CS 1054: Syllabus

Course Information

Title: Introduction to Programming in Java
CRN: 11497, 11498, 11499
Lecture location: Whittmore 300
Lecture time: MW 12:20 - 1:10 PM
Lab locations: Torgerson 1010 and 1080
Lab times:
- 11497: W 4:00 - 6:00 PM (Torg 1080)
- 11498: W 6:15 - 8:15 PM (Torg 1010)
- 11499: R 5:00 - 7:00 PM (Torg 1010)

Catalog description

This course provides an introduction to object-oriented programming using the Java language. Fundamental concepts underlying programming and software solutions to many problems. Structured data, statement sequencing, logic control, classes, objects, methods, instantiation of classes, sending messages to objects.

Textbook

The following book is required:

Objects First with Java: A Practical Introduction using Java, David J. Barnes and Michael Kölling, Pearson Education, ISBN: 0130 44929 6, 2003.

Grade distribution

Scores in this class will be on a 1000 point scale distributed as follows

Labwork	150
Programming Asssignments	450
Midterm Exam	200
Final Exam	200

Labwork - 150 pts

There is a weekly lab session to accompany the lectures. The lab sessions will reinforce the concepts that are taught in the lectures. Attendance will be taken during the labs and this will count towards the final score. The labs will be handled by the GTAs.

Programming projects - 450 pts

The majority of your grade will come from individual programming assignments. There will be five programming assignments. Precise instructions regarding each individual submission and points per assignment will be provided with the project specification.

Note: These projects will be quite challenging and will require extensive investment of your time and effort. Make sure that you start early on the assignments, understand the specifications and ask questions if you face any problems.

Exams - 400 pts

There will be three exams in this class. Two midterms and one final. The final exam will be a comprehensive exam covering the entire course material.

Note: There will be no make-up of the midterm or final exam, unless there is a valid reason. The request has to be accompanied by a letter from the dean's office. If you are unable to take the exam in the scheduled time-slot please inform the instructor atleast 24 hours in advance.

Grading Policy

Upon receiving grades for attendance, quiz, homework, or project, you have exactly one week to question/contest your grade. After that, you will not be able to contest the grade which you received on a project. This is to ensure that the grader remembers the grading criteria and is able to fairly consider any re-grading request.

Late Policy

Each programming project and homework assignment will have a due date and time and will include instructions for submission. Except in the very rare case that an extension is granted, late submissions will incur a penalty of 20% per day, and will not be given any credit if submitted after graded assignments or solutions have been released. Any request for an extension must be made at least 24 hours prior to the due date. Plan your time carefully for the programming projects, especially if you will be using computers in the campus labs — you may be competing with other students for scarce resources, so don't put things off until the last minute.

Class web site, listserv and forum

The url for the class is http://courses.cs.vt.edu/~cs1054/spring2005/. Announcements regarding availability of assignments and grades will be posted to the listserv and course website. The listserv address is L11497_11498_11499@listserv.vt.edu Every student who is registered by the first day of class is automatically subscribed to the class list. The listserv will be used primarily for announcements and clarifications.

Programming Environment

All lab sessions will be performed under the BlueJ Integrated Development Environment (IDE) with the latest version of the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE). The BlueJ IDE can be downloaded from http://www.bluej.org/ .

Online Grader

The programming assignments may be autograded by the departmental online grader or by the course TAs. The submission procedure will be made available along with the project description.

The Honor Code

The Honor Code applies to this course and will be enforced. All graded assignments must be your own work. You may seek help during office hours from the instructor or the Graduate Teaching Assistant. Always give credit for work that is not entirely yours (e.g., parts of programs or homework answers borrowed from a book).

Other notes

If any student needs special accommodations because of a disability, please contact the instructor during the first week of classes.
There are no make-ups on the homeworks, programs, or tests except under special circumstances as explained above.
Keep all returned assignments until the end of the semester.
Keep a personal backup copy of each assignment/program you are to turn in. This is particularly important for programming assignments. Make sure that you save your assignments on a different machine and/or disk.
Students are responsible for making backup copies of all their work in this course. Loss of work due to hard drive failure is NOT an acceptable excuse. Backup copies of files on the same hard drive are not backup copies. Backup copies of files on second hard drives are also risky. Backup copies should be maintained on two separate distinct storage mediums, (eg. hard drives and floppies).
Backup copies should be maintained until after the end of the term and students have received their course grade.