CSCI 201: Intro to Programming (Java)

Syllabus

Class Nbr.	1618
Meeting:	MWF,   10-10:50am   in SW1017
Labs:	Tu,   10-10:50am   in SW1017
Text:	Introduction to Java Programming by Y. Daniel Liang, 10th Ed.
Online:	JDK™ Documentation
Prerequisites:	Acceptable score on the Mathematics Placement Test or completion of an appropriate course. MATH 102 recommended
Instructor:	Dr. Sergei Bezrukov		Office:  Swenson 3022		Schedule and Office hours
	(715) 394-8523		sbezruko@uwsuper.edu

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Catalog Description

A first programming course for students with a serious interest in computing. Topics include: formal languages; data types and variables; control structures; primitive and reference data types; methods and modular programming; introduction to abstract data types and classes; simple algorithms; and programming conventions and style. Satisfies the Mathematics requirement for General Education. Lecture and lab.

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Course Objectives

• To review computer architecture and program design on Linux and Windows platforms.
• To provide an understanding of the essentials of programming languages on the example of Java.
• To give you practical experience of writing Java programs of intermediate complexity.
• To introduce graphical user interface design on example of Java applets.
• To improve your programming skills.

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Hardware and Software Requirements

• Hardware: (all computers in OM132 lab satisfy these requirements)
  • Computer with color monitor, CDROM drive, and mouse.
  • Minimum 256 Mb of memory, minimum 200 Mb free space on the hard disk.
  • Internet access (cable/DSL access is not required but recommended).
• Software: (all necessary software is installed in SW1017 lab)
  • Operating systems: Linux and Microsoft Windows XP/Vista/W7/8/10
  • Web browser:
    • recommended: Firefox    download   or
    • Microsoft Internet Explorer
  • Java™ Platform Standard Edition (SE):
    • JRE (Java Runtime Environment)
    • SDK (Software Development Kit)
    Note: SDK from oracle.com contains JRE and the browser plug-in;
    Note: All necessary Java software can also be installed from the CDROM supplied with the book.
  • Tools for communication with Linux server:
    • Windows: WinSCP and Putty
    • Linux/Unix: scp and ssh utilities must be installed.
    • Mac: MacSSH and MacSFTP

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Evaluation and Grading

• Scores and grade
  • The final grade for the course depends on the averaged score for home work assignments (this score is denoted by hw), scores for two midterm exams (denoted by ex₁ and ex₂), score for the final exam (ex₃), and some amount of bonus points.
  • The total score will be computed according to the formula:
    total score = (25*hw + 25*ex₁ + 25*ex₂ + 25*ex₃) / 100 + bonus
  • The total score will be translated into the final grade according to the following table:

    	A : 93 - 96	A- : 90 - 92
    B+ : 87 - 89	B : 83 - 86	B- : 80 - 82
    C+ : 77 - 79	C : 73 - 76	C- : 70 - 72
    D+ : 67 - 69	D : 63 - 66	D- : 60 - 62
    F : 0 - 59

• Assignments (25%)
  Take home exercises will be regularly assigned, collected, graded and returned. The students are allowed to discuss the problems in groups, however writings must be done strictly individually. Returning identical work is qualified as cheating (see below).
  • Maximum score for each assignment is 100 points.
  • For final grade purposes, the lowest of the assignment scores will be dropped if it is above 60% (this cannot decrease your average homework score).
  • If hw₁, hw₂, ... , hw₉ are the scores for these assignments (each number in the range 0 to 100), then the total score for the assignments is the average of these scores, that is
    hw = (hw₁ + hw₂ + ... + hw₉) / 9
    rounded off to the nearest integer from above.

• Labs
  Labs is not required, but recommended for a better understanding of the material. It won't be graded even if you return it.

• Midterm exams (two of them, each worth 25%)
  One exam will be given after 3-5 weeks of the beginning of the course, and another one will be given about 2-4 weeks before the end of the course. The maximum score for each midterm exam is 100 points.
  • The first exam covers the material from the first part of the course.
  • The second exam emphasizes on the material covered after the first exam.
  • The midterm exams, including possible take-home parts, must be done strictly individually, so no collective solutions or discussions are allowed.
  • No late submission of the take-home part (if assigned) is accepted.

• Final exam (25%)
  Date/time in Final Examination Schedule. The maximum score for the final exam is 100 points.
  • The final exam is comprehensive. So, any course content from the entire semester is fair game.
  • The final exam must be done strictly individually, so no collective solutions or discussions are allowed.
  • No late submission of the take-home part (if assigned) is accepted.

• Bonus points (0-6)
  Bonus points will be issued during the last week of classes for:
  • participation in course related discussions in class (0-2 points)
  • quality and completeness of homeworks (0-2 points)
  • overall progress in class (0-2 points)

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Class Policies

• Instructor retains the right to make any and all deletions, additions and changes to the requirements or structure of the course and its materials as deemed necessary.
• No class work is accepted after the Final Exam.
• Problems in late homework assignments are accepted within two days after the assignment was due. In this case a student will be penalized on 10 points pro assignment. However, if a solution to a problem is discussed in class or posted online, no late solution to this problem will be accepted after this. A submission is qualified as late if it is returned after the specified date and time.
• Group work for homework assignments (but not for exams) is allowed. However, after a joint design of a programming task the authors are required to separate and repeat this work individually without referring to the designed prototype. This way it is expected that all programs submitted for grading are noticeably different.
• Representing someone else's work as your own without referencing or permitting another student to do so with your work is cheating.
  Leaving your Java source files in a public directory where everybody has an access is also considered as cheating.
  Cheating might result in failing the class with the grade F and other administrative actions described in UWS14.03 UW-System Administrative Code Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures.
• A make up of an exam is allowed if an unavoidable absence occurs. A reason for absence must be documented.
• Students are required to check with the instructor if they find some of these rules unclear, before taking an action.

Suggestions for Success in Class

• Do not miss classes. The class discussions emphasize on many particular aspects, a good number of them is not in the textbook or spread out over several chapters in the book so that it might be difficult to find them. These details may be very helpful for your work on the assignments.
• Attend every lab. In most cases the material discussed in the labs won't be discussed again during the regular class meetings. Labs also include some material which are not covered in the textbook. The lab materials will be used for the assignments and exams. The textbook does not replace class meetings or labs, and vice versa.
• Ask right away in class or after the class if something is not clear.
• Read in the books the topics that are covered in class on the same day after the class. Just working on the material during the class hours is far from being enough. It is expected that a student would spend at least 2 hours in average working through the material after each class.
• Prepare yourself for the next class. That is, read in advance the material to be explained in class. Refer to the Course Outline to figure out what will be covered (it will also be announced at the end of each class). It would be much easier for you then to follow the discussion in class. In addition you would know what to pay a particular attention on and what questions to ask.
• Come to the instructor's office hours (or make a special appointment) and do not let the unclear stuff to accumulate.
• Try to find time to solve as many problems as possible (even more than it is assigned). Solving the problems is the only way to learn how to solve them.

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University Policies

• Class Cancellations
  When weather conditions are dangerous, students will be informed via the media about class cancellations. Students should not call Campus Safety.
• Accommodation of Religious Beliefs
  Student's sincerely held religious beliefs should be reasonably accommodated with respect to scheduling all examinations and other academic requirements. Students should inform the instructor of these needs at the start of the semester.
• Disabilities Accommodation
  Adaptations of methods, materials or testing will be made to accommodate educational participation. Students should inform the instructor of these needs at the start of the semester.

Please refer to the University Catalog or the UW-Superior Web page for full description of these and other policies.