The CSCI 160 Syllabus 1 serves to set forth what is expected during the semester from the instructor and the students and to guide the behaviors of both parties. More specifically, this syllabus delineates the responsibilities of students and of the instructor for various tasks, including attendance, assignments, examinations, and other requirements 2. It also describes appropriate procedures and course policies so that both students and the instructor know ahead of time how certain potential occurrences—such as missing an exam or submitting a late assignment—will be handled.
Programming is at the core of computer science. Although most of the work done by computer scientists is not programming per se, that work is almost always under-girded by a knowledge of programming. It is essential that both programmers and computer scientists learn to program and to do so well. This course will provide students with the opportunity to learn the fundamental concepts and techniques of object-oriented computer programming. The object-oriented programming paradigm promises to improve the quality and reliability of computer software. In this course we will use the Java language, which is currently the most popular object-oriented language. Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- write well-designed Java programs for small-scale problems,
- identify appropriate object classes for solving a given problem, and
- write good documentation for programs.
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119 .
Students are REQUIRED to have access to the zyBook, Java Early Objects by Lysecky and Lizarraga et al. You SHOULD read the instructions in the How to Use zyBooks assignment for directions about obtaining access to the book, if you do not have it already.
class meeting : A meeting scheduled during the time slot assigned to the course and during the university approved academic calendar for the relevant semester. Such meetings will normally take place in the assigned classroom, however, they MAY occur elsewhere.
excused absence : An absence from a scheduled class meeting with prior permission from the instructor. In the event that prior permission cannot be obtained, the student MUST notify the instructor of the reason for the absence as soon as reasonably possible. Reasons for missing a class meeting that qualify as excused include, but are not limited to, documented illness, death in your family, varsity athletic events (MUST NOT be practices), or other performances.
unexcused absence : An absence that is not excused.
original work : TBD
closed book : The book and any accompanying materials MUST NOT be used.
open note : A single 8.5" x 11" piece of paper, front and back with nothing attached MAY be used.
Attendance is REQUIRED at all class meetings. Each unexcused absence MAY result in a 1% reduction in the final grade for the course. Students who have more than three unexcused absences from either class or lab, MAY receive a failing grade for the course. Habitual lateness in attending class meetings MAY be treated as unexcused absence.
There will be two scheduled 80-minute labs each week. Attendance at all labs is
REQUIRED. Unexcused lab absence MAY result in the loss of points for the missed
lab. In most cases, each lab will consist of prelab exercises to be completed
before the scheduled lab time and selected exercises to be completed during the
lab period.
It is the responsibility of the student to demonstrate completion
of their prelab exercise to the TA or lab instructor at the beginning of the
scheduled lab. Students who complete the lab exercises during the lab period
will demonstrate their completion to the lab instructor or TA before leaving the
lab. Those in attendance who do not complete the exercises during the allotted
lab time will still earn full credit by showing their solutions to their lab
instructor or TA at the beginning of the next scheduled Tuesday lab (in effect,
lab exercises are due on the Tuesday following the lab).
Leaving lab before the schedule 80 minutes without permission from the lab
instructor and without demonstrating completion of the lab exercises MAY result
in loss of points for those exercises not marked complete.
There will be several assignments during the semester including: readings, in-class exercises, and take-home exercises. All of these assignments are intended to be collaborative in nature and you are encouraged to work together to understand the material and come up with solutions. However, all work submitted for a grade MUST be your own original work. Late assignment submissions MAY NOT be accepted.
There will be two closed book/open note in-class exams, three open book/open note in-lab quizzes, and one cumulative final exam. All quiz and exam times are documented on the Canvas calendar for this course; you are responsible for keeping those times clear in your schedule. Students MAY be allowed to make up missed exams in the case of an excused absence and at the discretion of the instructor.
I welcome emails and Outlook meeting invitations from students. However, you SHOULD use the following guidelines when sending either to me:
- start the subject line with CS160, CS 160, CSCI160, or CSCI 160
- provide a concise description in subject line
- use a salutation like, "Good afternoon Prof. Iverson" or just "Prof. Iverson"
- conclude your message with a signature like, "Sincerely, Jeremy" or even as simple as just "Jeremy", to indicate who the message is from
- use standard punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and grammar
If you fail to incorporate any of the above suggestions when corresponding with me via email or meeting invitations, then I MAY NOT respond in a timely manner, or for grievous infractions, at all.
The final grade for the course will be based on the percentages shown below.
| Labs | 15% | | Lab quizzes | 10% | | Assignments | 30% | | In-class exams | 30% | | Final exam | 15% |
Grading is mainly based on the performance of each student compared to the class as a whole. In general, the following guidelines are followed expect in certain situations where the instructor sees a need for adjustments. A grade of F MAY be given in situations of frequent unexcused absences, unsuccessful completion of required work in a timely manner, or evident lack of understanding of core material as illustrated by exam scores (e.g., failing all exams MAY result in an F grade regardless of your total final score).
| A | ≥94% | | AB | ≥87% | | B | ≥84% | | BC | ≥77% | | C | ≥74% | | CD | ≥67% | | D | ≥64% | | F | <64% |
Students needing special accommodations or who have special needs are invited to share this information with the instructor as early as possible.
Work must be completed in a manner consistent with the College of Saint Benedict's & Saint John's University's codes for academic honesty. All outside work and/or ideas used in any part of this course must be properly attributed; all forms of plagiarism including — but not limited to — copying the ideas and the written and/or spoken words of others and copying or annexing computer files from other people are strictly prohibited. All acts of plagiarism, cheating, or other academic misconduct are considered forms of academic dishonesty and are strictly prohibited. Such instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the appropriate personnel and officials. Please refer to the most recent version of the College of Saint Benedict & Saint John's University's Academic Catalog for further relevant information and guidelines on this matter.
This is a challenging course and exposes students to several new algorithmic concepts and programming environments in a relatively short amount of time. Students are strongly encouraged to seek help from the instructor on course material when needed. Please contact me during office hours or by appointment to discuss a homework problem or any aspect of the course.