UMBC CMSC201, Computer Science I, Fall 1994 Sections 0101, 0102 and Honors

Course Description

Instructor

Instructor: Prof. Richard Chang
Office: Eng. & CS Building, room 225E
Office Hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 1:30pm - 2:30pm or by appointment
Telephone: 455-3093 (office), 455-3000 (dept. office)
E-mail: chang@gl.umbc.edu

Note: The teaching assistant's office hours will be announced later.

Time and Place

Tuesday & Thursday 10:00am 11:15am, Lecture Hall V, Eng. & CS Building.

Textbook

The Art and Science of C by Eric S. Roberts, Addison-Wesley publishers.
Beware: This is not the same textbook as the manuscripts used last semester.

Prerequisites

The only formal prerequisite for this class is Math 150, Precalculus Mathematics. However, this course is designed for Computer Science Majors and will emphasize programming skills.

Objectives

The objectives of this course are:

To learn basic programming skills, especially software development using the C language.
To learn how to use UMBC's UNIX system to create, test and execute C programs.
To develop problem-solving skills, especially in the use of computers to solve real-world problems.
To prepare for further study in Computer Science.

Grading

There will be 5 projects worth 7 points each for a total of 35 points; 3 quizzes worth 4 points each for a total of 15 points; a midterm exam and a final exam worth 25 points each. Attendance at lectures will count for 3 points. Attendance will be taken at 3 unannounced and randomly chosen lectures. There will be no make-ups for missed lectures. Your final letter grade may be curved above the standard formula:

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

Under no circumstances will the grades be curved downward. Your grade is given for timely work done during the semester; incomplete grades will only be given for medical illness or other such dire circumstances.

Project Submission and Grading

The critical programming skills cannot be learned simply by attending the lectures. You should budget enough time to work on the projects as well. Projects are due by midnight of the due date. The due dates are on Wednesdays or Fridays, this is not a typographical error. If you fail to turn in the project by this time, a 4% penalty will be assessed which doubles every 24 hours (including days over the weekend, but not counting Thanksgiving break). For example, if you turn in Project 1 on Monday, October 3 instead of Friday, September 30, then 16% will be deducted from your project grade. Projects will be graded according to five equal parts: correctness, design, style, documentation and efficiency.

You may turn in incomplete projects for grading. Late penalties apply as usual. A project that runs incorrectly will receive no more than 75% 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%.

You will be turning in your projects electronically. Details will be announced in class.

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 5, you can lose all the points from Projects 1 through 4 as well, even though you may have done all the work and just "let" other people copy from you.

Lectures and Readings

You are expected to attend all lectures. You are responsible for all material covered in the lecture, even if they are not in the textbook. Attendance at lectures counts for 3% of your grade. You should keep up with the assigned readings during the semester. You are responsible for the material in the readings, even if they are not covered during lecture. In short, you are responsible for everything; and yes, everything is on the exam.

Exams

The exams and quizzes will be closed-book and closed-notes. The date for the midterm exam is Thursday, October 20. The final exam will be comprehensive and cover the material from the entire course. The final exam will be on Tuesday, December 20, from 10:30am to 12:30pm. The quizzes are on September 29, November 10 and December 6. (See syllabus.)

Last Modified: September 7, 1994

Richard Chang, chang@gl.umbc.edu