CS 1110/1111 Syllabus

Introduction

CS 1110 - Introduction to Programming

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Introduces the basic principles and concepts of object-oriented programming through a study of algorithms, data structures and software development methods in Java. Emphasizes both synthesis and analysis of computer programs.

—University Catalog

A syllabus is just a list of words they don’t know yet.

—Seth Reichelson

This course will teach you the skill of programming and introduce the art of computer science. Programming is the ability to tell a computer what you want it to do. Computer science studies different ways of having a computer solve problems. Skills, including the skill of programming, are best developed through both instruction and practice.

At the end of the semester you will be able to

• specify a set of unambiguous steps for accomplishing a given task;

• express those steps in the Java programming language;

• read and understand code others have written in Java;

• recognize and correct common programming mistakes; and

• explain what computers are and how they function.

Additional supporting material, including both computing and Java vocabulary and information about various topics within computation, will also be discussed.

The Basics

Spring 2014 Session.
http://www.cs.virginia.edu/tychonievich/1110/

Lecture

Lab

1111 does not have lab meetings, but 1111 students are welcome to do lab assignments on their own if they wish.

Textbook

I cannot live without books.

—Thomas Jefferson

Tony Gaddis
Starting Out with Java: From Control Structures through Objects (5th Edition)
ISBN-13: 978-0132855839

You can get the book in several formats (bound or not bound, e-text or paper or both, etc.). You are welcome to pick any of them. You will not need the software that comes with the text, lab books, workbooks, or any other ancillary material.

Note on the 4th Edition: You should be okay with the 4th edition, but the chapters and page numbers will be different. It will be up to you to figure out all of the changes. Further, if we do something that's only in the 5th edition, its up to you to catch up with the material.

Office Hours

Hours will be posted soon. TA office hours are held in the Thornton Stacks lab (large room in the middle of the top floor of the A-wing of Thornton Hall - look for the sign). Professor office hours are held in their respective offices.

Contacting Course Staff

Different kinds of requests should be given to us in different ways:

Instructors:

If you email, always include 1110 or 1111 in the subject line. Both instructors teach other courses as well; without such a subject header they will not know which course you mean.

Teaching Assistants: Andy Barron, Marina Childers, Stephanie Colen, Justin Dao, Sarah Davis, Stephen Feldman, William Grayeski, Casey Huang, Sydney Huppert, Artie Jurgenson, Monika Khot, Sam Knox, Nick Lytle, Courtney Maimon, Scott Mallory, Paul Moniuszko, Allison Moyer, Matthew Pearson-Beck, Sarah Preum, Jim Roberts, Adam Rosenberg, Joe Scott, Jackie Tran, Stefanie Van Rafelghem, Elisabeth von Spakovsky, Kevin Whelan, and Alice Zhang.

See the calender link above for TA office hours. Use either Piazza or the Request Tracker to contact them.

Request Tracker: stardockrt+your-section@gmail.com
Individual support requests should be directed to Request Tracker. This includes anythign a TA can help you with: homework regrades, missing lab, making up labs due to university-excused absences, accounts in Olsson 001, etc.

Message Boards: Piazza
Use Piazza, not email, for questions related to course material.
Do Not post code—any code at all—on a public thread in Piazza (on private threads is OK).
Use email, not Piazza, for personal issues, emergencies, and the like.

Course Requirements

He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors.

—Thomas Jefferson

You should be able to

• Attend lecture regularly.

• If in 1110: attend lab regularly.

• If in 1111: work through lab exercises on your own without TA assistance.

No prior programming experience is required for 1110. Basic prior exposure to programming is suggested for 1111, though an aptitude for self-directed learning may be an acceptable substitute.

Assessment

Your final course average will be calculated using the following method:

Your final letter grade will be determined by the following scale:

Grades by default will not be rounded in this course. Please see the grade breakdown to determine where your grade falls.

If you are enrolled as in the course as a pass/fail course (as opposed to a letter grade), a course average of 65.000 or higher is required for a pass.

Class Management

Olsson 001

• Olsson 001 will be available for your usage for this class, even if you do not have a lab section that meets there.

• You will be provided/emailed a login and password that will only work in 001.

• You will not have a key to 001 and you can only use the lab when no other lab is in session.

• 001 is for computer science use only - please don't bring your other class's study groups in there.

Attendance

• Attendance in lecture is vital to learning the material and making a good grade in this class.

• Attendance will not specifically be taken every lecture, but some lectures may include quizzes or other in-class exercises.

• Attendance in lab is required for 1110 students. If you are late, you may only earn a portion of the participation grade depending on the severity of your lateness.

Homework/Lab Assignments

• Assignments will not be handed out in class. Everything is available online.

• Each assignment will provide its own grading criteria and will be taken from the reading and lecture material.

• All lab assignments are partnered. Some homework assignments are also partnered (these will be identified in the assignment writeup). You must pick a partner from your same lab section.

• Partners may not collaborate with any other set of partners.

• Lab assignments are optional for 1111 students.

• Homework may be submitted up to 48 hours late, with 10% off if submitted by the submission time the day after it was due and 20% off if submitted after that. Homework will not be accepted 48 hours after the deadline.

  Delay is preferable to error.

  —Thomas Jefferson

• One lab may be missed without penalty. This is intended to cover health issues, school conflicts, university-excused absences, and other related exigencies. If you have more than one excusable absence, inform us through the Request Tracker.

CS 1111 vs CS 1110

• In general, CS1111 and CS1110 are managed on the same set of policies. However, the following exceptions should be noted:

  • 1111 does not have labs. A portion of the grade in 1110 is based on lab work; in 1111 that portion of the grade is replaced primarily by a greater weight on quizzes, and may be augmented in other ways as discussed in 1111 lecture.

  • The schedule is presented in terms of 1110's three 50 minute lectures each week instead of 1111's two 75 minute lectures. 1111 will follow a similar pace as 1110, but may be a few days ahead of or behind 1110.

  • Some course material will refer to your lab section For 1111 students, your lab section is all of 1111. For example, if we specify you may work with one partner from your lab section then an 1111 student could pick a partner from 1111 (but not 1110); a student in 1110-103 could work with any student in 1110-103 (but not any other lab section).

• Other differences are expected to be minor.

Quizzes

• Weekly quizzes will be administered via Collab.

• Each quiz will open on Monday and close the following Saturday a few minutes before midnight.

• There will be a quiz every week in which there are no school breaks. Generally, no additional announcements or reminders will be given.

• Late quiz submissions are not accepted

Grading Concerns and Appeals

• The regrade procedure is intended to correct serious errors in grading. It is not intended as a opportunity to argue about each judgment call made by the graders. We agree that graders sometimes take off 1-2 points too many here and there, but we believe that they also give you 1-2 points too many just as often. When we regrade exams, we sometimes disagree with the exact points awarded on each question by the graders, but the total grade usually comes out the same.

• All grading appeals must be made to the appropriate location: TPEGS for exams and Request Tracker for everything else. See Contacting Course Staff above for more.

• All regrade requests must be made within one week of the assignment being returned to the student.

• What should be regraded? 1. Your answer is the same as what is on the key, but the grader didn't realize it. 2. Your answer is different, but is also correct (code that compiles and runs correctly, but is different than the key)

• If your answer contains things that are not part of a correct answer, we take that into account during grading. I had the correct answer in there somewhere is not a compelling regrade argument.

Professionalism

Politeness is artificial good humor, it covers the natural want of it, and ends by rendering habitual a substitute nearly equivalent to the real virtue.

—Thomas Jefferson

• Programming and education are both social activities. Students and staff are all expected to treat each other with respect.

• Do nothing that will detract from the focus and enjoyment of others. There is no such thing as browsing the web, texting, or chatting in class without distracting other students.

• Respectful language, quality work, promptness, and the like are also part of a professional attitude and behavior.

• Students can and will be penalized for unprofessional behavior.

This Syllabus

• This syllabus is to be considered a reference document that can and will be adjusted through the course of the semester to address changing needs. This syllabus can be changed at any time without notification. It is up to the student to monitor this page for any changes. Final authority on any decision in this course rests with the professor, not with this document.

Integrity, etc.

An honest heart being the first blessing, a knowing head is the second.

—Thomas Jefferson

We rely upon and cherish the University's community of trust and the University's Honor principle.

Students are expected to be familiar with the university honor code, including the section on academic fraud (http://www.student.virginia.edu/~honor/proc/fraud.html). Sharing work without permission, turning in others' work as your own, or otherwise behaving in ways inconsistent with the community of trust is not permitted.

• Each assignment will describe allowed collaborations, and deviations from these will be considered Honor violations.

• Unless otherwise noted, exams and individual assignments will be considered pledged that you have neither given nor received help.

• Sharing or describing exams or exam questions with or in the presence of any student who has not yet taken that exam is a violation of the honor code.

• Working together or sharing information in any way during an exam is a violation of the honor code.

• Misrepresenting yourself or failing to cite sources of work not your own is a violation of the honor code.

• Sending, receiving, posting, reading, viewing, comparing, or otherwise copying electronic files that are part of course assignments is not allowed except when explicitly allowed in assignment instructions.

If an infraction of the honor code is detected, it may result in a zero grade and may also be submitted to the Honor Committee if that is appropriate.

LNEC and Other Special Circumstances

If you have been identified as a Learning Needs Evaluation Center (LNEC) student, please let the Center know you are taking this class. If you suspect you should be an LNEC student, please schedule an appointment with them for an evaluation. We happily and discretely provide the recommended accommodations for those students identified by the LNEC, provided we are given at least a week's notice to make the needed accommodations.

Website: http://www.virginia.edu/studenthealth/lnec.html

If you have other special circumstances (athletics, other university-related activities, etc.) please contact your instructor as soon as you know these may affect you in class.