Principles of Computer Science I

Computer Science 150

Spring, 2011

Instructor: John L. Donaldson
Office: King 223C
Office hours: MWF 10-11 am, 1:30-2:30 pm (or by appointment)

Course Information

Lecture: MWF 11-11:50 am, SCTR A162 (West Lecture Hall)
Labs: W 2:30-4:20, Th 1-2:50 pm, King 135 and 201
Text: Reges and Stepp, Building Java Programs: A Back to Basics Approach, 2nd edition, Addison Wesley, 2011.
Course Objectives

The primary goal of this course is to learn the basic principles of computer programming. We will be using the Java programming language to learn about variables, control structures, arrays and files, objects and methods. The course will include a weekly lab with hands-on programming assignments. By the end of this course, you should be able to write a Java program to solve a moderately complex problem.
We'll also have a glimpse at some important areas of computer science, such as computer graphics, computer organization, etc.

Grading Procedures

Your grade will be based on labs, homework, and three exams.

Point breakdown (approximate):
Labs/Homework	220
Exam 1 (March 11)	80
Exam 2 (April 22)	80
Final Exam (May 19, 7 pm)	120
Total	500

Policies

Each Wednesday and Thursday lab session will result in a written assignment, to be handed in by the following Tuesday midnight.
Late assignments will be assessed a penalty of up to 10% per day.
Regular attendance in class and the lab is required. Excessive absence may result in a lowered grade.
All late assignments must be submitted by the end of the reading period (May 17).

The Honor Code

The Honor Code has a straightforward application to this class. On all of the exams you are responsible for your own work; you may neither give nor receive aid during the course of the exam. If someone takes an exam at a different time than the rest of the class there may be no communication concerning the exam between that person and anyone else in the class, not even about whether the exam was easy or difficult. The atmosphere is more relaxed for the labs. You may discuss the lab exercises, including details of the programming code, with anyone else in the class, but in the end you must write your own code.