CS1336.502 Course Syllabus
Fall Semester, 2009
Last Updated : 8/23/2008
Course
Numbers:
CS 1336.502 MW from 7:00pm - 8:15pm in ECSS 2.415
Course
Title:
Introduction to
Computer Science
Credit
Hours:
3
Semester:
Fall, 2009
Instructor:
John Cole
Office: ECSS 3.411
E-Mail: John.Cole@utdallas.edu
UTD HomePage: www.utdallas.edu/~John.Cole
Office
Hours:
Monday and Wednesday from 2:00 to 3:00 or
by appointment.
Teaching
Assistant:
TBA
Prerequisites:
None.
Testing Policy: Tests are open book and open notes, but
no computers, calculators or other electronics are allowed.
Course Objectives:
After
successful completion of this course, the student should have an:
1.
Ability to develop algorithmic solutions for use on computers
2.
Ability to express algorithmic solutions in a high level computer
language
3.
Ability to utilize fundamental programming structures - linear processing
4.
Ability to utilize fundamental programming structures - conditional processing
5.
Ability to utilize fundamental programming structures - loop processing
6.
Ability to process data in arrays
7.
Ability to develop programs in a functional/method form
8.
Ability to perform searches and sorts
9.
Ability to utilize reference variables
10.
Ability to manipulate character and string data
11.
Ability to perform sequential file input and output.
Textbook:
Starting Out with Java, From Control Structures through
Objects, Fourth Edition, by Tony Gaddis, Addison Wesley
There will be regularly assigned
reading and homework problems. The homework problems will require the
student to spend time programming a computer.
Programming assignments should be turned in by
means of WebCT. Assignment files contain:
A text copy of all source
code (.java)
A text copy of your algorithm(s) and UML diagrams, if any.
An executable version of your program.(.class)
You will also be required to hand in a printed copy of your program.
Programming assignments will be graded on a 100
point basis, utilizing the following criteria:
|
Program Design
|
25%
|
|
Program Execution
|
20%
|
|
Satisfaction of Specification
|
20%
|
|
Coding Style
|
15%
|
|
Comments
|
10%
|
|
Creativity
|
10%
|
Keep in mind that you
always want to write code that is easy to understand and is also easy to
maintain.
Course
& Instructor Policies:
Your grade will be based only on your test scores and
programming projects. Of course, if an arithmetic mistake was made in scoring,
I will correct it. Any requests for changes to scores must be made within 30
days after the day the graded material was returned to the class. Any request
for a grade change must be made within 60 days after the day that grades were
posted.
No extra work will be assigned nor will extra credit be
given for any extra work performed by a student.
Quizzes will not be announced and may not be made up.
All make-up exams are scheduled during final week at the
discretion of the instructor. Make-up
exams are only given to those students who coordinate the missing of an exam prior
to the originally scheduled exam date and time.
Late assignments will not be accepted. Assignments are due at the beginning of
class on the day shown on the assignment.
Thus it makes sense to get an early start on assignments.
Class attendance is recorded but not required except for
exam dates and times. There is a direct correlation between class
attendance and class performance. Those students who regularly attend
class tend to make significantly higher final grades than those who don’t.
Students are expected to be respectful to each other and
to the course instructor. Disruptive behavior in the class room is not
tolerated.
Each student in the class is encouraged to join/form a
study group. Members of each study should support one another in learning
and understanding the course material.
Projects and exams determine grades. All exams are
open book and open notes. The final grade will be composed as follows:
|
Programming Projects and quizzes
|
25%
|
|
Exam 1
|
25%
|
|
Exam 2
|
25%
|
|
Exam 3
|
25%
|
Letter grades will be assigned as follows: (I reserve the
right to make the scale easier than given here).
98-100
A+
92-97
A
90-91
A-
88-89
B+
82-87
B
80-81
B-
78-79
C+
72-77
C
70-71
C-
68-69
D+
62-67
D
60-61
D-
Below
60
F.
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.
No off-campus activities are scheduled.
Student Conduct &
Discipline
TheUniversity 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 University of
Texas
System , Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3,
and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. 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 (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).
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 University of Texas at Dallas
will excuse a student from class or other required activities for the travel to
and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship
are exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.
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.