This course introduces the perspectives and methods of computer science. Symbolic information is represented as data, whether it be numbers, text, or images. Automated processes for operating on the data are represented by general procedures, known as algorithms. Those algorithms are written in a particular notation (a programming language) as programs. Students will learn how to carry out these tasks and how to think about computation in terms of general patterns, such as hierarchical composition or the use of interchangeable components with consistent interfaces.
Louis Yu will be the classroom instructor. Michael Hvidsten and Jeff Engelhardt will be the lab instructors. For more information on our availability, please see our contact info.
All course materials will be available on the course website and on Moodle. The URL for the course is http://homepages.gac.edu/~lyu/teaching/mcs177-f15/.
Our textbook is Python Programming in Context by Bradley N. Miller and David L. Ranum. I recommend for you to order a copy in advance, either through the Book Mark or through another seller of your choice. the Book Mark cannot be counted on to have a copy on the shelf if you don't pre-order.
There are two editions of this book, the first and second edition. The second edition has had errors fixed and a few technical items updated. As such, it will provide the smoothest experience. However, the differences between the first edition and the second edition are minor and we can definitely help you working through its little glitches. You are likely to be able to get a better price on a used copy of the first edition. For this reason, we suggested for the Book Mark to stock the first edition. For a list of corrections to the first edition of the textbook, please see http://pycontext.blogspot.com/.
You are expected to read the relevant Sections specified in the schedule before each lecture, as the lectures are meant to supplement your reading (note that the lectures are NOT substitutes for reading). During some lectures I will give practice problems from the corresponding Sections in the textbook. You are to work on these problems during lectures or at home. Finishing these problems will renforce your understanding of the material. They are very helpful in preparing for the tests and the final.
Attendance, both physical and mental, is required. I reserve the right to lower your grade if I feel you are missing or showing up late too often.
Should you need to miss a class or lab for any reason, you are still responsible for
the material covered in there. This means you will need to make sure
that you understand the reading from that day; you should ask another student
for the notes from that day, and you should make sure that you understand what was covered.
If there is a project due that day, you should be sure to submit it (electronically) on time (thus, do not leave your projects to the last minute).
If you have influenza-like symptoms (temperature over 100 with headaches, sore throat,
or cough), please call Health Service. If they say that you stay home, you should do so,
and I request (but do not require) that you email me.
You may use your laptop in class. However, the use of the computer is restricted to activities deemed appropriate by the instructor. Playing games, watching YouTube, reading e-mail, checking Facebook, and working on assignments for other courses are a few examples of inappropriate activities that can be distracting to the instructor and other students in the course. Any repeat instances from an individual of such will result in grade deduction.
For this course, I encourage questions and discussions with a game I like to called "stump the professor". Here are the rules:
For this course, you will need to complete 10 projects. In each case, I will indicate what I expect of you.
A project report that meets those expectations is due before the start of class on the date specified. If you submit
the report late, your grade will drop one point per day late or fraction thereof.
If you are too sick to complete a report on time, you will not be penalized. However, you need to talk to me or email me as soon as possible, and provide the necessary doctor's note. Other circumstances will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. In general, you should talk to me or email me (asap) around the time of the incident.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we will meet in the OHS 326 computer lab. One or more of those lab days will be
provided for you to work on each project. However, you will often need to spend additional time on the project
outside of class.
In general, the projects will be posted 4 - 5 days before we start working on it and
I expect you to read and understand the project prior. Please do not wait until the lab starts to read the project description (thus wasting precious lab time).
For some labs, if you finish the current project, it would be ideal for you to use the time to start on the next project. In our schedule
I have made notes of that. Thus, time management is very important. Do not leave your projects until the last minute. Some projects are longer,
some are shorter. If you finish a project, move onto the next one.
Some lab days are not for project work. Instead, the syllabus lists a topic from the textbook with the prefix
"In lab:". On these days, I will be covering material from the book, somewhat like on a class day, but in an
environment where I can ask each of you to try things out on your individual computers. For each of these days where a textbook topic
is covered in the lab, the same topic is listed on the following class day. We will have this extra class time to go over
the topic some more if you need it. Any remaining time will be available for us to talk about topics that are not in
the textbook.
In class, you will be given exercises to work on. You will work in a group of 5 - 6 (assigned by me) and practice writing programs by hand (without the
help of a computer). This will also help you preparing for the tests and the final. These exercises will be given at random times.
There are two types of in-class group exercises, each serves a different purpose in reenforcing the class material.
In black-board exercises, each group will write the solution to the assigned problem on the blackboard.
Each member must take turns writing an equal portion of the solution. If you are having trouble understanding the class material, this is the time
to seek help from your classmates and from me. The black-board exercises are not graded.
In written exercises, each member of the group will be given time during lecture to write the solution to an assigned problem on a piece of paper.
While working on your written exercises, you may seek help from other members of your group. To encourage you to do so, only half of the members
from each group need to hand in their solutions for each written exercise (while the other half act as designated help).
If a student wrote and handed in
the solution for a written exercise, he/she must be the designated help for the next written exercise (and vice versa).
If you miss a written exercise and
it is your turn to hand in the solution, (unless you email me prior and received my approval for otherwise)
you will not receive a score for the exercise and will take your turn to be the designated help on the next written exercise.
There will not be any make-up for written exercises; thus class attendance is important.
While collaborating, you must follow the honor guideline (see below). You may only discuss the general ideas and approaches to the written exercises. However,
you may not read or copy another student's code or solution, and no fragments of code or solution can be written down or shared.
If a student have trouble finishing an exercise within the given time, he/she may choose to work on it at home and hand it in before the start of the next lecture. In that case,
a penalty of one point will be applied to the late submission.
At the end of the semester, 4 of the best scores from each student for written exercises will count towards your final grade. Thus (again),
class attendance is important (since you want to have at least 4 scores).
After some lectures, you will be given exercises to work on individually at home. These problems are designed to help you further understanding the class materials at your own pace. The homework exercises are due before the start of the next lecture. At the end of the semester, 4 homework exercises will be chosen at random to count towards your final grade. There will not be any make-up for homework exercises.
There will be two in-class tests during the semester and a final exam as scheduled by the registrar. If you have a
conflict with a testing time, please contact me as soon as possible to make an alternative arrangement.
Tests will be closed-book and mostly closed-notes. You may, however, use a single 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper with
hand-written notes for reference (written on both sides of the sheet are OK).
You will earn up to 440 grade points for your work on projects, in-class written exercises, homework exercises and tests, divided as follows. Each of the 10 projects will be graded on a scale of 20 points, totaling 200 points. Each in-class written exercise is worth 5 points, and 4 of them will be graded, totaling 20 points. Each homework exercise is worth 5 points, and 4 of them will be chosen at random and graded, totaling 20 points. Each of the two tests that happens during the semester, in class, will be graded on a scale of 50 points, for 100 more points. The remaining 100 points will come from the comprehensive final exam. Your course grade will be recorded as follows:
| A: 408-440 | B+: 379-393 | C+: 335-349 | D+: 291-305 | F: 0-261 |
| A-: 394-407 | B: 364-378 | C: 320-334 | D: 262-290 | |
| B-: 350-363 | C-: 306-319 |
Please point out any arithmetic or clerical error I make in grading, and I will gladly fix it. You may also request reconsideration if you feel I have been especially unjust.
Finally, this semester we are using Moodle (http://moodle.gac.edu/) to keep track of your scores. The pro of doing so is that you know your score for a component as soon as it is graded. This will give you a pretty good idea of your current standing going into a test or exam. Please see The Guide for Checking Your Grades Using Moodle for the general updating schedule and the instructions for checking your scores.
Any substantive contribution to your project report by another person or taken from a website or publication should be properly acknowledged in writing (by citing the source). Failure to do so is plagiarism and will necessitate disciplinary action.
The same standards regarding plagiarism apply to team projects as to the work of individuals,
except that the author is now the entire team rather than an individual.
Anything taken from a source outside the team should be properly cited.
As a guideline for collaboration, it is ok for students to get together in small groups to
go over material from the lectures and text, solve problems from the text, study for exams,
and discuss the general ideas and approaches to projects. However, work to be turned in, including projects
and homework exercises, must be done independently. This means that the work you or your team turns in must represent
only your own work. It must not be based on help from others or information obtained from sources other than those
approved by the instructors (e.g., the text, the course webpage, and materials provided in the lectures).
Effective learning is compromised when this is not the case.
Accordingly, you should never read or copy another student's code or solutions, exchange computer files (or pieces of papers with solutions written on them), or share your code/solutions with anyone else in the class until after both parties have submitted the assignment. Under no circumstances may you or your team hand in work done by someone else under your own name.
One additional issue that arises from the team authorship of project reports is that all team
members must stand behind all reports bearing their names. All team members have quality assurance
responsibility for the projects. If there is irreconcilable disagreement within the team it is necessary to indicate as such in the report.
As a student at Gustavus you are expected to uphold the Honor Code and abide by the Academic Honesty Policy. A copy of the honor code can be found in the
Academic
Bulletin and a copy of the academic honesty policy can be found in the
Academic Polices section of the
Gustavus Guide.
Gustavus Adolphus College is committed to ensuring the full participation of all students in its programs. If you have a documented disability (or you think you may have a disability of any nature) and, as a result, need reasonable academic accommodation to participate in class, take tests or benefit from the College's services, then you should speak with the Disability Services staff, for a confidential discussion of your needs and appropriate plans. Course requirements cannot be waived, but reasonable accommodations may be provided based on disability documentation and course outcomes. Accommodations cannot be made retroactively; therefore, to maximize your academic success at Gustavus, please contact Disability Services as early as possible. Disability Services (www.gustavus.edu/advising/disability/) is located in the Academic Support Center. Disability Services Coordinator, Kelly Karstad, (kkarstad@gustavus.edu or x7138), can provide further information.
Support for English learners and multilingual students is available through the Academic Support Center's Multilingual Learner Academic Specialist, Sarah Santos (ssantos@gustavus.edu or x7197). The MLAS can meet individually with students for tutoring in writing, consulting about academic tasks, and helping students connect with the College's support systems. When requested, the MLAS can consult with faculty regarding effective classroom strategies for English learners and multilingual students. The MLAS can provide students with a letter to a professor that explains and supports appropriate academic arrangements (e.g., additional time on tests, additional revisions for papers). Professors make decisions based on those recommendations at their own discretion. In addition, English learners and multilingual students can seek help from peer tutors in the Writing Center ( www.gustavus.edu/writingcenter/).