#CSCI211 Syllabus
##Instructor
Bryan Dixon
##Prerequisite
CSCI 111 with a grade of C- or higher. (or approved equivalent, check with your advisor)
Students who take this class without completing the prerequisite class will be given a failing grade.
##PollEverywhere
I will be using PollEverywhere during lecture. I'll be using this to test comprehension or quickly poll if anyone is struggling with the current topic during lecture. I would recommend getting their app to make it easier to participate:
##ECST Computing Accounts
You will need an ECST (Engineering College) computer account in order to do the assignments.
If you have never received an ECST account, go to accounts.ecst.csuchico.edu and sign up.
If you have ever received an ECST account, it should still exist. Make sure it works before your first lab:
Use the putty remote terminal program, if you are using windows, to log onto jaguar.ecst.csuchico.edu to from your computer to make sure you account is working. If you are on an Apple or Linux computer you can just use your terminal application.
You can use accounts.ecst.csuchico.edu to reset your password (see Elbert Chan if you have problems).
##Course Accounts
In addition to an ECST account, you need an account in the CSCI assignment turn-in system.
Go to https://turnin.ecst.csuchico.edu and create a new account.
Once you create an account, log on and enroll in CSCI 211, make sure you enroll in the correct section.
I WILL DROP YOU FROM THE CLASS IF YOU DO NOT CREATE THIS ACCOUNT
You will use this system to turn in your programming and lab assignments. Additionally, I will be using the email you sign up with on this system for class communications.
##Textbook
If you like books and usually use your textbooks, then buy the book. If you never open textbooks, then don't buy it. The assignments and tests will be based on the lectures. If you always attend lecture and are good at learning from lecture, you may not need the book.
Data Abstraction and Problem Solving with C++, 6th edition by Frank M. Carrano (2012) Addison-Wesley Pub Co: ISBN: 0132923726
If you want to save some money, you can use the 4th or 5th edition:
Data Abstraction and Problem Solving with C++, 5th edition by Frank M. Carrano (2006) Addison-Wesley Pub Co: ISBN: 0-321-4332-7
Data Abstraction and Problem Solving with C++, 4th edition by Frank M. Carrano (2004) Addison-Wesley Pub Co; ISBN: 0-321-24725-6
Note: The 4th edition is available online for around $5.00 from Amazon Marketplace and half.com
I won't be referencing or using any assignments from these so only purchase if you want a book for secondary information.
##Attendance
Attendance of lectures is not required, but it can help your grade and is highly recommended.
Attendance may improve your grade. For example, if your grade is a high B+ and you have attended most/all the lectures I may raise your grade to a A-.
Missing class can make the projects and exams especially difficult. If I verbally change the requirements of a project during lecture, you are responsible for meeting the new requirements. If you miss a class make sure you get notes from another student.
If you regularly skip class I will not answer questions on the material you missed.
Attendance of labs is not required; however, this will be where I walk through examples of the material covered in lecture and tools for your assignments. As such, you will likely not do well on the labs and exams that will rely on this material if you miss the labs.
##Grading
Grades for this course will be relative. The students that do the best work will get an A, the students that don't do as well get a B, and so on. I will likely not be following at traditional percentage grades of 90% for an A, 80% for a B, etc., and I don't like to grade on a curve as if I applied blindly could result in grades actually being lowered if everyone is doing very well in the course.
I will routinely post the grading spreadsheet (Link to come). If you are not happy with a grade, talk to me immediately. If you do not talk to me within a week of the posting of a grade, I will assume you think the grade is fair and accurate, and you will lose your right to dispute the grade.
###Grade Category Percentages:
- Exams 50% of course grade (2 midterms and a final)
- Programming Projects 45% of course grade
- Lab Assignments 5% of course grade
- Lecture & Lab Attendance can improve/lower your grade (see above)
Each midterm will be 30% of the exam grade. The final will be 40% of the exam grade. The final will be cumulative. All exams will cover material from the lecture, the textbook and the programming projects. Details on the likely exam schedule and old exams from previous 211 courses will be available on the other section's exam page.
The following Grading Caveat's are taken from the other course may be used if needed:
Grading Caveat #1: If you get a D or D+ on either the exams (average of all exams) or the assignments (average of all assignments), the highest grade you can get in the class is a C-.
Grading Caveat #2: If you get an F in either the assignments or the exams, the highest grade you can get in the class is a D+ (students who fail either the assignments or exams are not prepared to take CSCI 311).
##Programming Assignments:
There will be 7 programming assignments due at approximately 2 week intervals starting the second week of the semester.
The easier assignments will be worth a smaller percentage of your grade than the harder assignments.
###Late Assignments:
- Assignments turned in 1-24 hours after the due date will lose 15%.
- Assignments will NOT be accepted more that 24 hours after the due date.
- Most students who turn in two or more late assignments fail the course.
##Getting Help:
###CSCI 211x
Students are strongly encouraged to enroll in the 211X Programming Problem Session. This is a 1-unit CR/NC course that will provide extra help and practice. Any student that passes CSCI 211 with a C- or higher will earn a CR in CSCI 211X, whether you ever attended or not. A student that does not pass CSCI 211 will earn a CR in CSCI 211X if they attended at least 50% of the meetings. CR/NC grades have no effect on GPA.
Help session meets once/week, usually in the evenings. Check online class schedule for meeting time. It usually starts the second week of the semester.
Sign up on portal just like any other course.
Student who attend 211x have a much higher passing rate.
###Student Learning Center (SLC)
The Student Learning Center offers free regular tutoring. If students go there and request a 211 tutor they usually can hire someone to tutor it. So if you think regular tutoring would be helpful go to SLC during the first week of the semester
###Labs
Make sure to attend labs as I'm modeling my class of of Tyson's and the lab assignments provide a structured way to build the small components of the programming assignments and give you an opportunity to get help from me or a TA.
###Discussion Board
I'll be making use of a Piazza discussion board and in addition to routinely posting announcements there it is a great place to ask for clarifications or general questions you are having about the assignments/course material. DO NOT post code here or you will violate the honesty policy for the course. If you have specific code issues email them to me directly or come see me in office hours.
###Office hours
I have regular office hours and can schedule office hours on demand if needed for you to get help. Be aware that I am teaching other classes so there may be demand for these.
I am usually able to respond to email inquiries in a timely fashion and usually within an hour; however, I do have a life so there is no guarantees here. I will make every effort to respond to any email questions within a 24 hour period. As such do not wait until the day the assignment is due to start and then discover you have questions.
##Responsibilities
Taken from Professor Tyson Henry's 211 syllabus as it's a good statement concerning responsibilities for any given course:
I am responsible for providing useful and interesting (and I hope entertaining) lectures, meaningful and challenging assignments, challenging exams, abundant help, encouragement, advice, and most anything else I can do to help you learn the material.
Students are responsible for dedicating the time and effort necessary to learn the material. The amounts of time and effort required varies drastically. It may take you two hours/week to get an A in this class. It may take you 20 hours/week to get a C. It is your responsibility to figure out how much time you require and to invest that amount of time appropriate for you.
You will not learn the material if you don't put in the time and effort required. If you don't learn the material you will not be prepared for the subsequent classes and you will probably be very disappointed with your grade. While I will feel bad that I had to assign you a bad grade, if you don't put in the time necessary for success I will be forced to give you a low grade. The University requires that I assign grades based on your performance.
##Honesty
The first time you cheat, you will get a 0 on the test or assignment. The second time you cheat you will fail the class. It is not a good idea to cheat in my class. I will be following Tyson Henry's Cheating Policy until I put together one of my own.
I expect all students to understand and follow the University?s honesty policies (http://www.csuchico.edu/prs/EMs/2004/04-036.shtml). I will fail students who do not follow these policies, even if they don't understand them. It is your responsibility to understand these policies.
The bottom line is that you must do all the assignments on your own. Turning in code that anyone else wrote is cheating and will result in failing the course. Here are some examples of cheating:
copying code from another student copying code from a book copying code from the Internet getting your friends to write your code paying someone else to write your code pestering other students until they give you their code buying code stealing code letting someone steal your code (e.g. giving out your password, or using incorrect file protection) giving your code to another student (both giving code and taking code are forms of cheating) giving your laptop that contains your program to another student getting so much help on an assignment that you are no longer doing the assignment (this can come from one helper or many helpers) crowdsourcing your code the list can go on...
On the other hand, you are allowed to discuss projects and you may get help each other find bugs. Just make sure you don't get so much help that you are no longer doing the work.
Required Consultation: If I suspect that you did not do your own work (e.g. someone else wrote your programs), you are required to meet with me and discuss your program. During this meeting I will ask you simple questions about your program. If you don't know how your program works I will assume you have cheated. In the event that you refuse to meet with me I will:
- assume you cheated
- give you a zero
- report you to Student Judicial Affairs.
I reserve the right to catch cheaters after the end of the semester. Just because a cheater makes it to the end of the semester without being caught does not mean he or she has gotten away with it. Since I keep assignments it is possible for me to catch cheaters after the fact. For example, assume your friend George gives you his old program and you turn it in. Next semester George might give his program to someone else and I could catch it. Now I will look through all old programs to see who else George has given his program to. One of my advantages is that I can use programs to look for all instances of an assignment over the past several years. And while I might not catch everyone, I am always amazed at the people I do catch.
##Religious Holidays
I will work with students so this class and its assignments, exams, and activities do not interfere with religious holidays. However, you must notify me ahead of time so we can make appropriate arrangements.
##Americans with Disabilities Act
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability or chronic illness, or if you need to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Please also contact Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) as they are the designated department responsible for approving and coordinating reasonable accommodations and services for students with disabilities. ARC will help you understand your rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act and provide you further assistance with requesting and arranging accommodations.
##Confidentiality and Mandatory Reporting
As an instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. I may also have a mandatory reporting responsibility related to my role. It is my goal that you feel able to share information related to your life experiences in classroom discussions, in your written work, and in our one-on-one meetings. I will seek to keep information you share private to the greatest extent possible. However, I am required to share information regarding sexual misconduct with the University. Students may speak to someone confidentially by contacting the Counseling and Wellness Center (898-6345) or Safe Place (898-3030). Information on campus reporting obligations and other Title IX related resources are available here: www.csuchico.edu/title-ix