CSE143 -- Syllabus & Course Administration

Course Administration and Syllabus

Place and Time

Lecture: MWF 11:30-12:30, Kane 120

Quiz sections: TuTh, various times and locations. Check the UW Time Schedule.

Instructor: Martin Dickey

Staff Information

Teaching Assistants	Office hours
Robert Drollinger rad@cs Danielle Farrar dcfarrar@cs Chris Fitzner cf@cs Sam Kim samuelk@cs Travis Krick (tkrick@cs Bryan Nelson (nelsonbr@cs Tapan Parikh tapan@cs David Richardson daverich@cs Ian Simon (iansimon@cs Gary Yngve gyngve@cs	For locations and schedule, please go to the Staff page. You are welcome to visit any TA in office hours, not just your own TA. cse143-ta@cs.washington.edu will reach all TAs.

Course Goals

CSE143 is a continuation of CSE142. Topics covered will include classes; interfaces and inheritance; software design principles and practices; error handling and exceptions; stream I/O; user interfaces; recursion; elementary data structures and associated algorithms (lists, queues, stacks, trees); and an introduction to performance analysis and implementation tradeoffs. The Java programming language will be used to gain concrete experience with these ideas. In addition to its technical content, CSE143 is intended to help you develop strategies for becoming self-reliant, adaptable, and confident as a computing practitioner.

Successful completion of the course will give you the tools needed to construct substantial computer programs, and the concepts to help you better understand computers and software in your everyday world. Finally, the course also provides a foundation for further study in computer science and engineering.

Prerequisite: CSE142 or equivalent.

To be fully prepared, you should have taken the Java version of the course at the UW, or have equivalent background. Look at recent CSE142 web pages if you are not sure whether your previous course included the appropriate topics. The new Java version of CSE142 introduces basic programming concepts in the context of Java classes and objects. These are topics that were not part of the former (C language) version of the CSE142. Our current CSE142 also includes use of reference-based data structures, standard collection classes, and simple graphics. If you have some experience with these areas in an object-oriented programming language (C++, for example), you should be able to make the transition to Java, and to this course.

There is only a (very brief) opportunity near the beginning of the course to catch up with some elementary material and terminology.
Course Format

The class meets five days a week: three lectures on MWF, and two quiz sections on TTh. On your own time, you have homework to do, mostly computer programs to design and debug.

This is a programming course. Students almost universally report that CSE143 is time-consuming compared to100-level courses in other disciplines. Much of the time is consumed by the unpredictable but exhilarating activity of programming. You can't succeed without a commitment to spend whatever time it takes to understand and complete the assignments.

This is not a programming course. After an exam, students sometimes remark, "I don't feel this exam fairly assesses my skill as a programmer." And they are right! Programming assignments and exams measure different skills and knowledge. CSE143 is about much more than just getting a program to run. It's about fundamental concepts of computer science. Without mastering these fundamentals and the accompanying technical vocabulary, analytical, and design skills, you will not do well in the course, not matter how beautiful and accomplished your programs.

Topics Covered and Schedule

A day-by-day schedule will be online. This shows topics covered, related reading, pointers to lecture slides, and identifies dates of major events. The exact mix of topics and activities is subject to change. You can expect the schedule to be updated fairly frequently, so please revisit it often.

Textbook and Other Required Reading

Textbook (optional): Jaime Ni�o and Frederick Hosch, An Introduction to Programming and Object-Oriented Design using Java, Wiley, 2002. This book is also used in CSE142. It begins with the very fundamentals of Java. We will cover the first several chapters quite rapidly. If you did not have CSE142 at the UW, purchase of this book is recommended.

Another suggested book, more up to date with respect to Java, is The Object of Data Abstraction and Structures (Using Java) by David Riley. Each of these two books covers some material which is omitted in the other, and which is part of the course. If you choose not to buy either or both, be sure you have ready access to a copy of each.

Note: CSE143 is not a course built around a particular textbook. Don't be surprised to find details that differ between the lecture presentations and the textbook explanations and examples. There will also be differences in the order of topics. In the case of the Nino and Hosch book, there will be small differences in the version of Java used. Please don't let it throw you! To supplement the textbook, there may be handouts or pointers to readings on advanced topics, especially near the end of the quarter.
In most any bookstore you can find an almost frightening number of books about Java. You may find that one or more of these appeals to your learning style and background better than either of the suggested books.

Other required reading includes:

every message sent to the announcement mailing list;
every word of every assignment (and this can be a lot to read!);
all the lecture slides, including those that are not presented in class;
and anything else that we might designate as required reading (which might include sample solutions and handouts).

There may also be material presented in lecture which does not exist on the slides or any printed form. You should try to keep up with all of these materials and be prepared to be quizzed on them, just as you would with the textbook readings.

Other Materials

You may wish to buy some disks to make backups of your work. Probably we will not require you to turn in any disks. Backup is something you should take seriously, though.

Tests and Quizzes

There will be two 45-minute midterm exams and a comprehensive final exam, timed at 100 minutes. Unless otherwise announced, exams will be held in the same lecture hall as regular classes. Tests and quizzes may include a mixture of multiple-choice, short-answer, and programming questions. All tests are cumulative, but emphasize the more recently covered material.

The final exam will be held at the time set by the University: Wednesday, March 19, 2:30 p.m. . You must take the exams when they are offered; please do not make plans which would prevent you from doing so. You must take and pass the final exam in order to pass the course.

There will also be a number of short quizzes, at unpredictable times. These miniquizzes will generally be of three types:

Reading quizzes, which cover reading assigments that has not yet been covered in class. (Reminder: "required reading" includes more than just the textbook sections!)
Knowledge quizzes, which test important skills or concepts recently introduced
Feedback quizzes, where the main goal is for us to assess how well we are getting the material across.

All quizzes will be graded on a simple system, and all quizzes will count equally, regardless of length or difficulty. No makeup quizzes will be given regardless of reason for missing, but if you miss one (only), we will drop it from the average when computing your grade. If you miss no quizzes, we will drop the lowest score (percentage-wise).

Participation and Service

A small percentage of the course grade comes from participation and service, defined as something which helps you learn and helps the staff or benefits the class as a whole. I'll throw out examples and suggestions as we go along. You can look for opportunities, too.

Attendance

Attendance is expected at all class meetings. There may be some opportunities for credit that you will miss when you don't attend. If you miss a lecture, talk to a friend who was present, and be sure to check the Web site for class messages and updated information. Instructors and TAs will not furnish private tutoring to individuals who miss class, but of course you are welcome to visit office hours with questions about the material.

Even though a great deal of class material is available via the Web, this is not a distance learning course, Students who don't attend class cannot expect to succeed as readily as those who do. If you miss class, you may miss information, examples, handouts, advice, announcements, and other things that are not guaranteed to be anywhere on the Web.

Homework

Computer programming is best learned hands-on. Several sizable programming projects will be assigned throughout the quarter, as well as a number of smaller exercises, which may include problems to solve, questions to answer, short writing assignments, diagrams or charts to draw, etc. You should expect to have something due every week, occasionally even more than one per week, and sometimes on or close to an exam date. Assignments must be done by each student individually, unless explicitly directed otherwise. Pick up graded written homework and exams from your TA in quiz section. Unclaimed homework is discarded at the end of the quarter.

Turning in Assignments

Each assignment will carry instructions about when and how it is to be turned in. Some assignments may be collected in class or by e-mail. However, for most programming homework, you will turn in the assignment electronically via the Web. There will be a special page with a form to fill out, and a "receipt" page is sent back to your computer to verify that we received the assignment. Work that is not turned in according to instructions will not be graded.
Most often, the deadline for electronic submission of assignments will be Wednesday or Thursday evening. Non-electronic materials assignments will generally be due at the beginning of lecture or quiz section. However, there will be exceptions to these general rules.

Late Policy

Except in truly exceptional circumstances, late homework will not be accepted. Expect to spend a lot of time on the programming homework. Estimating how long a project will take is difficult, even for software professionals, so start early!

Grading Scheme (tentative)

Homework and Projects: 29%. Longer or more difficult assignments may be weighed somewhat more heavily.
Midterm #1: 14%
Midterm #2: 16%
Final Exam: 24%
Miniquizzes: 12% (all weighted equally)
Participation and Service: 5%

Homework and tests assess very different things. It's quite possible to do very well in one category and not-so-well in another. If that happens to you and you don't see why, please come and talk to me. Along the same lines, sometimes the lectures, homeworks, and quiz sections will seem coordinated, and other times they may seem to come from different planets!

If you find an error in the grading, you must bring it to your TA's attention within one week of when the item was returned.

Your grade in the course

Yes... the rumor is true. The class is graded on a curve, with the mean set at about 3.1. Midway through the course, students often ask me to estimate what grade they are likely to get. This is very difficult. One thing you can look at is how your scores compare with the class mean. This information will be available on-line after our grades database is set up. Of course, you are always welcome to come and talk to me about grades or any other concern.

Tools for Communication

The course web site is a primary source of information about CSE143. In addition, everyone should read the class message board (also referred to as the bulletin board or newsgroup). This is a forum for discussions about course content and activities. Please do not post your code on it! We will send email to your UWNetID if we need to broadcast a message to everyone in the class. E-mail messages are also archived and can be viewed on the web.
You can reach the entire teaching staff at once by sending electronic mail to cse143-staff@cs.washington.edu . This is often the fastest way to get an answer from some staff member. You are encouraged to use the message board for most discussions and questions.

Labs and Computing Facilities

The Introductory Programming Laboratory (IPL) for CSE142 and CSE143 is in room 334 of Mary Gates Hall. The IPL is our home base, and we provide consulting support there at scheduled times throughout the week. Software to support the course is also installed in other UWired public labs. See the lab information web page for more information on the UW programming labs, their hours, etc. All the software is freely available over the web, for you to install on your own computer; see the computing at home pages for help. The same instructions apply to both CSE142 and CSE143 in most cases. If you have software left over from CSE142 -- it's all been updated. Please get the new versions and reinstall.

Course Administrator

The course administrator is Pim Lustig, Sieg 112E (inside Sieg 114); 616-3225, cse143-admin@cs.washington.edu. See Pim for administrative matters related to the course such as scheduling conflicts, routine corrections to entries in our grade database, etc. See the staff page for his office hours.

Appropriate Use of UW Computers

Here are some excerpts from the campus policies; please take them seriously:

"You must use all UW [computing] resources in strict accordance with local, state, and federal laws. These laws cover such areas as illegal access to computer systems, networks, and files; copyright violations; and harassment issues... Software and information resources provided through the university for use by faculty, staff, and students may be used on computing equipment only as specified in the various software licenses. Unauthorized use of software, images, or files is regarded as a serious matter and any such use is without the consent of the University of Washington...If abuse of computer software, images, or files occurs, those responsible for such abuse will be held legally accountable."

Academic Misconduct

All work turned in is expected to be your own, unless we specifically ask you to work in teams. Unacknowledged copying or using parts of someone else's program, even if it has been modified by you, is plagiarism and is not acceptable! If you have a tutor or helper from outside the course, that person may not write any part of any program for you.

The University has very clear guidelines for academic misconduct and the staff of CSE143 will be vigorous in enforcing them. We make use of very effective automated tools for detecting similarities between homework solutions. Please read carefully the CSE policies on these matters. Violations of these rules will be referred to the appropriate University authorities for disciplinary action... not fun for anybody.


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