Welcome to CSci 157 - Intro to Modeling & Programming

CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
An introduction to creative modeling of both natural and virtual worlds, in which students gain understanding of human interaction with computing devices as well as the expertise needed for further course work in computer science. Lab experiences using the explicit notation of a programming language reinforce the application of abstractions while affording practice in algorithmic problem solving and relevant theory.

These are the course learning objectives.

General Education Course Objectives Relevant to this Course

(G5Q) Learning Objective 5.
Observing, Experimenting, and Modeling: The Scientific and Quantitative View.

This course instruction includes substantial quantitative, algorithmic, or abstract logical reasoning.

Prerequisites and Preparation

This course is aimed at students with little or no prior programming experience. By definition, none of you are under-qualified for this course. In terms of being over-qualified — if you have extensive prior programming experience, I really don't want you wasting your time so come talk to me about how well this class suits your needs and to discuss other options.

Although no mathematics course is required to take this course, it will help to have some mathematical and logical experience. You should be confident with your math skills at least up to simple algebra.

Day to Day Schedule

You will find our day to day schedule of topics, readings, and course 'events' online at http://ldale.sewanee.edu/CprS/157/
Refer to this resource regularly for details; some of which may be adjusted as the semester takes over our lives. Note that this schedule will reflect date & time of your final exam along with a link to the university schedule of all exam times.

Labs

You will also be attending a 3 hour laboratory once a week where you will get supervised hands-on practice writing and debugging your own code. The laboratory exercises will not be announced in advance. And this experience cannot be made up. If you miss lab sections then the lab portion of your grade for this course will simply be more heavily weighted on the sessions you are in attendance. More significantly, it is likely your comfort level with and understanding of the course material will be negatively compromised. There will be seperate schedule for lab sessions found online at http://ldale.sewanee.edu/CprS/157lab/

Exams

There will be two in-class exams and one final exam. Exams are closed note, neighbor, and computer, though a reference sheet may be provided or allowed.

If an extraordinary medical or personal circumstance occurs that prevents you from taking any exam to the best of your ability, please contact me as soon as possible.

Students with learning accommodations must talk to me by the end of week 3 to receive those accommodations for the exams.

Course grades will be determined as follows:

 40%	   	Homework (Written & Pgm'ing)
 20%	   	Thursday Labs  
 30%	   	3 Exams (one of which is Final)
 10%	   	Presentations and/or Class Quizzes
100%	   	Total

Honor Code

You agreed to follow the Honor Code when you matriculated. All forms of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, are violations of the Honor Code and will be treated as such. If you ever have a question about an assignment or need additional help, please ask for assistance rather than jeopardize your academic career.

In the spirit of collegial and cooperative learning, you are free to discuss ideas and approaches with other students, and then implement the solution yourself. The key is this: you should type and debug all the code you submit. In particular, it is not appropriate to email or share code phrases to be pasted in.

For all work, written or programs, you should explicitly cite any sources you use other than our textbook or website material. Although you may talk to a friend about these questions, your answers should reflect your own thoughts in your own words, and you should cite any study partners. Note that citations do not excuse using another's work in an inappropriate way. If you have questions, ask them in a timely manner BEFORE SUBMITTING.

Attendance

If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to consult the online schedule and get notes from a peer. You should not expect any instructor to re-teach the class in office hours or even provide you a summary of 'what was important'. It was _all_ important. (Professors are funny about that.)

Class meetings are where we will discuss and work on code. Because these discussions are somewhat driven by student questions and concerns, there is no guarantee they will be covered in the same detail in your assignments or readings. Attendance is therefore required and an important factor in doing well in the class.

However, due to the difficulties posed by the current pandemic, attendance issues will be handled somewhat leniently this semester.

ADA (Americans with Disabilities) Statement

The University of the South is committed to fostering respect for the diversity of the University community and the individual rights of each member of that community. In this spirit, and in accordance with the provisions of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the University seeks to provide students with disabilities with the reasonable accommodations needed to ensure equal access to the programs and activities of the University. Any student with a documented disability needing academic adjustments is requested to speak with Student Accessibility Services and the instructor, as early in the semester as possible. If you have already requested accommodations, it is your responsibility to present your instructor with a copy of your academic accommodations letter from Student Accessibility Services which is located in the Dean of Students Office (931.598.1229). Accommodations will not be provided without this documentation, and accommodations cannot be applied retroactively. Additional information about accommodations can be found at https://new.sewanee.edu/campus-life/playing/wellness-commons/university-wellness-center/student-accessibility-services/.

If you have questions about physical accessibility, please inform your instructor so that we can ensure an accessible, safe, and effective environment.

           
                             Mon   
 11am - noon 
       
                             Tue   
 1:30-2:30pm
       
                             Wed   
 10-11am
       
                             Thu   
 none
       
                             Fri   
 10am - 1pm (Fri, by appt only)
       
 and   by appt 

Office Hours & How to Contact Me

My office is located in Wood Laboratories ( WL 130 )

My office phone number is x-1814

My email is ldale (at) sewanee (dot) edu

Preliminary Office Hours for the first two weeks of class listed here. These time may be adjusted in the third week as students alert me to difficulties finding a matching meeting time in their own schedules.

Textbook(s):