CS112 Spring 2006 Syllabus

CAS CS 112: Intro to CSII (Java) Spring 2006
Course Syllabus

Description and Objective:
This course is intended as an introduction to data structures, algorithms, and more advanced programming techniques. Some topics covered include recursion, linked lists, trees, graphs, sorting, hashing, and the analysis of algorithms. The main objective of the course is to give students exposure to more advanced programming tools. We hope to achieve this goal by presenting higher level concepts in lecture and hands-on computer practices in the lab.

Text:
The required text book for this course is Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis in Java by Mark Allen Weiss,

People:

Instructor	Teaching Fellow
William Mullally	Karim Mattar
PSY 228A and MCS 209
617-358-3246(PSY228A) and 617-353-3326(MCS209)
mullally@cs.bu.edu	kmattar@cs.bu.edu
Office Hours: M 9-10am, T 4-5pm, Th 12:30-2:30pm

Contacting Instructor:

My office hours and scheduled appointments will be held in PSY 228A. This is the human computer interfaces lab and is tucked away in a side corridor so don't give up if you don't find it at first. I have another office where I conduct research. It is probably easiest to get in touch with me through email. If you want to meet with me at times other than my listed office hours it is best to make an appointment.

Teaching Fellow:

The teaching fellow is responsible for running the labs, helping you out during office hours, and grading the homework. Please contact the TF if you have questions about your grades.

Course Web Page:
The course web page is http://cs-people.bu.edu/mullally/cs112. Please visit the website frequently for course materials, homework assignments, and announcements.

Course Mailing List:
Each student is required to join the course mailing list. You can do so by running csmail while on csa at a shell prompt. Namely while on a Linux machine in the computer lab open a shell window and type csmail -a cs112a1.

Lectures:

Lectures will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00am-12:30pm in CAS 222.
Lectures in the course will focus on the higher level design of algorithms and data structures. All students are required to attend lectures and are responsible for the material presented.

Labs:

There are three lab sections, the first from 10-11am, the second from 1-2pm, and the third from 4-5pm on Mondays. Labs will be held in EMA 304.
The lab is intended to reinforce ideas presented in lecture; here students will practice the concepts by implementing actual algorithms and data structures using Java. It is imperative that students attend the lab sections in order to successfully complete the homework assignments.

Homework:

Homework will be assigned regularly in the course. It will come in three forms:

Reading Assignments: It is important that students use the textbook to supplement their understanding of the material presented in the lecture and the lab.
Written Assignments: This homework will consist of things like essay questions, small research work, and mathematical problems. These assignments are to be turned in at the start of lab on the scheduled due date.

Programming Projects: This homework will extend the programming work done in the lab. These assignments will be done on the computer and checked via the computer. It is important to repeatedly test your code before submission, all programming projects will be tested on the CSA cluster. These assignments will be submitted on WebCT and must be written in Java.

Late Homework:

15% of the total number of points for the assignment will be deducted daily. No homework will be accepted after one week.

Exams:

There will be two exams during the course, a midterm that will cover material from the first half and a cumulative final exam which will be weighted toward material covered after the midterm. The midterm will be on March 2nd. The final exam is going to be held on May 3rd at 2:00pm. Makeups will not be given.

Grade Calculation

40% Homework

25% Midterm

35% Final

Academic Misconduct:

The first reading assignment of the course is to read Boston University's Academic Code of Conduct, located at: http://www.bu.edu/cas/undergraduate/conductcode.html

A few highlights are presented to emphasize importance.

Absolute adherence to the code of conduct is demanded of the instructor, teaching fellow, and students. This means that no matter the circumstance any misconduct will be reported to Boston University.
While students are encouraged to discuss course materials, no collaboration is allowed on homework. Specifically you may discuss assignments and projects verbally, but must write up or work on the computer alone. In addition any discussion should be documented. An example on would be "Thanks to Bera for showing me how to initialize the linked list." Another important example is citing a source, this could be "This information was adapted from www.boston.com"
While computers enable easy copying and collaboration both with other students and materials from the Internet, it is possible to use these same computers to detect plagiarism and collaboration.
If any student does not understand these terms or any outlined in The Academic Code of Conduct it is his/her responsibility to talk to the instructor or teaching fellow.

Feedback:

Your thoughts and concerns on this course are important. You are encouraged to give feedback to the instructor and teaching fellow throughout the term. As always students will be asked to fill out a course evaluation at the end of the term.