussions.
Quizzes
Periodic quizzes on the reading will be given during the lecture
period. Make-up quizzes will not be given but the lowest quiz and/or
homework grade for the semester will be dropped.
Homework
Homework assignments will be posted on the daily schedule. These should be done
before class. Most homework assignments will not be graded but
will be discussed in class. Homework solutions will be posted on the
course website. You are encouraged to ask questions about these
assignments during the lecture session. Assigned homework will
occasionally be collected and graded and will count the same as a quiz
grade.
Weekly Laboratory Sessions
Laboratory sections (Tuesday or Wednesday) meet in the Library
Lab (LIB 03). All programming exercises will be
done using the Metrowerks Codewarrier Java programming environment.
Students should purchase 3 diskettes BEFORE YOUR FIRST LAB SESSION
in order to store laboratory work and other course materials.
Students will not need to purchase any other hardware or software
for this course. Please note that laboratory and programming assignments
stored on the hard disks of the computers in the labs WILL BE LOST
if the computer crashes or is rebooted. Loss of an assignment because
of a computer crash or the failure to save or back up your work
successfully will NOT be accepted as an excuse for late or incomplete
work.
Lab Exercises
The lab exercise usually consists of writing a short Java program
or writing a section of a larger Java program. You should make every
effort to complete the lab exercise during the assigned lab period. An
instructor and TA will be available in the lab to answer questions and
to help identify mistakes that you have made that may impede your
progress on the lab exercise. Before leaving the lab, you should have
the instructor or TA check your program for correctness.
Lab Grades
The weekly lab exercises must be completed. Missed labs must be
completed in a timely fashion or they are subject to the same
penalties as missed lectures. Most labs will be graded on a
pass/fail basis.
However, approximately four times during the semester, there will
be graded labs. During these sessions you will be given a
problem to solve when you enter the lab and you will be graded on the
work you complete during the lab. While the Lab Instructor and TA
will be available to help you with system problems, you will be
expected to develop a solution to the problem on your own.
Graded labs will be graded on a 100-point scale based on the amount
of the required exercises completed during the lab period. An attempt
will be made to design labs with required items that can be completed
by most students plus optional items that will be of benefit to
students who complete the required items before the end of the lab
period.
Programming Assignments
There will be 2 or 3 out-of-lab programming assignments. These will
differ from lab exercises in that you will be asked to design, code,
test and debug an entire program on your own and you will be evaluated
on the program's design, correctness and readability.
Late Work
All assignments must be submitted by the due dates. Late work will
receive a penalty for each day it is late up to a maximum penalty of
20% of the grade. Unless there is a legitimate excuse for handing in
an assignment late, late work will not be accepted after one week
past the due date.
Collaboration
In working on programming assignments, you may collaborate on broad
issues of interpretation and understanding and may discuss general
approaches to a solution. However, the implementation of a specific
solution in Java code must be your own work. Programming assignments
are expected to be the work of the individual student, designed and
coded by him or her alone. Help locating errors in the program is
allowed, but a student may only receive help in correcting errors of
syntax; help in correcting errors of logic is strictly prohibited.
Violations are easy to identify and will be dealt with according to
Trinity's Academic Honesty Policy, as described in the Student
Handbook. Copying another person's work, including another's
computer program, is plagiarism and will be dealt with as such.
Disabilities
Any student in this course who has a disability that might prevent
him/her from fully demonstrating his/her abilities should meet with an
advisor as soon as possible to initiate disability verification and
discuss accommodations that may be necessary to ensure your full
participation in the successful completion of course requirements.
Grade Determination
Final grades are determined by taking weighted averages of your grades
on exams, programs, labs, homework, and quizzes. There will be 2
hourly exams and a 2-hour comprehensive final exam. To calculate your
letter grade at any given time during the course, just calculate your
average on exams, programs, labs, homework, and quizzes, multiply each
by its weight and add them together. A final average of 90% or better
is A-, 80% or better is B-, and so on.
| Category |
Weight |
| Hour Examinations (2) |
25% |
| Final Examination |
25% |
| Weekly Lab Assignments |
20% |
| Programming Assignments |
20% |
| Quizzes and Homework |
10% |
| TOTAL |
100% |