Syllabus • ITEC 120 Principles of Computer Science I • Spring 2012
intro |
sections |
text |
topics |
goals |
labs |
homework |
quizzes |
exams |
responsibilities |
assessment |
attendance |
courtesy |
honor code |
disabilities |
changes |
emergency |
expectations |
schedule
Instructor: Don Braffitt
Office: 015
Davis
E-mail:
dbraffitt@radford.edu
Phone: 540.831.5072
Office: Mon/Wed/Fri Noon-1pm, Mon 3-4pm, Tue 11am-Noon, and by appointment
Lunch: Usually Mon/Wed/Fri 11-11:30am Dalton Dining Hall
Instructor home page:
http://www.radford.edu/dbraffitt/
Syllabus:
http://www.radford.edu/~dbraffitt/itec120/2012/spring/
Desire2Learn (D2L):
https://learn.radford.edu/d2l/lp/homepage/home.d2l?ou=20870
MyProgrammingLab (MPL - based on CodeLab):
http://www.myprogramminglab.com/
Radford University, Department of Information Technology
ITEC 120. Principles of Computer Science I. (4)
Three hours lecture; two hours laboratory; four credit hours
ITEC 120 is a rigorous, systematic approach to object-oriented problem solving and programming.
Prerequisite: None. Students with no
prior programming experience are advised to take
ITEC 109 prior to ITEC 120. Students with no pre-calculus mathematics background are
advised to take a course similar to
MATH 138 prior to ITEC 120.
Postrequisite: You must earn a grade of C or better in
this course before you can continue with most subsequent ITEC courses (the
typical next course for ITEC majors is
ITEC 220).
Minors: ITEC 120 qualifies for 4 credits of the required coursework for any one of
the ITEC minors. See the undergraduate catalog for specific details on required courses and GPA for
the ITEC minors.
Course Sections
top
- ITEC 120-01
- Lecture: 212 Davis Mon/Wed/Fri 9-9:50am
- Lab: 225 Davis Tue/Thu 9-9:50am
- Exams: 225 Davis Thu 16-Feb 9-9:50am (Exam 1), Thu 29-Mar 9-9:50am (Exam 2), Wed 02-May 12:30-2:30pm (Final Exam)
- ITEC 120-02
- Lecture: 212 Davis Mon/Wed/Fri 10-10:50am
- Lab: 225 Davis Tue/Thu 10-10:50am
- Exams: 225 Davis Thu 16-Feb 10-10:50am (Exam 1), Thu 29-Mar 10-10:50am (Exam 2), Thu 03-May 8-10am (Final Exam)
- Note: Final exams follow the Tue/Thu exam schedule (first two slots) and are in the Tue/Thu lab
Text, Online Materials, ITEC Tutors/PIs, labs, LARC, other links
top
Topics
top
- Fundamental constructs (primitive types, variables, I/O, conditionals, loops, methods)
- Processing strings and arrays of primitive and reference types
- Testing and debugging
- Terminal input and output
- Object-oriented programming techniques (methods, fields; getters, setters, mutators; introduction to subclasses)
- Algorithmic problem solving
- Introduction to algorithms (linear search; an example of sorting)
Goals and Objectives
top
Students successfully completing ITEC 120 will be able to do the following:
- Design, implement, test, and debug a program in an object-oriented
language that uses each of the following fundamental programming
constructs: basic computation, simple I/O, standard conditional and
iterative structures, method and constructors.
- Apply the techniques of structured (functional) decomposition to
break a program into smaller pieces, and describe the mechanics of
passing parameters by value.
- Choose the appropriate data types (primitive types, strings, objects
and arrays thereof), for modeling a given problem.
- Write methods with parameters and return types that are primitive
types, strings, objects, or arrays thereof.
- Test and debug programs by: Developing test cases and writing
a separate driver class to test the methods of a class;
desk-checking individual methods; inserting relevant print statements to
discover program behavior.
- Answer basic questions about professional and ethical considerations,
information privacy, and acceptable use policies for computing in the
workplace.
Labs, Homework, and Quizzes
top
Labs and homework will be completed using Java in three environments (MPL,
rucs.radford.edu, and BlueJ) and submitted via MPL and D2L. Quizzes
will be completed via D2L. Students are expected to submit their own
work for all homework and quizzes by the due date.
Homework and quiz submissions are due Fridays at 8pm.
There will be a total of 10 homework assignments due Fridays at 8pm as
detailed in the schedule below. Each homework grade counts 3% of the
final grade. There will be a total of 12 quizzes, one a week on non-exam
weeks. Each quiz grade counts 1% of the final grade. Thus the homework
and quizzes given throughout the course will be worth 42% of the final
grade. Homework and quizzes will also help prepare students for exams.
Exams will be completed via D2L in 225 Davis. Students are expected to
submit their own work for all exams. There will be two 50 minute
in-class exams during the semester in addition to a 120 minute in-class
comprehensive final exam during final exam week. Exams will be worth 45%
of the final grade. Exams are closed-book and closed-notes.
Student Responsibilities
top
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 authors. 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 are granted in cases of emergency, illness, religious
holiday, or RU-sponsored travel or other RU-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
absence. 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 and MPL by the due date whether or
not a student has an excused absence for a particular class.
Assessment
top
The assessment will be weighted as follows:
- 30% Homework (3% each for 10 homework programming assignments)
- 12% Quizzes (1% each for 12 weekly quizzes)
- 13% Participation (1% for each week of classes except for the last week which is extra credit)
- 10% Exam 1 (Thu 16-Feb)
- 10% Exam 2 (Thu 29-Mar)
- 25% Final Exam (ITEC 120-01: Wed 02-May 12:30-2:30pm; ITEC 120-02: Thu 03-May 8-10am)
All three exams will include some material drawn from the material
discussed in class, some of which will be beyond the specific textbook
material.
The assessment will be according to the following scale:
- A = 90% to 100%
- B = 80% to 89%
- C = 70% to 79%
- D = 60% to 69%
- F = 59% and below
During the semester, grades will be provided to students via D2L.
Attendance and Participation
top
Class attendance is required for students to receive full class
participation credit. Absences (excused or otherwise) do not relieve
students from the responsibility for subject matter missed or homework,
quizzes, or online class participation 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 13% participation portion of the student grade is based primarily on
effort and completion of lab projects and is weighted 1% each week
(except for the last week which is extra credit) based primarily on
- Class attendance and participation during lecture sessions
- Class attendance during lab sessions and completion of lab projects
- Reading of assigned text materials and other selected course information in D2L
Class attendance for class sessions and other weekly class participation
work will be recorded via a D2L assessment which each student
completes each week. Attendance for any class session is defined as
student presence and participation for at least 90% of a class.
Final weekly class participation submissions are due Fridays at 8pm, but students are
required to also submit class participation work at the conclusion of Tuesday and
Thursday lab sessions.
Class lecture and discussion sessions will present and explain problem solving
techniques and standard algorithms, illustrated with examples. In the laboratory,
students will learn, with faculty guidance, to solve programming problems and to
implement their solutions. Students will be required to solve, code, test, and debug
problems without direct faculty guidance.
Class Courtesy Policy
top
Please set cell phones, pagers, and notebook computers to silent during
class. Students are encouraged to bring computers to all ITEC 120 classes.
Computers should primarily be used for work relevant to ITEC 120
during ITEC 120 classes. Please refrain from any activities while in
class that would be disruptive to the class.
Honor Code
top
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. Each of these classes will
be conducted in strict observance of the Honor Code. All work you submit
for a grade must be your own work including
- Programming assignments
- Quizzes and exams
You may work together on the labs, but you must still make every effort to
ensure you understand the finished product. You are responsible for understanding
your work. You cannot learn how to program using Java unless you do the programming assignments.
You need to be able to understand and explain the code you submit for a grade.
Students With Disabilities
top
A student seeking classroom accommodations under the Americans
with Disabilities Act is required to register with the Disability
Resource Office (DRO). The DRO is located on the first floor of Tyler
Hall, phone number 540.831.6350. To receive academic
accommodations for this class, a student should obtain the proper DRO
forms and meet with the instructor at the beginning of the semester.
Changes to Course Syllabus or Class Schedule
top
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
top
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
top
- Many students find this to be a difficult course.
For success, you must be strong in the fundamentals.
- Start your assignments early. Give yourself time
to learn new concepts and deal with problems.
- Don't get behind. The material is cumulative and
many find catching up almost impossible. Stay ahead.
- Solve problems by applying the concepts and principles
presented in class. The goal of this class is not to teach you
how to solve specific problems. This class will help you build a
foundation that will enable you to solve many types of problem related
to the concepts and principles covered in class.
Schedule
top
