CS 40 (Section 1): Introduction to Computers, Fall 2009

Course Website

Description

This course is a gentle introduction to computing and computers for those with little or no programming experience.

When you complete this course, you will

• learn enough programming to be dangerous (i.e. light-to-medium duty programming that is useful for any major)
• gain an appreciation of what computer scientists do, and whether a CS major is right for you
• study the impact of computing on society (viruses, e-voting machines, use and abuse of artificial intelligence, etc. etc.)
• have fun programming with animations, images, sounds, and games

For the official catalog description, please visit http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/catalog/departments/CS-courses.html.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites. No prior computer or programming experience is required.

Textbook

There is no required text. The following two books are recommended.

1. Dann/Cooper/Pausch: Learning to Program with Alice, Brief Edition, ISBN 0-13-239775-9

2. Guzdial/Ericson: Introduction to Computing and Programming, A Multimedia Approach, ISBN 0-13-149698-0. (Check out these interesting quotes from students who took Gudzial's course.). Support web site: http://coweb.cc.gatech.edu/mediaComp-plan/101.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, the successful student will be able to

• Write simple programs involving branches, loops, method calls, and the use of predefined classes
• Reason informally about speed and resource requirements of simple computer programs
• Demonstrate an understanding of the architecture of a computer
• Critically examine media reports about computing issues that impact society

Course Requirements

Exams

Two in-class exams (20% ,10% per exam). Exams cannot be made up, except for reasons of illness, as certified by a doctor, or documentable extreme emergency. Makeup exams may be oral.

Programming Assignments

Approximately eight assignments (40%, 5% per assignment). Schedule your time well to protect yourself against unexpected problems. I suggest you ignore the official deadlines and complete the assignments 48 hours earlier.

Project

One team project (3-4 members per team). You may choose to develop a program or do research on a computing issue with societal impact. (15%)

Final

(25%)

Class Attendance

Class attendance is not optional. I expect each student to be present, punctual, and prepared at every scheduled class.

Grading Policy

Exams and the final are curved and given letter grades with + or -. Each graded task (assignment, etc.) is graded as a letter grade (without + or -), using the following scale.

A = all (or almost all) of the task solved and delivered in a professional manner
B = most of the task solved, but at least one key issue missing, or significant issues with delivery
C = some of the task solved, with at least half of the key issues resolved, but at least two key issues missing
D = a solution has been attempted, with at least one but but less than half of the key issues resolved
F = no solution has been attempted, or the attempted solution did not resolve any of the key issues of the task

Letter grades are converted into number grades, weighted with the percentages given in the Course Requirements section, and the weighted average is converted into your class grade.

Late work is not accepted, and there is no extra credit or makeup work.

Miscellaneous Policies

Add Policy: There may be few add codes given out this semester, due to caps in department enrollment. I will randomly choose among add requests that I receive before the second class meeting time, and in the order of receipt thereafter, subject to priorities specified by the department and university (Graduating Seniors, with paperwork, first). If there is space, I will reply to your email with an add code. You must use your add code within 48 hours and email me to confirm that you added the class, or the add code will be reassigned to someone else.

Publicly Viewable Work: Your class work (including homework, exam, and project work) may be viewable by other students of this course. Your grades will not be viewable by others.

Copyright of Materials: All materials created by the instructor for this course, including lectures, handouts, homeworks, exams, solutions, projects, and so on, are copyrighted property of the instructor, or of Cay Horstmann (used with permission by the instructor). You may transscribe or record lectures or copy course materials for the use of yourself and other students registered in this course. You may not sell or give transscriptions or recordings of lectures or copies of course materials to others without the prior written consent of the instructor.

Academic Honesty