CS18000 Home Page for Fall 2012

CS180 offers an introduction to Computer Science, using the Java programming language and emphasizing the following topics :

• program structure
• input/output
• conditionals
• loops
• methods
• classes
• objects
• concurrent programming, threads
• recursion
• data structures
• Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs)
• …and much more!

Time: 10:30 AM - 11:20 AM, Monday and Wednesday
Location: Lilly Hall of Life Sciences 1105

There is NO REQUIRED textbook for this class. Any introductory book on Java may be used. Please note that we will be covering Concurrency in Java – a topic that is often not covered by most textbooks. We will be providing a handout on the topic of concurrency for those students that choose to use a book that does not cover this topic.

• The Oracle Java website offers a great deal of information about Java (Including a tutorial)
• A free book on Java is also available: Think Java.
• The suggested textbook (see below) does provide very good coverage of concurrency.

Title: A Gentle Introduction to Concurrent Programming.
Authors: Barry Wittman, Aditya Mathur, Tim Korb.
ISBN: 1256486078
An electronic version, viewable in a web browser, is available here for $24.40.
NOTE: Any version of this book is fine. You do not need the latest version.

• 40% Programming assignments (exact number may change)
  • Projects 1-3: 2% each (6% total)
  • Projects 4-5: 5% each (10% total)
  • Projects 6-8: 8% each (24% total)
• 15% Lab Assignments
• 5% Assignments (collected in class)
• 40% Exams
  • Exam 1: 10%
  • Exam 2: 10%
  • Exam 3: 20%

IMPORTANT – Exams can only be “made up” in extraordinary circumstances if arrangements are made with the CS 180 Instructional Coordinator. Such arrangements should be made at least one week before the exam. “Made up” exams must be taken BEFORE the time the rest of the class takes the same exam.

The grading for the course will follow a curve and is not fixed. If you are concerned about your grade, contact Dr. Prabhakar. If you have a question about the grading of a lab, talk to your Lab Instructor about it. If you have a question about the grading of a project, talk to your Recitation Instructor.

We will be using Piazza to facilitate discussions for the class. You can sign on by visiting CS18000 on Piazza. The Piazza discussion forum is inteneded only for technical discussions related to the class. That is, questions about labs, assignments, lectures, language features of Java, etc. It is NOT to be a place for flaming or complaining. If you have a problem with something in the class, please talk to your Lab Instructor, Recitation Instructor, Instructional Coordinator, or Lab Administrator.

Every CS 180 student should go to the Computer Science Resource Portal prior to attending the first lab. On that page a student will use his/her Purdue Career Account (ITaP) login and password to obtain his/her CS Department Computer Account. Anyone who has not previously read and “signed” the CS Department Academic Integrity Policy form will be stepped through that first before being presented his/her CS Department Computer Account.

(1) You should direct questions concerning a lab or project to a staff member, rather than a classmate. But, when you come to us, be sure that you have specific questions and can show evidence that you have spent some time on your own attempting to solve your problem.

(2) This is a four credit hour class. Purdue University regulations state that we may ask as much as 3 hours of your time per credit hour in an average week. Accordingly, you should plan on spending an average of TWELVE hours per week on this course. We are aware that this represents a large part of your available time, but we feel that it is worth it!

(3) ATTENDANCE IN CS 180 IS MANDATORY! You should plan on attending EVERY lecture, EVERY recitation, and EVERY lab meeting. Past experience has shown us that students who attend lecture, recitation, and lab regularly do better on labs, assignments, and exams – even those who think they already know the material or who think they can learn it on their own. Missed labs and recitations CANNOT be made up, unless the absence is excused. Lab and recitation absences MAY be excused for reasons of serious illness, family emergency, or official university commitments, but only if appropriate documentation is provided to your Lab Instructor (for lab) or your Recitation Instructor (for recitation). For planned absences (band trips, other course field trips, etc.), you must inform your instructor ahead of time, or the absence will not be excused.

(4) You should read the material in the textbook according to the class syllabus. In most cases, you will read about a concept in the book, then we will cover it in class, then you will use it in lab, then it will be discussed in recitation, then it will be used on a project, and finally it will be tested on an exam.

(5) Computers may become heavily loaded as a project deadline nears. Waiting until the last minute to work on your project is dangerous! Our CS 180 policy is NOT to extend deadlines unless most available workstations are unavailable for an extended period (like 10-12 hours) near the end of a project.

(6) NO LATE projects or lab assignments will be accepted. There will be NO EXCEPTIONS to this rule except under extreme circumstances approved in advance by your Recitation Instructor or Lab Instructor. Failure to turn in a project results in a loss of all the points allocated for the project. The same holds true for a lab assignment.

(7) For each project, students are told to direct all project-related questions to one of the CS 180 Recitation Instructors using e-mail. That Recitation Instructor will answer all questions about the project and will post general interest questions and answers to the purdue.class.cs180 news group. We can answer questions asking for clarifications on the project. We can address problems that arise if the project handout is unclear or does not adequately address an area the project covers. However, that person should not be asked questions specific to your own individual program. Those kinds of questions should be taken to a CS 180 consultant or your own Recitation Instructor.

(8) In most cases no credit will be given for programs that do not compile (that is, execution is suppressed due to compilation errors). Programs which execute but are not correct or complete will be considered for partial credit. To receive full credit, your program must produce correct results, be well-designed, be efficient, and adhere to good programming style. Visit this link to learn about our Java Programming Standards.

(9) WE ALWAYS WELCOME YOUR CONSTRUCTIVE COMMENTS. Please do not hesitate to bring any shortcomings to our attention.

All CS 180 course work must be done individually. We encourage discussion of any CS 180 topic including ideas about how to do the projects. But, under no circumstances will exchange of code via written or electronic means be permitted between CS 180 students. It is considered dishonest either to read someone else's solution or to provide a classmate with a copy of your work. Do not make the mistake of thinking that superficial changes in a program (such as altering comments, changing variable names, or interchanging statements) will avoid detection. If you cannot do the work yourself, it is extremely unlikely that you will succeed in disguising someone else's work. We are adamant that cheating in any form will not be tolerated. Even the most trivial assignment is better not done than if you cheat to complete it.

All students in CS 180 must read and “sign” the Purdue University Department of Computer Science Academic Integrity Policy. This is available on the CS Department Website at the Computer Science Resource Portal. Click on the link “Academic Integrity Policy”. You will need your Purdue Career Account login and password to access this page. There, after reading the policy, you will indicate that you have read and understand both the policy and its consequences. There is also information about some implementation details.

IMPORTANT: CS 180 students will not be allowed to take Exam 1 if they have not read and accepted this policy.

Penalties

In CS 180 a first instance of academic dishonesty will result in a zero for that assignment plus a letter grade deduction at the end of the semester.

A second instance of academic dishonesty will result in a grade of F.

In accordance with the Purdue University Department of Computer Science Academic Integrity Policy, any instance of academic dishonesty on an exam, project, or lab assignment will be reported to the Dean of Students Office.