Course Description

This course provides an introduction to problem solving and programming using the language Java. The process of programming is much more than just writing code. It involves analyzing the problem at hand, designing a solution, implementing and testing that solution, and critiquing results. Following the dominant model of software development, this course will emphasize an object-oriented approach to problem solving and software development.

The specific goals of this course are:

• To develop problem solving and programming skills to enable the student to design solutions to non-trivial problems and implement those solutions in Java.
• To master the fundamental programming constructs of Java, including variables, expressions, classes, methods, control structures, and arrays.
• To build a foundation for more advanced programming techniques, including object-oriented design and the use of standard data structures (as taught in CSC 222).

This course is intended as a first programming course, so no prior experience with computers is assumed. The problem-solving and programming techniques introduced in this course are further expanded in the follow-up course, CSC 222: Computer Programming II.

Required Work

Learning to program requires a consistent time committment, as each new concept and programming technique builds on those that came before. To encourage students to keep up with the course content and to provide immediate feedback, each class period will begin with a "random" quiz. A quiz will be handed out to highlight important concepts, but only admistered with a 50% likelyhood. To allow for unavoidable absences, the two lowest quiz grades will be dropped.

To demonstrate problem solving and programming skills, students will complete 6-8 programs throughout the semester. Each assignment will involve the design and implementation of a Java program, and may also include a written component in which the behavior of the program is analyzed. Late assignments will be accepted up to 7 days after their due date, with a 25% penalty. Beyond 7 days, late submissions will not be accepted.

In addition, there will be two 75-minute tests and a cumulative 100-minute final exam.

The final grade for the course will be based on the above weightings. At the minimum, traditional grading cutoffs for the final average will apply. That is, 90% is guaranteed an A, 87% is guaranteed a B+, etc. Depending on class performance, some shifting of grades (in an upward direction only) may occur as final letter grades are assigned.

Regular attendance is expected of all students. If you must miss class for a legitimate reason, it is your responsibility to make up missed work. Quizzes and Assignments will not be rescheduled except in extreme circumstances.

Policy on Collaboration

The college policy on cheating and plagiarism is spelled out in the Student Handbook. In addition to this, the following guidelines hold for this course.

• All quizzes and tests are closed book, with no collaboration between students allowed.
• Programming assignments allow only limited collaboration. You may ask for debugging help from your peers, but at no time should another student assist in the design or coding of your program. Instead, you must contact the instructor directly for assistance on completing homework assignments. The design and implementation of your program should be entirely your own work!

Tentative Schedule