CIS280-f08/About
From MCIS Wiki
CS280: Data Structures
Office and contact info: Hurst 114, 943-2392, jpeterson@western.edu
Office hours: MWF: 10am – 11am, TTh: 8:30 – 9:30. I am around most of the time – you are welcome to email or knock any time.
Text: none – there are many online resources available.
Webpage: http://wiki.western.edu/mcis
Software: We will be using Java and Netbeans – see the wiki for details.
Topics: We will cover a variety of data structures and algorithms including lists, trees, sorting, queues, heaps, searching, lists, hashing, etc. as well as some basic algorithm analysis. Additionally, we will be learning Java language features as needed. A certain amount of math will be needed – you’ll be expected to be able to handle logarithms.
Homework: Homework is an essential part of this course. There will generally be homework every week. Homework assignments will always be due on Wednesday. Homework assignments may contain short programs – you are allowed to do the programming on the computer rather than on paper but it will not be necessary to submit a working program – a listing will be sufficient. You are encouraged to work with other students on the homework but the homework you hand in is ultimately supposed to be your own work. Homework may be handed in the Friday after the due date with a letter grade as penalty. Homework will NOT be accepted once the following class starts. The lowest homework grade will be dropped. Homework is 25% of your grade.
Programs: There will be program code due almost every Friday in class. This must be working code – submit your code by emailing me a zip file containing your entire project. If you code does not compile you will get a 0. Points may be deducted for poor programming style. Comments are important! I’ll be reading your code, not just running it. You may submit your code the following Monday with a letter grade penalty. These programs will often be cumulative, incorporating the code from previous assignments. All program projects are assigned one week in advance. On Monday, I will post solutions which can be used in subsequent assignments if you want to avoid problems caused by bugs in previous programs. The average of all your programs will be 50% of your class grade.
On Wednesday before an assignment is due there will be a 20 minute work session in class.
Exams: There will be three exams given during the term. The last exam will be given at the end of the term during the officially scheduled final exam period and will count double. Exams count for 25% of your grade.
Quizzes: There will generally be a 10 minute exam at the end of the period on Fridays. The two lowest quiz grades are dropped. Quizzes cannot be made up. The average of all quiz grades will count as a single exam.
Seminars: Attendance at a CIS seminar will add 10 points to the homework / program due the week of the seminar.
Academic Honesty: Don’t do the following:
- Copy code from the Internet without citing the source
- Copy from other students
- Copy answers on tests / quizzes
- Use outside help without credit
There is a fine line between “good” sharing (working with other students on programs) and wholesale copying. I don’t want to see identical assignments submitted to me. You are encouraged to work together on debugging but make sure you understand all the code you hand in. When in doubt, type it in yourself rather than pasting from another student. You can cut and paste off the Internet as long as you cite the source. Ask if you have any questions.
Academic dishonesty will result in a 0 on the assignment. Repeated or egregious dishonesty may lead to failure of the class.
Students with Disabilities: Western State College of Colorado seeks to provide reasonable accommodations for all qualified persons with disabilities. This College will adhere to all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations, and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations as required, affording equal educational opportunity. It is the student's responsibility to register with the Learning Assistance Center (x7056, UN 201) and to contact the faculty member in a timely fashion to arrange for suitable accommodations.
Grades: Your grade is the average of your homework, exam, and programming scores.
Grades will be assigned as follows.
94% - A 80% - B- 67% - D+ 90% - A- 77% - C+ 62% - D 88% - B+ 72% - C 60% - D- 83% - B 70% - C- less than 60% - F
Other grades given in accordance with college policy.
I reserve the right to raise grades based on improvement, etc. I also reserve the right to modify any aspect of this syllabus except the grading scale by announcement in a regularly scheduled class.
Changes: this syllabus may be changed at anytime by posting revised information in the class web page. The information in the wiki will always supersede this document.
