CSCI 1990 Fall 2009
Introduction to Algorithmic Design

Tentative Syllabus:

TIME: Tuesday and Thursday 9:40-11:10 AM
LOCATION: Smith 322
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Fay A. Riddle
OFFICE: Smith 305
OFFICE PHONE: 706.880.8279
OFFICE HOURS: Mon./Wed./Fri.: 9:40-10:40 AM; Tues./Thurs.: 11:15-11:55 AM (except for faculty meeting days) and 1:10-2:30 PM. Available by appointment at other times.

CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION: Problem solving and algorithmic design in a higher-level language (Java). Structured programming concepts, debugging and testing, string processing, searching and sorting, basic data structures, and recursion.

COURSE OBJECTIVES: To introduce problem solving methods and algorithmic development; to teach a high-level programming language that is widely used; to teach how to design, code, debug, and document programs using techniques of good programming style; to introduce basic aspects of string processing, recursion, internal search/sort methods, and simple data structures.

TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS: All correspondence (assignments, test information, etc.) will be via e-mail. Students will be expected to check their e-mail on a daily basis. Cell phones and audible pagers must be turned off in class unless there is a prior arrangement with the instructor.

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS: The Bulletin says, "A student is expected to attend all classes, including labs, for all courses for which he/she is registered. The student is solely responsible for accounting to his/her instructor for any absence. An instructor may recommend that the Academic Dean drop from class with grade of W or U any student whose absences are interfering with satisfactory performance in the course."
     Each student is allowed two unexcused absences; any other absence must be excused by the instructor. I will excuse a maximum of 4 absences. Anyone with more than 7 absences (including excused and unexcused) will be penalized 6 points per absence, regardless of excuse. The instructor reserves to right to assign an F to any student with too many absences. Your daily grade is influenced by your attendance. The instructor reserves the right to count a student as absent if the student is late to class.
     The student is responsible for all material covered, assignments and test dates announced, and any other announcements made on the day the student is absent. Makeup tests are not automatic; they may only be expected under unusual, documentable circumstances (and at the discretion of the instructor) and, in such a situation, normally only if arranged with the instructor in advance of the test or exam. Absence from class is not an excuse for late or no homework.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
READING ASSIGNMENTS: The instructor will assume that the student reads those sections of the text corresponding to what is covered in class, as well as any assigned readings. The instructor reserves the right to give quizzes on assigned readings.

PROGRAMMING ASSIGNMENTS: Programming problems will be assigned regularly and should be turned in by class time on the date specified. Five points will be deducted if submitted late on the due date. Ten points per day for the first two days of lateness will be deducted; after two days, the instructor reserves the right not to accept the assignment.

TESTS: There will be three tests tentatively on Sept. 29 24, Oct. 22, Nov. 12, and a final exam on Dec. 10 at 8 AM.

GRADING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES: The homework assignments will count a total of 11% of the course grade. If a student does well on the homework but poorly on related material on a test, the instructor reserves the right to assign a grade of zero to that homework and report the incident to the Honor Council.
     Each test will count 21% of the course grade, the exam 21%, and the daily grade 5%. The grading scale is as follows: 98 to 100 A+ 92 to 97.9 A 90 to 91.9 A- 88 to 89.9 B+ 82 to 87.9 B 80 to 81.9 B- 78 to 79.9 C+ 72 to 77.9 C 70 to 71.9 C- 66 to 69.9 D+ 60 to 65.9 D 0 to 59.9 F
     The daily grade will be computed as follows: 0-2 unexcused absences: 5 points; 3 unexcused: 3 points; 4 unexcused: 1 point; 5 unexcused: 0 points; 6-7 unexcused: 1 point deducted from your grade; 8-9 unexcused: 2 points deducted from your grade; etc. The quiz grades will also affect the daily grade.

TEXTBOOK: java SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS by Lewis and Loftus.

COURSE OUTLINE: The following topics will be covered as time permits. Additional topics may be included as necessary.

1: Introduction
2: Data and Expressions
3: Using Classes and Objects
4: Writing Classes
5: Conditionals and Loops
6. Object-Oriented Design
7: Arrays, Searching and Sorting, and Algorithm Analysis
8. Recursion
9. Collections and Algorithm Analysis
10. Character Sets
11. Number Systems