Computer Science 101
Introduction to Computing for Engineers and
Physical Scientists
Syllabus for Spring 2012
CS 101 Course Objectives
CS101 covers
fundamental principles, concepts, and methods of computing, with emphasis on
applications in the physical sciences and engineering. This course includes
basic problem solving and programming techniques; fundamental algorithms and
data structures; use of computers in solving engineering and scientific
problems. This course also introduces the student to software
development environments for engineering program design. In this course, the
student will acquire the software "literacy" that has become
indispensable for creative work in Science and Engineering. Understanding the
material in this course will enhance the students understanding of both
fundamental and advanced topics in engineering software design.
Instructor
2209 Siebel Center
244-3541
gambill@illinois.edu
Web Site
All relevant class information is presented
on the CS 101 web site http://www.ews.uiuc.edu/~cs101/
Check the web site frequently for updates.
Texts
(Recommended)A Book on C, 4th
edition, Al Kelley, Ira Pohl,
ISBN: 0-201-18399-4
(Recommended)Matlab An
Introduction With Applications by Amos Gilat, 4th
edition, Wiley,
ISBN: 978-0-470-76785-6
(Required)Course Notes, Stipes
Publishing
Labs
Lab activities will be done in small groups typically of
three students. TAs will assign students into groups in the labs. For each
activity there will be one score
for every student. Bring the course notes to each lab (C / Matlab).
Every lab will have one TA to assist groups
with their lab activities. A lab activity will be checked by the TA and
suggestions will be given to the group if the performance on the activity is
problematic.
Every group will
be required to work each lab assignment until it is completed. This may require
that the group work on the lab beyond the scheduled lab hours. All members of a
properly functioning group will therefore receive full credit for all lab
activities. Lab material will be posted on the course website on the page: http://www.ews.uiuc.edu/~cs101ta/labs/
Material
considered during lab activities will be used on the exams.
Each lab = 9 points. All points for labs will be totaled at the end of
the semester. The total cannot exceed 100 points.
TA Office Hours
TA's will hold weekly office hours.
See the office hours here: http://www.ews.uiuc.edu/~cs101/staff.htm
You may go to any TA's office hours, not just the person
whose class you are registered for.
Lecture Notes
Students can review online copies of the course
notes used in class from the web pages of CS101. It should be understood that
these notes do not include everything that is covered in the lectures. They may
be amended during the course. The material covered in the lectures will precede
the material examined in the lab activity. Therefore, a student who misses
lectures will not be prepared for the following lab activity.
Exams
There are two, one hour evening exams plus one
two hour final exam. The final exam will not be scheduled by the University
until near the end of the semester. Go ahead and buy your tickets to go home or
wherever, but make sure that your ticket is for AFTER the last day of exams. An
instructor is obliged to cancel regular class for an amount of time equal to
that required for the evening exam. (see http://www.uiuc.edu/admin_manual/code/index.html
)to determine procedures, deadlines, and your rights regarding evening exams.
The
hourly exams (midterms) are scheduled for
Midterm
1:
Thursday February 23rd, 7:00-8:00pm
Location: TBA
Conflict exam: TBA (You must email your request for a conflict exam by clicking
on the “Conflict Exam” link on the course website, state your reason for making
the request e.g. Math 242 Section AL1 exam from 7-8pm)
Location: TBA
Midterm 2:
Thursday April 5th, 7:00-8:00pm
Location: TBA
Conflict exam: TBA (You must email your request for a conflict exam by
clicking on the “Conflict Exam” link on the course website, state your reason
for making the request e.g. Math 242 Section AL1 exam from 7-8pm)
Location: TBA
Final
exam: will not be scheduled by the University until near the end of the
semester.
Conflict Exams
1. We have had so many abuses of our policy that we now will take 10
points off your test score should you notify us of your need for a conflict
within 3 days of the midterm or by the last day of classes for the final exam.
2. If a conflict arises because two courses have scheduled
overlapping exams, then you must take the exam for the course that announced
first, and the conflict for the course that announced second. When each course
announced on the first day of class (as we are doing), then you may choose
which conflict exam you'll take. Often there will be only one way that this can
be accomplished.
3. It is possible that you'll have a conflict, which
precludes your taking any evening exam on the stipulated date. We'll make
special arrangements for you. However, you still must contact us within 3 days
of the exam. Examples are scheduled rehearsals or performances, regularly
scheduled labs, and University-sanctioned athletic events.
If you need to take our conflict exam(s),
please email now by clicking on the “Conflict Exam” link on the course website.
State which of our exams is in conflict, and what
exactly is the nature of the conflict (e.g. " Nephrology 101, Section Q
has an exam scheduled from 7pm to 8pm with a conflict exam from 8pm to 9pm; it
was announced on the first day of class.")
Identification
(at an exam)
You need to bring a
photo-ID with you to every exam.
You will be asked to sign an
attendance list at every exam. The proctor will verify your identity with the
photo ID.
You must also sign your exam.
It is your responsibility and not
the proctor's to ensure that you sign the attendance list.
If we
cannot find your exam and you have not signed the attendance list your exam
score is ZERO.
Take-home
programming assignments (also called Machine Problems or MPs):
There will be two (2) machine problems (MP's):
assignments to be done on the computer and handed in for grade. You can expect
to have to work in the lab several hours per week outside of the scheduled lab
section meeting time in order to complete the MP's. We require that each
individual do his or her own work on the MP's. You may not work
in a group as in your lab activities.
Specific instructions for handing
in MP's will be provided when the MP's are assigned. Partial credit will be
given for incomplete MP's handed in on time based on the results of the checker
program. No hand grading of an MP will be performed by the CS101 staff. If
the checker doesn’t run on a students’ submission then the score is a zero.
A resubmission is allowed for MPs turned in on time. The resubmission due date
may vary, please check the MP link on the course website for specific due
dates. The resubmission can improve the final score no more than 50% of the
total (i.e. 25 points for a 50 point MP). Late MP's will be accepted after
the due date (but not after the resubmission due date), though
students automatically lose 25 points and a resubmission is not permitted.
The only exception to the point loss is in the case of
illness or other substantial impediment beyond your control, as confirmed by
the Emergency Dean.
Software
We will use matlab
and the gcc (GNU ANSI C compiler). Students will
learn basic Unix commands. All of the above software
is available on any of the EWS lab computers. http://www.ews.uiuc.edu/~cs101
Grading
Your course total will be computed from, the
sum of all your lab activities (not to exceed 100 points), two MP's, the two
mid-terms, and the final (not comprehensive), as follows:
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MPs (2 worth 50 pts each)
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Final (covers only C
material)
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Note: Absence
from the Final Exam results in an ABS grade, even if a student has totaled more
than 400 points before the Final Exam. The University will later change
ABS grades to F.
Re-grades
Students have two weeks (from
the date handed back) to request a re-grade or appeal any grade recorded in the
Compass GradeBook, for an exam/mp/lab/extra credit
activity. A re-grade will be performed on the entire lab/mp/exam and can lower
the score!
In
any appeal procedure it is the student's responsibility to keep possession of
his/her lab/mp/exam. In the process of a re-grade a student has to
arrange for a TA to modify the grade in the presence of the student. A student
should not hand over any material to the TA for keeping. Therefore, a lost or
missing lab/mp/exam is no reason for a modification of a grade.
Final grades will be based on a flat scale. There is no curve!
Absence
Should you miss an hourly exam/lab/MP for a
legitimate reason such as severe illness you will need to provide a
verification letter from the Emergency Dean,
300 Turner Student Services Building
610 East John Street
Champaign, IL 61820
(217) 333-0050
http://www.odos.uiuc.edu/emergency/
Please
make sure to mention that you missed a
graded assignment since notes will not be
provided for absence from lecture.
The letter must state that you have shown proof of your
absence--do not go to the Emergency Dean without valid documentation of your
absence. For example, an appointment slip from McKinley is not proper
documentation because it shows only that you made an appointment.
Cheating
Don't
do it. We'll catch you, and we'll punish you as outlined in the Code (Academic
Integrity). Specifically, we will give a zero score for an assignment and
deduct 20 points from your course point total. A second occurrence of cheating
will mean an automatic grade of F in the course and notification of a Dean in
the students college.
PENALTIES ARE APPLIED FOR THE FOLLOWING:
- both
actively sharing (or copying) all or parts of someone else’s
code/answers on MPs/Exams or
- passively
allowing the sharing (or copying) of your own code/answers on
MPs/Exams
What is cheating?
On MPs: allowing others to copy your code or reading someone
else’s source code constitutes cheating. Students should protect their own work
so that another student cannot copy any part of their code. Therefore, if
copying has been detected, it will be assumed that cheating has occurred by all
parties involved.
On Exams: allowing others to view your answers or reading
someone else’s answer constitutes cheating.
In case of a charge of academic irregularity against a
student, the student has two weeks after the date of the charge to appeal the
allegation. To make an appeal the student should first contact Dr. Gambill. A charge of academic irregularity can
be made known to the student by:
- an
announcement on the course website combined with a change of grade in the GradeBook
- by
letter
Proficiency
Some of you have already mastered the subject
matter of CS101. If you would like to "proficiency out" of CS101,
here's what you need to do:
Let Dr. Gambill know that you intend to proficiency out of the
course. A proficiency exam will be schedule
sometime during either the first or second week of the semester. See the Proficiency
link on the course website for the date of the proficiency exam. You cannot
take a proficiency exam at other times during the semester.
Proficiency or attempting to
proficiency a course doesn't affect your tuition or GPA. There is no charge (in
the CS Department) for a proficiency exam, and it is ignored by tuition. If you
are successful, the credit goes on your transcript as a grade of
"Pass", so there is nothing to compute into your GPA.(It doesn't count in your semester workload, either.)
Proficiency credit counts in every way except GPA (since
there's no letter grade to average). It counts as hours earned, as well as
fulfillment of a degree requirement. The student DOES get the credit hours.
Extra Opportunities with
CS101 Honors(James Scholar)
You can take CS101 for Honors (James Scholar)
James Scholar students will be assigned a programming
assignment beyond the two MPs assigned in CS101. Let Dr. Gambill know that you are taking CS101 for Honors.
Naturally this programming assignment might be somewhat time
consuming, so you might want to think about taking on the extra work.
CS196 will NOT be available this semester.