Course Syllabus
Course Information
CS 3149 Competitive Learning in
Computer Science
Professor Contact Information
Ivor Page, ECS 4.410, ivor@utdallas.edu
Office Hours:
Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites,
and/or Other Restrictions
CS 2336 and
CS 3305
Course Description
This is a one-hour course that can be repeated twice for a total of three
credit hours. We will learn how to solve programming problems of the kind that
occur in ACM ICPC programming contests: http://icpc.baylor.edu/icpc/
We will start with problems requiring only basic programming techniques without need of complex algorithms and build our techniques using problems that require numerical techniques, sorting, graph traversals, shortest paths, backtracking, network flow, geometric techniques, dynamic programming and other algorithmic techniques. The idea is that, “You are only as good as the set of problems that you have solved.” We will use the online judge at: http://icpcres.ecs.baylor.edu/onlinejudge/
We will study problems and their
solutions together in class and then you will be assigned weekly problems
according to your skill level and experience. All students will have access to
each other’s working solutions so that each of you can all build a portfolio of
working solutions. During the course, all students must participate in at least
two UTD programming contests. These are usually held on Saturdays, every couple
of weeks, from 1-6pm.
Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes
Ability to analyze and understand
problems and use a subset of the following techniques, depending on the each
student’s ability:
Required Textbooks and Materials:
Steven S. Skiena and Riguel A.
Revilla, Programming Challenges,
Springer.
ISBN
978-0-387-00163-8
Suggested Additional Course Materials
See
audio files and notes on the website for the textbook (click on “Audio
lectures”):
http://www.programming-challenges.com/pg.php?page=index
Any
good book on Java 1.6 and any good data structures text. For most students,
Weiss, Data Structures and Algorithm
Analysis in Java, is a good start (used in CS 3345). For the most advanced
students, the following is the best book (known as CRLS.) It’s not an easy
read: Cormen, Rivest, Leiserson, Stein, Introduction to Algorithms, 2ND, Edition (used in CS 4349 and CS 6363). Buy it online
for under $30.
Assignments & Academic Calendar
(Topics, Reading
Assignments, Due Dates, Exam Dates)
We will not keep to the
following schedule. It’s just a guide.
Week 1: Preparing solutions for the
online judge, basic Java stuff, our fist problem.
Week 2: Simple integer problems and
direct programming techniques.
Week 3: Dynamic Programming
techniques.
Week 4: Stacks, queues, data
dictionaries, sets, and Java’s collections classes.
Week 5,6: String processing,
pagination, searching, matching, etc.
Week 7: Sorting algorithms and Java’s
sort function
Week 8: Arithmetic, bases,
conversion, rational numbers, real numbers, root finding, Java’s BigInteger
package.
Week 9: Combinatorics, sequences
and series, counting, binomial coefficients.
Week 10: Number Theory, primes,
counting primes, GCD, LCM.
Week 11: Backtracking, all subsets,
all permutations.
Week 12: Graphs, traversals, DFS,
BFS, finding paths, finding cycles.
Week 13,14: Graph Algorithms,
shortest path algorithms, network flow, bipartite matching.
Week15: Geometric problems, lines,
polygons, circles, intersections, point containment, convex hulls. Areas,
Pick’s theorem.
Test Dates:
No tests, but weekly projects.
Grading Policy
(including percentages for assignments, grade scale, etc.)
Each student will attempt to solve
at least 8 problems assigned in class. Each student will also take part in at
least two UTD programming contests. Grading will be liberal based mainly of
effort. The number of problems solved and number of submissions will be used
amongst other factors.
Course & Instructor Policies
(make-up exams, extra
credit, late work, special assignments, class attendance, classroom
citizenship, etc.)
No exams, so no makeup exams. Assignments must be submitted on time. Lateness penalty will be 5% per day.
Field Trip Policies
Off-campus Instruction and Course
Activities
Off-campus,
out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law
and University policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related
activities. Information regarding these rules
and regulations may be found at the website address http://www.utdallas.edu/BusinessAffairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm. Additional information is available from the office
of the school dean. Below is a
description of any travel and/or risk-related activity associated with this
course.
Student Conduct & Discipline
The University of Texas System and The
University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations for the orderly and
efficient conduct of their business. It
is the responsibility of each student and each student organization to be
knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and
activities. General information on
student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all
registered students each academic year.
The University of Texas at Dallas administers
student discipline within the procedures of recognized and established due
process. Procedures are defined and
described in the Rules and Regulations,
Board of Regents, The
A student at the university neither loses the
rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship. He or she is expected to obey federal, state,
and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and
administrative rules. Students are
subject to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such
conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties
are also imposed for such conduct.
Academic Integrity
The faculty expects from its students a high
level of responsibility and academic honesty.
Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute
integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is imperative
that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her
scholastic work.
Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not
limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to applications for
enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or
material that is not one’s own. As a
general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or
falsifying academic records. Students
suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings.
Plagiarism, especially from the web, from
portions of papers for other classes, and from any other source is unacceptable
and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see general
catalog for details). This course will
use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible
plagiarism and is over 90% effective.
Email Use
The University of Texas at
Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between
faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email
raises some issues concerning security and the identity of each individual in
an email exchange. The university
encourages all official student email correspondence be sent only to a
student’s U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty and staff consider email
from students official only if it originates from a UTD student account. This
allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity
of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted
information. UTD furnishes each student
with a free email account that is to be used in all communication with
university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T. Dallas
provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to
other accounts.
Withdrawal from Class
The
administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any
college-level courses. These dates and times are published in that semester's
course catalog. Administration procedures must be followed. It is the student's
responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other
words, I cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork
to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of "F" in a course
if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.
Student Grievance Procedures
Procedures for student grievances
are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities, of the
university’s Handbook of Operating
Procedures.
In attempting to resolve any student
grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments of academic
responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious
effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or
committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter called “the
respondent”). Individual faculty members
retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that
level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy
of the respondent’s School Dean. If the
matter is not resolved by the written response provided by the respondent, the
student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is not resolved by the
School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean of
Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an
Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of
the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The
results of the academic appeals process will be distributed to all involved
parties.
Copies of these rules and
regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students,
where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules
and regulations.
Incomplete Grade Policy
As per university policy, incomplete
grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at the semester’s end
and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade must be resolved within
eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the required work to complete the course
and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline,
the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.
Disability Services
The goal of Disability Services is
to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities equal to those
of their non-disabled peers. Disability
Services is located in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30
a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday,
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The contact information for the
Office of Disability Services is:
The University of Texas at Dallas,
SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)
Essentially, the law requires that
colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments necessary to
eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may be necessary to remove
classroom prohibitions against tape recorders or animals (in the case of dog
guides) for students who are blind.
Occasionally an assignment requirement may be substituted (for example,
a research paper versus an oral presentation for a student who is hearing
impaired). Classes enrolled students
with mobility impairments may have to be rescheduled in accessible
facilities. The college or university
may need to provide special services such as registration, note-taking, or
mobility assistance.
It is the student’s responsibility
to notify his or her professors of the need for such an accommodation. Disability Services provides students with
letters to present to faculty members to verify that the student has a
disability and needs accommodations.
Individuals requiring special accommodation should contact the professor
after class or during office hours.
Religious Holy Days
The
The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity
sponsor as soon as possible regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the
assignment. The student, so excused,
will be allowed to take the exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable
time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a
maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any
missed exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who
fails to complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed period may
receive a failing grade for that exam or assignment.
If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the
absence [i.e., for the purpose of observing a religious holy day] or if there
is similar disagreement about whether the student has been given a reasonable
time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the student or
the instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the
institution, or his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee
must take into account the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student
and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief executive officer or
designee.
These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the
discretion of the Professor.