| Course Instructor |
Dr. Jeff Gray
(gray@cis.uab.edu)
| Web: |
http://www.cis.uab.edu/gray
|
| Office: |
CH 126 |
| Phone: |
(205) 934-8643 |
| Office Hours: |
I can set aside a larger span of time if you send me
an email to request an appointment time.
|
|
| Lab Instructor |
David O'Gwynn
( dogwynn@cis.uab.edu)
|
| Course Session |
Thursday 4:00pm-5:15pm CH 145 |
| Lab Session |
Mon 3:30pm-5:20pm CH 145 |
| Links |
|
| Prerequisite |
No course pre-requisites; general familiarity with Windows
assumed
|
| Description |
This course provides an introduction to computer programming
for students with no previous programming experience. Topics
include simple data types, control structures; an
introduction to array and string data structures and
algorithms; recursion; event driven-programming; multimedia
and simple animation; basic software development and
modularity. Laboratory component in context of object-based
programming language. One hour per lecture. Two hours per
laboratory.
|
| Objectives |
-
Basic process of writing a computer program
(requirements, design, implementation)
-
Terminology of object oriented programming: objects,
methods, properties, and inheritance.
-
Fundamentals of algorithm design: functions, control
structures, if/else, loops, recursion, basic concurrency
-
Elements of interactive programming: event handling
-
Basic data structures: lists, arrays
|
| Textbook |
Starting out with Alice, Tony Gaddis, Addison-Wesley, 2007.
|
| Grading Policy |
| Attendance/Participation: |
5% overall |
| Weekly Quizzes: |
5% overall |
| Homework: |
15% overall |
| Term Project: |
20% overall |
| Lab Exams (2): |
10% each |
| Tests (2): |
10% each |
| Final Exam: |
15% |
All tests, lab exams and final exam are mandatory. All
travel should be scheduled around projected exam dates. No
make-up exams.
|
| Late Submission |
-
All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the
due date. Any assignment turned in after this deadline
is considered late. Late assignments will lose 10% for
every 24-hour period, up to a maximum of 50% (weekends
and holidays count as one 24-hour period).
-
All assignments must be turned in even if they are
late. Failure to submit any assignment will result in a
grade of ‘F’.
|
| Quizzes |
There will be a total of 8 quizzes. You will be able to drop
the lowest score (that is, only the top 7 scores will count
toward your overall quiz grade). There will be NO makeup
quizzes, unless you give me over a week’s advanced notice
with a good reason (e.g., medical emergency). Requests for
make-up quizzes, after the fact, will be denied and you will
receive a zero for missing a quiz without a valid excuse.
|
| Lab Policy |
- The lab class will start meeting on August 26, 2008.
- Attendance is mandatory for the lab. Attendance for
lectures and labs will count as 5% of your overall
grade.
- Students must attend the lab during lab exams. There
will be NO make-up lab exams.
- The laboratory instructor will provide the laboratory
policy and procedures.
- A separate web page with laboratory syllabus and
example programs will be provided on the lab web
page.
|
| Class Conduct |
- Students are expected to conduct themselves in a
professional manner.
- Laptops will be allowed only for the purpose of the
class.
- During a lecture, students may not log into a machine
and do work that is not directly related to the topic of
the current lecture.
- Students must turn their cell phones/pagers OFF during
the class.
|
| Class Attendance |
-
Attendance is mandatory for the lecture portion of this
course. If you know you will be absent for a legitimate
reason, let the instructor know. If you are sick, bring
a doctor’s excuse or a written university excuse to
resolve the absences. An absence has to be resolved as
soon as possible - otherwise it will be treated as an
unexcused absence. Students will receive a penalty of
two percentage points on the final grade for each
unexcused absence beyond the third absence (excused or
unexcused).
-
Students auditing this course are expected to attend the
lectures. Auditing students with more than three
unexcused absences will receive a failing grade.
-
There will be NO make-ups for tests. If you miss a test
for a legitimate reason, your final exam grade will
replace that test grade. If the absence is unexcused,
you will be assigned 0 for the test. A student
anticipating an excused absence for the final exam
should make arrangements in advance to take the exam at
another time.
|
| Academic Honesty |
Students who plagiarize a computer program (or parts of a
program), get others to write a program (or parts of a
program), or are found cheating on an exam, will be reported
for academic dishonesty. Anyone who is caught cheating will
receive a 0 on a given test or assignment. If a second
offense occurs, the student will receive an F in the
class. This includes both the provider of the information as
well as the receiver of the information. Any student who
violates the university's academic honesty policy will be
reported for academic discipline. All university and
department policies related to students are included here by
implication.
|
| Add/Drop Policy |
-
A student can add/drop the course through August 26, 2008.
-
A student can withdraw with a "W" by October 17, 2008.
-
For more details about add/drop policies check with
Registration/Academic Records.
|
| E-mail |
Every student will be required to use his/her official email
address (that is, blazerid@uab.edu). New students must login
and configure their email addresses. For more details on
obtaining a blazerid and configuring email, please see:
http://www.uab.edu/blazerid.
All email communications will be made using this
address. Additional instructions or announcements will be
sent by e-mail, so check your mail often - at least twice a
day (once in the morning and once at night). Also, check the
course webpage for up-to-date information and
announcements. The instructor will check email frequently;
e-mail is often the best way to contact the instructor.
|
| Date | Topics | Description |
| August 20 |
Introduction to Course
Why Study Computer Science?
Example Alice Movies and Games
|
|
| 27 |
1: Introduction to Alice and Objects
|
|
| Sep 3 |
2: Programming in Alice
|
Quiz 1
|
| 10 |
3: Variables, Functions, Math and Strings
|
Quiz 2; HW-1 Assigned
|
| 17 |
4: Decision and Repetition Structures
|
Quiz 3 |
| 24 |
5: Methods, Functions, and More Variables
|
Quiz 4; HW-1 Due
|
| Oct 1 |
5: Methods, Functions, and More Variables
|
Quiz 5; HW-2 Assigned
|
| 8 |
EXAM 1
|
|
| 15 |
NO CLASS - FALL BREAK
|
|
| 22 |
6: Events
|
Quiz 6; HW-2 Due; Jeff out of town
|
| 29 |
7: Lists and Arrays
|
Quiz 7; HW-3 Assigned
|
| Nov 5 |
8:Recursion
|
|
| 12 |
Catchup time
Advanced Topics in Alice
|
Quiz 8; HW-3 Due
|
| 19 |
EXAM 2
|
|
| 26 |
THANKSGIVING BREAK: NO CLASS |
|
| Dec 3 |
Project Presentations |
|