CS 10051 Syllabus

Course Description

This 4-credit course covers the most important concepts underlying the exciting field of computer science. This course opens the door to Computer Science for CS majors and non-majors alike, but it can prepare any interested student to become a CS major.

The course includes a weekly lab that provides hands-on experience with the concepts covered in the lectures. This course is designed for students with no previous background in computing, students who successfully complete Introduction to Computer Science can easily move on to CS1 - Programming and Problem Solving CS23021.

Overall Strategy of Our Course

We will use a combination of lectures, labs, and homework to provide an effective hands-on learning environment for all students. Expert instructors and lab teaching assistants will help students learn and understand. Practical examples, illustrations, and learning by doing will show you an overview of Computer Science and introduce to you the contents of this exciting discipline.

Although we believe the content of CS10051 is fairly straightforward, this is one of those courses where the homework can be somewhat time-consuming. It is not unusual for students to spend as many 10-15 (or more) hours per week doing the problem sets. You have been warned!

Students will be able to access the computing facilities in the Mathematical and Computing Science Building (MSB) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

Textbook

Computer Science Illuminated, Third Edition - including a supplemental C++ Programming Chapter Nell Dale, PhD, University of Texas, Austin, John Lewis, Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania ISBN-13: 9780763749262 (636 Pages)

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: MATH 11011 (College Algebra), or MATH 12001 (Algebra and Trigonometry), or 2 years of high school algebra.

• Exams-- Midterms and final exam will be given that examines the student's knowledge of the course material. The final exam is comprehensive. No study guide(s) will be given before exams.
• Freshmen will also get their midterm grade (including all work up to and including midterm exam) posted on FlashFast. All students can follow these instructions to access their grades on FlashFast.
• Make-up and Late Policy-- There is no make-up date for exams. Missed work will result in grade of 0 for the applicable exam. Exceptional circumstances should be discussed with your instructor in advance. Make-ups of exams for this class will only be given in the case of documented and valid circumstances.
• Attendance Policy--Students are expected to attend each and every lecture and lab. Attendance and active participation during lectures and labs help you learn the material and succeed in class. Missed lecture or lab will impact your understanding of the materials covered later in class. Any missed material due to absence is the responsibility of the student.

Lab Sessions

The teaching assistant (TA) is responsible for grading homework and for helping students, in general, with the material covered in this course. Each student is expected to attend a two hour "lab meeting" each week which will be run by the TA, and sometimes the Faculty Instructor.

Attendance at both the lectures and lab meetings is essential. If you do miss a lecture or lab, be sure to get copies of whatever handouts you may have not received. In general handouts and all other course documents will be mantained on the course website

Homework

The majority of the homework assignments will involve problem solving using a Mac OS or Windows-based personal computer. Some of the homework exercises will be of the short "paper-and-pencil" variety. For the computer-based exercises, you will be required to do "electronic submission", which we will describe in a future handout and also demonstrate in class.

Do not attempt to finish up a problem set during lecture or during a lab section! We will deduct 10% if an assignment is up to 24 hours late, and no homework will be accepted after 24 hours. Your work is generally going to be due by Noon on a Tuesday or a Friday; if your electronic submission is more than 10 minutes late, then it will be considered a full day late, and lose 10% of credit. At lectures and at lab meetings, the TA will return your graded problem sets to you.

Just as you cannot expect to learn how to drive a car by reading about it or by watching other people do it, the same holds true for working on a computer. Do your work on time - this is one course you simply cannot "cram" for at the last minute, so don't even try! We cannot stress this strongly enough. Remember that the problem sets may be time-consuming from time to time, so please take your other commitments into considerationa.

If you fall behind on the homework, it becomes very hard to catch up, as this course builds upon material presented earlier in the semester. We therefore plead: please, please

Grading

• Midterm 25%
• Final Exam 25%
• Laboratory 15%
• Homework 35%

The final course grade will be determined by Computer Science standard percentage scale for CS 10051- Introduction to Computer Science Course.

Classroom Etiquette

Please remember that personal conversation during lecture time is distracting to your fellow students. Leave the class if your wish to converse (on the phone). On the other hand, collaboration/discussion on a homework problem(s) is an expectation of the course! Discussions with your instructor regarding individual matters may be conducted after the class, but NOT before or DURING the class time please. Early departure and late arrival- Please do discreetly. Please turn off all wireless phones, beepers, pagers, radios, the sound on all laptops and PDAs, and any other noise making devises. Laptops are acceptable for taking notes; however, please sit at the last row so that your screen does not distract/block other students.

Academic Integrity

Student-teacher relationships are built on trust. Students must trust that teachers have made appropriate decisions about the structure and content of the courses they teach, and teachers must trust that the assignments, which students turn in, are their own. Acts that violate this trust undermine the educational process. In this course, the penalty for any act of academic dishonesty is a final course grade of F.

You should read the Department's policy on this issue: CS Policy on Academic Dishonesty Involving Programming

Registration Requirement

The official registration deadline for this course is 09-13-2009 . University policy requires all students to be officially registered in each class they are attending. Students who are not officially registered for a course by published deadlines should not be attending classes and will not receive credit or a grade for the course. Each student must confirm enrollment by checking his/her class schedule (using Student Tools in FlashFast) prior to the deadline indicated. Registration errors must be corrected prior to the deadline.

The last day to withdraw is 11-08-2009.

Student Accessibility Policy

University Policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through Student Accessibility Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit www.kent.edu/sas for more information on registration procedures).

STUDENT CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM: Condensed Version

[ For the complete policy and procedure, go to www.kent.edu/policyregister and search for policy 3342-3-01.8, or see http://www.kent.edu/policyreg/chap3/3-01-8.cfm or http://www.kent.edu/policyreg/chap3/upload/3342.3.01.8.pdf ]

Cheating and plagiarism constitute fraudulent misrepresentation for which no credit can be given and for which appropriate sanctions are warranted and will be applied. The university affirms that acts of cheating and plagiarism by students constitute a subversion of the goals of the institution, have no place in the university and are serious offenses to aca­demic goals and objectives, as well as to the rights of fellow students.

"Cheat" means to intentionally misrepresent the source, nature, or other conditions of aca­demic work so as to accrue undeserved credit, or to cooperate with someone else in such mis­representation. Cheating includes, but is not limited to:

1. Obtaining or retaining partial or whole copies of examinations, tests or quizzes before these are distributed for student use;
2. Using notes, textbooks or other information in examinations, tests and quizzes, except as expressly permitted;
3. Obtaining confidential information about examinations, tests or quizzes other than that released by the instructor;
4. Securing, giving or exchanging information during examinations;
5. Presenting data or other material gathered by another person or group as one's own;
6. Falsifying experimental data or information;
7. Having another person take one's place for any academic performance without the specific knowledge and permission of the instructor;
8. Cooperating with another to do one or more of the above;
9. Using a substantial portion of a piece of work previously submitted for another course or program to meet the requirements of the present course or program without notifying the instructor to whom the work is presented; and
10. Presenting falsified information in order to postpone or avoid examinations, tests, quizzes, or other academic work. “Plagiarize” means to take and present as one’s own a material portion of the ideas or words of another or to present as one’s own an idea or work derived from an existing source without full and proper credit to the source of the ideas, words, or works. As defined, plagiarize includes, but is not limited to:
    a. The copying of words, sentences and paragraphs directly from the work of another without proper credit;
    b. The copying of illustrations, figures, photographs, drawings, models, or other visual and nonverbal materials, including recordings of another without proper credit; and
    c. The presentation of work prepared by another in final or draft form as one's own without citing the source, such as the use of purchased research papers.

Academic Sanctions, From Section D

The following academic sanctions are provided by this rule for offenses of cheating or plagia­rism. Kent campus instructors shall notify the department chairperson and the student conduct office each time a sanction is imposed. Regional campus instructors shall notify the regional campus dean and the student conduct officer each time a sanction is imposed. Regional campus student conduct officer shall notify the Kent student conduct office each time a sanction is im­posed by a regional campus Instructor. The following academic sanctions are provided by this rule for offenses of cheating or plagiarism. In those cases the instructor may:

1. Refuse to accept the work for credit; or
2. Assign a grade of "F" or zero for the project, test, paper, examination or other work in which the cheating or plagiarism took place; or
3. Assign a grade of "F" for the course in which the cheating or plagiarism took place; and/or;
4. Recommend to the department chair or regional campus dean that further action specified in the rule be taken. The department chairperson or regional campus dean shall determine whether or not to forward to the academic dean or to the vice president for the extended university a recommendation for further sanction under this rule.

Procedures for invoking sanctions (From Section E)

  (1) Academic administrative procedures pertaining to paragraph (D)(1)(a) of this rule. In the event that an instructor determines that it is more probable than not that a student in a course or program under the instructor's supervision has presented work for university credit which involves an act of cheating, plagiarism or cooperation in either, then the instructor shall:

  (a)       Inform the student as soon as is practical, in person or by mail, of the belief that an act of cheating or plagiarism has occurred. If the student cannot be reached in a reasonable period of time, the instructor may proceed with sanctions, notifying the student in writing as promptly as possible of the belief and the procedural steps the instructor has taken.

  (b)       Provide the student an opportunity to explain orally, in writing, or both, why the student believes the evaluation of the facts is erroneous.

  (c)        If the explanation is deemed by the instructor to be inadequate or if no explanation is offered, the instructor may impose one of the academic sanctions listed in paragraph (D)(1)(a) of this rule. Where appropriate, the instructor may recommend the imposition of academic sanctions listed in paragraph (D)(1)(b) of this rule. In addition, the instructor may refer the matter to the dean of the college, campus, or school in which the student is enrolled for imposition of academic sanctions listed in paragraph (D)(1)(b) of this rule.

  (d)       The instructor shall notify the office of judicial affairs of the circumstances and action taken. Such notification will be used as background information in the event that formal conduct charges are initiated against the student.

  (e)       The instructor shall inform the student in writing of the right to appeal, and the procedure to follow.

  (f)         The instructor shall keep the evidence of cheating or plagiarism in a secure place and provide it upon request to any appeals officer or the conduct officer. The instructor shall provide copies on request to the student at the student's expense.

  (g)       The instructor shall cooperate with academic and student conduct personnel in any appeal of the decision, and/or in adjudication of any disciplinary proceedings.

Academic Appeals

The general principle that applies to the following procedures is that an appeal is directed to the administrative level immediately above the unit from which the appeal emanates. Appeals are limited to the following reasons:

a. The decision is arbitrary or unreasonable,

b. The decision resulted from a procedural error,

c. The decision is not in accordance with the facts presented,

d. New information is available which may suggest modification of the decision.