R/Survey of Computer Science (CSCI 114)

Fall 2007

 

Instructor:                 Dr. Teresa Zollo

Email:                         teresa.zollo@yahoo.com

Phone:                        (585) 797-8647

URL:                            http://www.cs.geneseo.edu/~zollo

 

Office Hours:            Mondays 10:30-11:20 in South 341

                                      and by appointment                

                       

Lecture classes:  Mondays and Wednesdays 12:30-1:20,   Welles 121

Lab classes:          Fridays  12:30-1:20  -OR-   1:30-2:20,    South 341

 

Text:      There is no required text for this course.  Assigned readings will be           

available through electronic reserve, the web, or the instructor’s outbox.

 

Course Description from the Student Bulletin:   This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts and problem areas of computer science through a survey of the major sub-areas of the field.  Included are historical foundations; computer systems and applications; concepts of computer programming, programming languages, design of microprocessors; theoretical computer science (e.g., abstraction); social, economic, and political implications.  Each area will be explored in lecture and in laboratories.

Course Objectives:   Students who meet the intended goals of  this course will be able to:

·         Develop algorithms using a combination of sequential, iterative and conditional control flow constructs.

·         Implement algorithms in a programming language.

·         Identify fundamental programming constructs.

·         Apply abstract models of computation to problems.

·         Describe the interaction between hardware and software components of a computer system.

·         Describe the process of translating programs written in a high-level programming language to machine language.

·         Describe the machine language representation of data and instructions.

·         Describe the processing of programs by a von Neumann computer in terms of the interactions between the central processing unit, arithmetic-logic unit and main memory.

·         Discuss applications of computer science.

 

 

 

Grading Policies

 

 

Numeric Course Score Computation

Course Component

Possible Points*

Weight

14 labs

42

20%

13 homework assignments

39

15%

8 quizzes**

24

15%

midterm

100

20%

final exam

100

30%

*Labs, homework assignments and quizzes will be given scores between 0 and 3.  The midterm and final exams will be scored based on 100 points.

 

**The two lowest quiz grades will be excluded when computing the final grade.

 

 

Grading Criteria for Labs, Homework and Quizzes

 

Grade

Description of student work

3

the solution was submitted at the beginning of the class period on the due date,  the solution is legible, well-organized and coherent,  the solution is correct, the solution demonstrates a good understanding of the course material being applied

2

the solution was submitted within 24 hours of the time it was due, the solution is fairly legible, well-organized and coherent,  the solution contains only minor errors, the solution demonstrates a basic level of understanding of the course material being applied

1

the solution was submitted by the beginning of the next class period after the due date, the solution is partially illegible, the solution is not presented in a organized and coherent manner,  the solution contains significant errors, the solution demonstrates a lack of understanding of the foundational course material being applied

0

the solution was not submitted by the beginning of the next class period after the due date, the solution is illegible or otherwise incoherent, the solution does addressed the question asked/problem assigned, the solution violates the academic honesty policy of the College

 

 

 

Criteria for Distribution of Final Letter Grades

 

Numeric Course Score

Letter Grade

Numeric Course Score

Letter Grade

³ 93

A

³ 77   &  < 80

C+

³ 90  &  < 93

A-

³ 73  &  < 77

C

³ 87  &  < 90

B+

³ 70  &  < 73

C-

³ 83  &  < 87

B

³ 65  &  < 70

D

³ 80  &  < 83

B-

> 65

E

 

 

Tentative Course Schedule

 

Mon  08/27         Lecture 1:  Course Overview

Wed  08/29        Lecture 2:  Computers and Society

Fri     08/31          Lab 1 assigned

Wed  09/05        Lecture 3:  History of Computing,  HW 1 assigned

Mon  09/10         HW 1 due,  Lecture 4:  History of Computing

Wed  09/12         Quiz 1,  Lecture 5: Number Systems,  HW 2 assigned

Fri     09/14         Lab 1 due, Lab 2 assigned

Mon  09/17          HW 2 due, Lecture 6:  Binary Arithmetic

Wed  09/19         Quiz 2,  Lecture 7:  The von Neumann Architecture, HW 3 assigned

Fri     09/21          Lab 2 due

Mon  09/24         HW 3 due,   Lecture 8: Machine Language Processing

Wed 09/26          Quiz 3, Lecture 9: Machine Language Processing, HW 4 assigned

Fri     09/28         Lab 3 assigned

Mon 10/01           HW 4 due,   Lecture 10

Wed 10/03          Quiz 4,  Lecture 11,  HW 5 assigned

Fri    10/05           Lab 3 due,  Lab 4 assigned

Wed 10/10          HW 5 due,  Lecture 12,  HW 6 assigned

Fri    10/12           Lab 4 due,  Lab 5 assigned                          

Mon 10/15           HW 6 due,  Lecture 13

Wed 10/17           Quiz 5,  Lecture 14,  HW 7 assigned,  

                               practice midterm distributed

Fri    10/19           Lab 5 due,  Lab 6 assigned

Mon 10/22           HW 7 due, Lecture 15,

                                practice midterm solutions posted

Wed 10/24          Midterm exam

Fri    10/26           Lab 6 due,  Lab 7 assigned

Mon 10/29           Lecture 16

Wed 10/31           Quiz 6, Lecture 17,  HW 8 assigned

Fri    11/02           Lab 7 due,  Lab 8 assigned

Mon 11/05           HW 8 due,  Lecture 18

Wed 11/07           Quiz 7, Lecture 19, 

                                HW 9 assigned

Fri    11/09           Lab 8 due,  Lab 9 assigned

Mon 11/12            HW 9 due, Lecture 20

Wed 11/14           Quiz 8,  Lecture 21,  HW 10 assigned

Fri    11/16            Lab 9 due,  Lab 10 assigned

Mon 11/19            HW 10 due, Lecture 22,  HW 11 assigned

Mon 11/26           HW 11 due,  Lab 10 due,  Lecture 23

Wed 11/28           Quiz 9,  Lecture 24,  HW 12 assigned

Fri    11/30           Lab 11 assigned

Mon 12/03           HW 12 due,  Lecture 25

Wed 12/05          Quiz 10,  Lecture 26,  HW 13 assigned,

                                practice final distributed

Fri    12/07           Lab 11 due,  Lab 12 assigned

Mon 12/10           HW 13 due, Lab 12 due,  Lecture 27 

Tue   12/11           Review session, practice final solutions posted

 Mon 12/17          Final exam  12:00-3:00 PM