Radford Department of Information Technology

Syllabus • ITEC 109 Problem Solving and Programming • Spring 2018

intro | sections | text | topics | goals | exams | homework | quizzes | labs | responsibilities | assessment | attendance | courtesy | honor code | disabilities | changes | emergency | expectations | schedule

Instructor: Don Braffitt
Office: 015 Davis (until May-2018)
E-mail: dbraffitt@radford.edu
Phone: 540.831.5072 (until May-2018)
Office hours: Mon/Wed 9:30-10:45am (015 Davis and online), Thu 3-4pm (online only), Fri 4-5pm (online only), and by appointment
Instructor home page: http://www.radford.edu/dbraffitt/
Peer instructors home page: http://www.radford.edu/~asbrennem/peer/index.html (Carlie Addicks, Chris Rand, Cassidy Sowards)
Syllabus: http://www.radford.edu/~dbraffitt/itec109/2018/spring/
Desire2Learn (D2L): https://learn.radford.edu/d2l/home/122610

Radford University, Department of Information Technology
ITEC 109. Problem Solving and Programming.
Credit Hours: (3)
An introduction to problem solving using programming. Topics include a survey of techniques used in problem solving, methods for representing the solution of a problem as an algorithm and the implementation of an algorithm as a computer program. Students who have received credit for ITEC 120 cannot subsequently receive credit for ITEC 109. ITEC 109 does not meet requirements for majors in Information Technology.
ITEC 109 official course description.

Prerequisite: None.

Postrequisite: ITEC 109 serves as a prerequisite for MATH 434 (Numerical Analysis I). ITEC 109 ("C" or better) serves as a prerequisite for ITEC 120 (Principles of Computer Science I), ITEC 226 (Digital Imaging for the Web), and ITEC 227 (Animation for the Web). ITEC 109 ("B" or better) has proven to be a better indicator for subsequent success in ITEC 120.

Program requirement: ITEC 109 serves as a program requirement (along with ITEC 120) for the Mathematics major concentrations in Applied Mathematics and Statistics. ITEC 109 can satisfy a B.S. requirement for the Anthropological Sciences major.

Minors: ITEC 109 qualifies for 3 credits of the required coursework for two of the three Information Technology department minors.

Transfer equivalents: ITEC 109 credit can also be obtained through a "C" or better on the Computing (A-Level) Cambridge International Examination.

Course Sections  toptop

Text, Online Materials, ITEC Tutors/PIs, labs, LARC, other links  toptop

Textbook cover

Topics  toptop

Except for inheritance and polymorphism, these course topics cover the material in ACM's suggested Programming Fundamentals topics in Computing Curricula 2005.

Goals and Objectives  toptop

Students successfully completing ITEC 109 will be able to do the following:

Exams  toptop

Exams will be completed via D2L in 114 Davis. Students are expected to submit their own work for all exams. There will be two 75 minute in-class exams during the semester in addition to a 120 minute in-class final exam during final exam week. Exams will be worth 45% of the final grade. Exams are closed-book and closed-notes.

All exams are cumulative based on the material covered up through that point in the semester.

Homework, Quizzes, and Labs  toptop

Labs and homework will be completed using Java with BlueJ and submitted via D2L. You may use lab computers or your own computers to complete labs and homework. Quizzes will be completed via D2L. Students are expected to submit their own work for all homework and quizzes by the due date. You may not submit any portion of a solution to a lab problem or a homework problem that you find via a web search. If you get any help in solving a homework problem, include the source of that help (instructor name, ITEC tutor name, LARC tutor name) in your header comments. If you get no outside help in solving a homework problem, you must state that in your header comments. If you work together with another student to solve a lab problem, include the source of that help in your header comments.

Lab work must be submitted in lab.

Homework and quiz submissions are due Sat at 8pm.

There will be a total of 10 homework assignments due Sat at 8pm as detailed in the schedule below. There will be a total of 14 quizzes due Sat at 8pm as detailed in the schedule below. Quizzes are open-book and open-notes and unlimited retries. Labs, homework, and quizzes will help prepare students for exams.

Student Responsibilities  toptop

Students are responsible for the information that is included in the assigned readings, lectures, labs, discussions, homework, quizzes, and any additional information discussed in class or posted in D2L. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the instructor's office hours, the ITEC tutor hours, and the online supplementary materials provided by the textbook publisher and the textbook author. The best preparation for exams is to complete readings, labs, homework, and quizzes, and to participate in class and via D2L by asking questions and participating in discussions.

Excused absences for class attendance are usually granted in cases such as emergency, illness, religious holiday, jury duty, Radford-sponsored travel, or other Radford-related activities (i.e. internship and job interviews) that may cause a student to miss a class provided the student notifies the instructor via email prior to the class absence and the student provides the instructor with any requested documentation for the absence. With your request for an excused absence, include a plan for how you will obtain notes for the class material you will miss and when you will be submitting your lab work if you are requesting an excused absence for lab attendance. Students should notify the instructor 48 hours prior to missing an exam to make alternate arrangements for a makeup exam. All required class work must be submitted via D2L by the due date whether or not a student has an excused absence for a particular class. Students are granted at most one unexcused absence per week (see details below for the grade impact for any unexcused absences).

No late work will be accepted. There are no time extensions for work submissions. No work submitted via email will be accepted. There is no extra credit work.

Assessment  toptop

The assessment will be weighted as follows:

Two or more unexcused absences in a week will result in grade of 0 for homework for that week.

All three exams will include some material drawn from the topics discussed in class, some of which will be beyond the specific textbook content.

The assessment will be according to the following scale: 

    A  = 90% to 100%
    A- = 87% to  89%
    B+ = 84% to  86%
    B  = 80% to  83%
    B- = 77% to  79%
    C+ = 74% to  76%
    C  = 70% to  73%
    C- = 67% to  69%
    D+ = 64% to  66%
    D  = 60% to  63%
    D- = 57% to  59%
    F  = 56% and below

During the semester, grades will be provided to students via D2L. Any questions about a particular grade must be resolved via email by Mon 8pm after that grade is posted in D2L.

Attendance and Participation  toptop

Class attendance is required for students to receive full credit for labs and class attendance. Absences (excused or otherwise) do not relieve students from the responsibility for subject matter missed or exams, homework, quizzes, or lab work to be completed. If the university cancels class for any reason such as inclement weather, the assigned work for the week is still due as specified in the syllabus and D2L.

The 20% labs and class attendance portion of the student grade is based primarily on effort and completion of lab projects. Attendance for any class session is defined as student presence and participation for at least 90% of a class (lecture and lab).

In the lab, students learn, with faculty and peer instructor/tutor guidance, to solve programming problems and to implement their solutions. Students are also required to solve, code, test, and debug problems without direct faculty or peer instructor/tutor guidance.

Two or more unexcused absences in a week will in addition result in a grade of 0 for weekly homework for that week.

Class Courtesy Policy  toptop

Please set cell phones, pagers, and notebook computers to silent during class. Students are encouraged to bring computers to all ITEC 109 classes. Computers should primarily be used for work relevant to ITEC 109 during ITEC 109 classes. Please refrain from any activities while in class that would be disruptive to the class.

Honor Code  toptop

In accepting admission to Radford University, each student makes a commitment to support and uphold the Honor Code without compromise or exception. Violations of this academic integrity will not be tolerated. Refer to your Student Handbook for details. This class will be conducted in strict observance of the Honor Code. All work you submit for a grade must be your own work (except as noted below) including

You may work together on the lab problems, but you must still make every effort to ensure you understand the finished product, and you must submit your own version of any lab problem. You may ask for help on homework from an instructor or tutor, but you must document in your Java source comments any help you receive on homework problems, and you must include a statement on outside help on all homework submissions, even if you received no outside help. You may not submit any portions of lab problem and homework problem solutions you find on the web. You are responsible for understanding your work. You cannot learn how to program and solve problems using Java unless you complete the lab work and complete the homework programming assignments. You need to be able to understand and explain the code you submit for a grade.

Ask the instructor if you have any questions about what resources you may use to complete lab problems or homework problems.

Students With Disabilities  toptop

If you are seeking academic accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act at Radford University, you are required to register with the Center for Accessibility Services (CAS). To receive academic accommodations for this class, please submit your documentation to the CAS in Russell Hall suites 301-327, by fax to 540.831.6525, or by email to cas@radford.edu. After submitting documentation to the CAS office, you will set up an interview with an Accessibility Services Specialist to discuss accommodations. You will be notified via email once your accommodation package is complete and ready to be picked up. Once you have picked up your accommodation package, you will need to meet with each course instructor during their office hours to review and discuss your package. For more information and/or for documentation guidelines, visit http://www.radford.edu/content/cas/home.html or call 540.831.6350.

Changes to Course Syllabus or Class Schedule  toptop

All changes to either the course syllabus or the class schedule will be posted in D2L and usually announced in class. Students are responsible for any announced changes even if absent or tardy when the announcements are made. Sometimes changes will be posted in D2L prior to a class announcement (e.g., schedule adjustments if the university closes due to inclement weather or an emergency).

In Case of Emergency  toptop

In the event of a university-wide emergency, course requirements, classes, deadlines, and grading policies and procedures are subject to change. Potential changes that could occur include alternative delivery methods, alternative methods of interaction with the instructor, accessing class materials and/or classmates, a revised attendance policy, and a revised semester calendar and/or grading schedule. In the event of a university-wide emergency, please refer to the course materials in D2L.

Course Expectations  toptop

Schedule  toptop

Class starts Tue 16-Jan in 114 Davis.
Fri 30-Mar (end of 10th week of classes) is the last date to withdraw from an individual class with a grade of W.
Topics Text Homework
(due Sat 8pm)		 Quizzes
(due Sat 8pm)		 Lab
(114 Davis)		 Exams
(114 Davis)
Week 1
16-Jan		 Introduction Chapter 1 Quiz 1 Lab 1-x
Week 2
22-Jan		 Fundamental Data Types Chapter 2 Homework 2 Quiz 2 Lab 2-x
Week 3
29-Jan		 Fundamental Data Types Chapter 2 Homework 3 Quiz 3 Lab 3-x
Week 4
05-Feb		 Decisions Chapter 3 Homework 4 Quiz 4 Lab 4-x
Week 5
12-Feb		 Decisions Chapter 3 Quiz 5 Lab 5-x Exam 5
(Thu 15-Feb)
Week 6
19-Feb		 Loops Chapter 4 Homework 6 Quiz 6 Lab 6-x
Week 7
26-Feb		 Loops Chapter 4 Homework 7 Quiz 7 Lab 7-x
Spring Break
05-Mar		 Spring Break week
Week 8
12-Mar		 Methods Chapter 5 Homework 8 Quiz 8 Lab 8-x
Week 9
19-Mar		 Methods Chapter 5 Homework 9 Quiz 9 Lab 9-x
Week 10
26-Mar		 Methods Chapter 5 Quiz 10 Lab 10-x Exam 10
(Thu 29-Mar)
Week 11
02-Apr		 Arrays Chapter 6 Homework 11 Quiz 11 Lab 11-x
Week 12
09-Apr		 Arrays Chapter 6 Homework 12 Quiz 12 Lab 12-x
Week 13
16-Apr		 Objects and Classes Chapter 8 Homework 13 Quiz 13 Lab 13-x
Week 14
23-Apr		 Objects and Classes Chapter 8 Quiz 14 Lab 14-x
Final Exam
01-May		 Final Exam week Final Exam
(Tue 01-May)

Revised: 15-Jan-2018   Don Braffitt Home   ITEC 109 Home   ITEC Home   Artis CSAT Home   Radford Home   toptop