CS 201
Fall 2015
| Section(s) | Instructor | Office hours | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 101, 102, 103 | Don Hake | djhake2@ycp.edu | M 10-12, T/Th 11-12, W/F 11:20-11:50 and 1:20-1:50 |
| 104 | David Hovemeyer | dhovemey@ycp.edu | M 1-3, T/Th 8:30-9:30, W/F 11-12 |
Course Description
This course introduces advanced object-oriented constructs such as abstraction, virtual methods, and generic classes. Advanced data structures including arrays, linked lists, queues, stacks, trees, heaps, and hash tables will be discussed both natively as well as through standard template libraries. Fundamental sorting and searching algorithms will be introduced. Basic analytical and proof techniques will be used to characterize the data structures and algorithms discussed. The course will focus on implementing applications from computer science and engineering using languages such as C++/C#/Java.
Prerequisites
CS 101 with a grade of 2 or better
Textbook
Mark Allen Weiss, Data Structures & Problem Solving Using Java, 4th ed.
Course Structure and Expectations
Class meetings will be a mix of lecture/discussion and in-class lab exercises designed to illustrate the concepts we are covering. A series of programming projects in the Java programming language will be assigned at approximately 1-2 week intervals, to be completed individually. Written homework assignments may be assigned.
We will use the Eclipse IDE for labs and programming assignments in Java. This is available for free from www.eclipse.org. (You will also need the Java Development Kit (JDK) available from java.sun.com.)
In-class quizzes will be given frequently, typically at the beginning of class. Up to two missed quizzes will be forgiven. Quizzes may not be made up.
There will be three midterm exams and one comprehensive final exam. The dates are shown in the Schedule.
We will be covering a significant amount of material in the course, and it is very important that you keep up. If you have any questions, please ask me in class, office hours, or through email. I’m here to help!
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Use an object-oriented programming language effectively
- Understand and use abstract data types such as lists, stacks, queues, maps, and sets
- Understand and use fundamental data structures such as arrays, linked lists, trees, and hash tables
- Implement basic array- and list-based data structures
- Understand and implement fundamental algorithms such as searching and sorting
- Analyze algorithms to determine their asympotic running time
- Express upper bounds using big-O notation
- Understand and use recursion
- Solve recurrences
- Use proof by induction
Policies
Grades
Grades are assigned on a 100-point scale:
Numeric Range Letter Grade 90-100 A (4.0) 85-90 B+ (3.5) 80-85 B (3.0) 75-80 C+ (2.5) 70-75 C (2.0) 60-70 D (1.0) 0-60 F (0.0)
Your overall grade for the course will be determined as follows:
- Homework and programming assignments: 25%
- Exams (3 midterm exams and 1 comprehensive final exam): 60%
- Quizzes, labs, and attendance/participation: 15%
Course website
Please check the course web page, http://ycpcs.github.io/cs201-fall2015, regularly for important announcements.
Reading Assignments
Reading assignments are posted in the Schedule at the end of this syllabus. We expect you to do the reading before class. When we give a lecture, we will assume you have done the reading. We encourage you to use class time to ask questions about parts of the reading you did not understand to your satisfaction.
Homework assignments
You must make a legitimate attempt to complete every homework assignment. We reserve the right to fail any student who does not make a good faith effort to complete all of the homework assignments.
Posting and submission of assignments and labs
Assignments and labs will be posted as zip files on the course web page, http://ycpcs.github.io/cs201-fall2015.
Assignments and labs will be submitted using the server https://cs.ycp.edu/marmoset. You will receive an email containing the username and password you should use for this server.
Academic Integrity
The following policy pertains to homework and graded (individual) programming assignments:
All homework assignments and graded (individual) programming assignments are to be completed individually. We encourage you to discuss high level concepts with other students, but any work you submit must be yours alone.
Direct copying of code or other work from other students, web sites, or other sources is absolutely forbidden under any circumstances.
Any sources (books, websites, articles, fellow students, etc.) that you consult in completing an assignment must be properly acknowledged. In general, we strongly discourage you from using any resource not explicitly listed in the course syllabus or on the course web page. When you work on a programming assignment, it must be your program, not your adaptation of someone else’s program.
Quizzes and exams must be completed individually.
Lab assignments are graded for completion only, and you may work with other students on them. However, we do expect you to complete and submit them: see “Lab Policy” below.
Any violation of the course’s academic integrity policy will be referred to the Dean of Academic Affairs, and could have consequences ranging from a 0 on an assignment to dismissal from the college.
Lab Policy
In order to receive credit for completing a lab, you need to get a sign-off from your instructor. There are four options for this:
- For 110% of full credit: Get a sign-off in class on the day the lab is due.
- For 100% of full credit: Submit the completed lab to Marmoset by the end of the day the lab is due.
- For 90% of full credit: Get a sign-off in the class immediately following the one in which the lab is due.
- For 50% of full credit: Submit the completed lab to Marmoset before the first exam to occur after the class in which the lab is due.
As you can see above, you can earn some bonus credit for completing the labs early. We strongly recommend that you work on the labs before you come to class, so that when you come to class, you have either completed the lab or have made a good start on it.
Late Assignments
Late assignments will be marked down 10% per day late. No credit will be given for assignments that are more than two (2) days late.
Exams
No make-up exams will be given without approval of the instructor prior to class unless proof of extreme emergency or illness is provided. All exams will be open book and closed notes.
Attendance and Participation
We expect you to attend class and participate regularly in class activities. If you miss a class, please notify me in advance. You are responsible for all material covered in class, regardless of whether or not you were present. If you attend and participate in class regularly, you can expect to receive full credit for attendance and participation. Frequent absence and/or lack of participation will reduce the credit you receive for attendance and participation. You are responsible for keeping up with the reading assignments as described in the schedule below.
Professionalism
We expect you to conduct yourself as a professional in this course. Professionalism includes:
- Respect for and courteous interaction with peers, faculty and facilities;
- Integrity, which includes at its core honesty, responsibility and accountability for one’s own actions;
- Sensitivity and appreciation for diverse cultures, backgrounds, and life experiences;
- Constructive evaluation, which means that criticism is offered and accepted in a productive manner;
- Self-reflection and identification of one’s own strengths and weaknesses;
- Responsibility for one’s own education and learning;
- An attitude that fosters professional behavior in colleagues and peers;
- Punctuality at meetings and class sessions;
- Attentive behavior during class sessions, avoiding personal or social use of cell phones, laptops, or other electronic devices;
- Acknowledgement of the Kinsley Engineering Center as a professional workplace, and treatment of this facility as a business or office space, not as an informal space.
We reserve the right to enforce this code through the York College Code of Student Conduct.
Use of Personal Technology in the Classroom
While York College recognizes students’ need for educational and emergency-related technological devices such as laptops, PDA’s, cellular phones, etc., using them unethically or recreationally during class time is never appropriate. The college recognizes and supports faculty members’ authority to regulate in their classrooms student use of all electronic devices.
Communication Standards
York College recognizes the importance of effective communication in all disciplines and careers. Therefore, students are expected to competently analyze, synthesize, organize, and articulate course material in papers, examinations and presentations. In addition, students should know and use communication skills current to their field of study, recognize the need for revision as part of their writing process, and employ standard conventions of English usage in both writing and speaking. Students may be asked to further revise assignments that do not demonstrate effective use of these communication skills.
