Email:
Phone: 285-8661
Office: RB 442
Office hours: We 11:00-12:00, Th 1:30-3:30, and by appointment
Spring Semester 2008
Instructor: Chris Lüer, PhD
Email:
Phone: 285-8661
Office: RB 442
Office hours: We 11:00-12:00, Th 1:30-3:30, and by appointment
Teaching assistant: Jonathan Cummins, BS
Lecture: Mo, We, Fr 10:00 - 10:50, RB 104
Lab 1: We 8:00 - 9:15, RB 356
Lab 2: We 12:30 - 1:45, RB 356
Description - Materials - Policies - Schedule
Catalog description:
121 Computer Science 2. (3)
Continuation of Computer Science 1. Strong emphasis on object-oriented paradigm and related
problem-solving skills and programming techniques. Topics include recursion, dynamic data structures
and related algorithms, efficient sorting and searching, algorithm analysis, file processing,
and using standard libraries in chosen object-oriented environment. Open-lab and closed-lab assignments are required.
Prerequisite: CS 120.
Additional description:
The programming language is Java (latest version), and the development environment is
Eclipse. The course has a strong
focus on good programming practices, including unit testing and refactoring.
Required Textbook: Horstmann, Cay. Big Java. 3rd edition. Wiley, 2007.
TA's Web site (with sample solutions for homework)
Labs: The computing lab is RB 356. The lab contains about 20 personal computers running Linux. The lab is open Monday through Friday 9:00 am - 3:00 pm, and can be used for coursework and extracurricular activities during these times as long as there is no scheduled course. The RB 134 lab contains personal computers running MS Windows. This lab is open 24 hours a day.
Software: All software required for this course is installed in the labs, and is also freely available for download. Versions are available for Linux, MS Windows, and Mac OS X.
Posting of grades: Grades are posted to Blackboard. However, we do not use Blackboard for grade calculations.
Mailing List: http://www.bsu.edu/archives/cs121-l.html
You can post questions and comments
about this class to the mailing list. For private questions, please email
the instructor or the teaching assistant directly.
Cheating. Consequences of cheating in this class: the course grade is lowered, possibly to F. No team work is allowed in this class unless explicitly stated. Material that is copied from books or Web pages needs to be quoted and the source must be given. It is OK to discuss general solution strategies with your classmates, but it is not allowed to copy, or let others copy, programs, parts of programs, or other written answers. Be aware of the Ball State University Student Academic Ethics Policy. Use the paper shredder in the lab to dispose of printed solutions.
Assignments. Assignments are due at the beginning of lecture on Mondays, usually a week after they have been posted. Late assignments will be subject to a deduction of 20% and are accepted up to the beginning of lecture on the following Monday.
Attendance. There is no grade for attendance; however, there are unannounced quizzes. There is no make-up for missed quizzes.
Email. Emails to the instructor and the TA must be sent from a BSU account; this is the only way for us to verify your identity. Emails from other accounts may be ignored. Please make sure that your mailbox does not overflow, or you may miss emails from the instructor or the TA.
Grading.
Final Exam 30%
Tests 25%
Quizzes 5%
Assignments 20%
Project 20%
If you receive 93.3% of the total course credit, you will get an A. If you receive 90.0%, you will get an A- or better. If you receive 86.7%, you will get a B+ or better, and so on. The grading scale will be shifted so that the median grade is at least a B.
If you have a question about a particular grade, please discuss it with the TA first. If he can't help you, you are welcome to discuss it with the instructor.
Tests. There will be three non-comprehensive midterm tests plus a comprehensive final exam. Each test will cover both the material presented in class and the related material from the textbook. Missed tests can be made up only for documented medical reasons.
Students with special needs or disabilities. If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please let me know as soon as possible.
| Week | Topic | Readings (chapters in the textbook) | Assignments due |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction | ||
| 2 | Review | 8-10 | HW 1 |
| 3 | class cancelled | 11 | HW 2 |
| 4 | Exceptions and Input/Output | HW 3 | |
| 5 | Test 1 (We 2/6); Files and Streams | 19 | Prepare for Test 1 |
| 6 | Internet Programming | 21, 12 | HW 4 |
| 7 | Design | 13 | HW 5; P 2 |
| 8 | Recursion | 14 | HW 6 |
| 9 | Test 2 (We 3/5); Sorting and Searching | 15 | Prepare for Test 2 |
| 10 | Collections | 16 | HW 7; P 3 |
| 11 | Collections | 17 | HW 8 |
| 12 | Collections; Generic Types | HW 9 | |
| 13 | Graphical User Interfaces | 18, 24 | HW 10; P 4 |
| 14 | Test 3 (We 4/16); Review | Prepare for Test 3 | |
| 15 | Projects; We: Vance/Hoffman, Crotty/Troyer/Altman, Ferry/Moore, Mills/Maurer, Shook/Ross Fr: Jackson/Poudyal, Shan/Wang, Morford/Weaver, Nguyen/Shively, Brown/Buckman |
HW 11 and P5 |
Final Exam: Tuesday, April 29, 9:45 - 11:45