This course is an introduction to computer science with an emphasis on abstraction. We will study computational processes; you will learn how to describe a process by using a procedure and how to use general categories of data in terms of their operational properties.

Course webpage: The course webpage is www.gac.edu/~mc27/2003F. There you will find a complete schedule, homework assignments, suggestions on how to improve your grade, and so on.  We recommend that you add it to your bookmarks.

Prerequisites: Although there are no formal prerequisites, you should understand the material that is typically covered in high school algebra.

Text: Concrete Abstractions: An Introduction to Computer Science, by Max Hailperin, Barbara Kaiser, and Karl Knight.

Classes: Classes will be used for lectures, problem solving, discussions, and other fun activities. Labs will be used for working on projects. You should prepare for each of these by doing the reading, thinking about the problems in the text or project assignment, and formulating questions of your own. Attendance, both physical and mental, is required.

Homework:  Chapter homework will help check your understanding of the reading and the classes. Assignments are posted on the course webpage and are due soon after the end of each chapter.  Solutions to these problems should be neatly written on notebook-sized paper and will be graded for the accuracy of your solution and the quality of your explanations.  Be sure to see the guidelines for writing up homework assignments.

I encourage you to work with other students on the homework provided that you do so in such a way that every one in your group learns the material.  The most effective way to do this is to first discuss each problem as a group and then have each person work on the problem individually. When you're done (or stuck) compare your work and discuss it.  Remember that doing the homework is how you learn the material  and that you are not allowed to work cooperatively on tests.

If you do work with other students on the homework, I would like you to follow these guidelines:

1. Each person should write up the answers independently.
2. Each person should be able to work each one of the problems independently.
3. Each person gives credit to the others who helped.

Projects: You will have  eight programming projects throughout the semester; for six of these, you will need to write a report that presents your solution to the project's main problem.  Much, but not all, of the work for these projects can be done during the lab time. During this time, you will be able to ask the lab instructors (Mike Hvidsten and San Skulrattanakulchai) for help or guidance.  The lab instructors will also be the ones who grade the reports.

Late Assignments, Absences from class, etc: Should you need to miss a class because of an illness or a personal emergency, you are still responsible for the material covered in that class. This means that you will need to make sure that you understand the reading for that day, that you should ask a friend for the notes from that day, and make sure that you understand what was covered. If there is an assignment due that day, you should be sure to have a friend hand it in or put it in my departmental mailbox (in Olin 324). You do not need to tell me why you missed a class unless there is a compelling reason for me to know.

Chapter homework and project reports need to be handed in on the day they're due.  Generally, you should hand them in at the beginning of class.  Otherwise,  you need to make sure I get them before I leave for the day.  Under no circumstances should you send them to me through the POs (I'll throw them away with my lunch dishes), nor should you put them in the grey box outside my office door (I use that for leftover handouts).  In case you are sick or have some sort of emergency, you may hand in two of the 15 assignments (9 homeworks + 6 projects) late without penalty, as long as they are no more than one week late and as long as I have not handed out solutions or returned the graded homeworks.  Any more late assignments will be heavily penalized.

Tests: We will have two tests at 7:00 pm.  The test dates are

Tuesday,  September 30
Thursday, November 8

If you cannot take a test at the regularly scheduled time because you have some other academic obligation, please let me know as soon as possible.  The final is on Thursday, December 18, at 10:30 am.

Honor:
You are expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty in this course. This means that while you can discuss  problems and their solutions, each of you should make a real effort to solve each problem by yourself, and you should give credit to any people or texts that helped you find solutions. Needless to say, you are expected to work completely by yourself on tests. 

Cheating is not allowed in this course. Please refer to the College's policy on academic honesty (pages 13-15 in the Gustie Guide). The first time I find someone has cheated,  I will give that assignment (or test) a flunking grade.  The second time, the student will flunk the entire course.   I  notify the office of the Dean of Faculty in all cases.

Course grade:
 

Projects	20%
Chapter homework	20%
Tests	60%

Accessibility:
Please contact me as soon as possible if you have specific physical, psychiatric, or learning disabilities and require accommodations. I will do my best to facilitate the  necessary arrangements.  All discussions will remain confidential.