Syllabus

Instructor

Instructor: Susan Mitchell

Textbook

C How to Program by H.M. Deitel and P.J. Deitel, Prentice Hall, 3rd edition

Course Homepage

The homepage for this course can be found at:

http://www.cs.umbc.edu/courses/undergraduate/104/fall00

Note that there is a link on the homepage to the lecture slides that will be used in class. You may find it helpful to get a printed copy of the lecture slides before the class in which they will be used. The lecture slide files are in PowerPoint format.

There are also links on the homepage to each section of CMSC 104. This is where your assignments, grades, and any announcements relevant to your particular section will be posted.

Course Description

This course will give the student an overview of Computer Science focusing on problem solving and algorithm development. The C programming language will be introduced by covering the beginning chapters of the textbook. The following is a list of the topics that will be covered:

Introduction to Computer Organization and Architecture
Data Representation and Memory Usage
Introduction to Operating Systems
Problem Solving and Algorithm Development
Introduction to Software Engineering Using Top-Down Design
Compilation, Linking, and Execution
Basic C Programming
Reuse Based on Algorithm Selection and Design Techniques

Grading

Your final grade will be broken down as follows.

4 Homeworks = 20% 4 Projects = 40% Research Paper = 10% Midterm Exam = 15% Final Exam = 15% Total = 100%

Final letter grades will be determined as follows.

90% <= A <= 100% 80% <= B < 90% 70% <= C < 80% 60% <= D < 70% 0% <= F < 60%

Final grades will NOT be curved. Do not ask.

A grade of "I" (Incomplete) will only be given in the case of a verifiable medical emergency or other such dire circumstance.

General Policies and Conduct

Attendance: You are expected to attend all classes. If you miss a class, you are responsible for getting the notes and any verbal information given during class from a fellow classmate. (If handouts were given out, you may come to my office to get them.)

Tardiness: Please be on time! Class begins at the scheduled time. Being late is disruptive to the class. Habitual tardiness will not be tolerated.

Responsibility for Class Material: You are responsible for all material covered in lecture, even if it is not in the textbook. You are responsible for the material in the readings, even if they are not covered during lecture.

Hardware and Software: You do not need to own a computer for this class. All hardware and software needed will be available on campus.

E-mail: In addition to office hours, you may communicate with me via e-mail. I do my best to answer my e-mail in a timely and thorough manner, but backups do occur. Also, do not expect a reply on weekends, over holidays, or late in the evening.

Project Submission and Grading

The critical programming skills cannot be learned simply by attending class. You should budget enough time to work on the projects as well. Projects will be graded according to the following criteria:

Documentation: 15 % Style: 15 % Correctness: 20 % Execution: 50 %

A project that runs incorrectly will receive no more than 80% of the grade. A project that does not compile will receive no more than 50% of the grade. These guidelines are for incomplete projects where a good effort was made. Garbage will receive 0%.

All projects must compile on either the UMBC8 or UMBC9 computer under the "cc" compiler.

All projects are due by midnight on the date listed in the Lecture Schedule. No late projects will be accepted. (For those using the network via ResNet, ResNet being down is no excuse for a late project. If ResNet goes down, get to a computer lab and complete your project.)

You will be turning your projects in electronically. Details will be announced in class before you need to submit your first project.

Project Policy

All projects must be completed by your own individual effort. You should never have a copy of someone else's project either on paper or electronically under any circumstance. Also, you should never give a copy of your project, either on paper or electronically, to another student. This also means that you cannot "work" on the project together. Cases of academic dishonesty will be dealt with severely.

If your project is turned in by someone else, both you and the person copying your project will receive a 0 for that project. This includes "substantially similar" projects. Furthermore, all parties concerned will have their prior projects checked for cheating. So, if you cheat on Project 4, you can lose all the points from Projects 1 through 3 as well, even though you may have done all the work and just "let" other people copy from you.

Homeworks

Homeworks are due at the beginning of class. No late homeworks will be accepted.

Exams

The exams will be closed-book and closed-notes. The test dates for the midterm and final exams will be announced well in advance. In the case of a verifiable medical excuse or other such dire circumstance, arrangements must be made with your instructor for a makeup exam. You are responsible for initiating these arrangements, not your instructor.

Last modified: Thursday, 24-Aug-2000 10:56:49 EDT