UW Home     CSE Home   Announcements    Message Board    Contact Info 

 
 
 

CSE 143 -- Autumn 2004

Course Administration and Syllabus

Course Web site
www.cs.washington.edu/143 (which points to http://www.cs.washington.edu/education/courses/143/04au)
Place and Time
Lecture: MWF 11:30-12:20, Kane 120
Quiz sections: TuTh, various times and locations.  Check the UW Time Schedule.
Instructor
Hal Perkins
email: cse143-instructor@cs.washington.edu (or perkins@cs.washington.edu); office Paul Allen Center for CSE, room 548. Office hours MW 2-3pm. Feel free to drop by at other times or send email to set up a specific appointment.
Course Administrator
Pim Lustig
email: cse143-admin@cs.washington.edu; office: in the CSE main office in the Allen Center; 616-3225. See Pim for administrative matters related to the course such as scheduling conflicts, routine corrections to our records, etc. See the staff page for his office hours.
Staff Information
See the staff page on the course web for information about TAs and consultants. You are welcome to visit any TA in office hours, not just your own TA.
Course Goals
CSE143 is a continuation of CSE142.  Topics covered 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 is 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 Java version of CSE142 introduces basic programming concepts in the context of Java classes and objects, 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 (usually) 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 any elementary material and terminology that you have not seen before.
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 the time it takes to understand and complete the assignments.
This is not a programming course.  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 is online.  This shows topics covered, related reading, links 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. In particular, updated lecture slides for this quarter will normally be posted by dinner time the day preceding class. You are encouraged to print copies of the slides and bring them with you to class to use for taking notes.
Textbook and Other Required Reading
Textbook Jaime Niņo and Frederick Hosch, An Introduction to Programming and Object-Oriented Design using Java, 2nd edition, Wiley, 2004.  If you have a copy of the first edition, you can use that.
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 the textbook.
Other required reading includes:
  • every message sent to the cse142-announce mailing list (registered students are automatically subscribed to this list);
  • every word of every assignment (you need to read critically and carefully);
  • 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 will definitely be material presented in lecture and sections which does not exist on the slides or any printed form. You should take notes and keep up with all of these materials and be prepared to be quizzed on them, just as you would with the textbook readings.
The class discussion board (an epost list) is not strictly required reading, but it is to your advantage to keep up with material posted there. In particular, if you have a problem with a project or assignment, there's a good chance that it has already come up on the discusson list, or if it hasn't, you'll find it productive to post a message there. We do ask that you read previous messages before you post in case existing messages already address the topic.
Other Materials
You need to arrange a way to save copies of your work, either on floppy discs, a USB key disk, the online disk space available to all UW students, or something else.  Backup is something you should take seriously.
Tests and Quizzes
There will be two 50-minute midterm exams and a comprehensive final exam, timed at 110 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: 2:30-4:20 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2004 .  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 not announced in advance, usually in quiz sections, but possibly in lecture. 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, however if the reason is something truly beyond your control (serious illness, family emergency, etc.), please be sure to notify your TA so we can make a note about the situation and take it into account when final grades are assigned.
Participation and Service
A small percentage of the course grade is based on class citizenship, including things which help you learn and helps the staff or benefit the class as a whole, and things like how well you work with your partners on programming projects and with other students in quiz sections. 
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. We will, of course, help students who miss class because of illness or other circumstances outside their control.
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, problems, demonstrations, 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 possibly 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 almost every week, occasionally even more than once per week, and sometimes on or close to an exam date.  Programming projects will normally be done in pairs, and partners will be assigned by the course staff. Other assignments, including written reports about programming projects, must be done by each student individually, unless explicitly directed otherwise. Graded written homework and exams will be returned by 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.  Programming projects will normally be submitted 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 evening.  Non-electronic assignments will generally be collected in lecture or quiz section, or may be submitted in the CSE department office.  However, there may be exceptions to these general rules, so you need to pay attention to deadlines and submission instructions on each assignment.
Late Policy
Except in truly exceptional circumstances, late homework will not be accepted.   Expect to spend a lot of time on the programming projects.  Estimating how long a project will take is difficult, even for software professionals, so start early!
Grading Scheme (tentative)
  • Homework and Projects: 30%.  Longer or more difficult assignments will be weighed more heavily.
  • Midterm #1: 16%
  • Midterm #2: 16%
  • Final Exam: 25%
  • Quizzes: 8% (all weighted equally)
  • Participation and Service: 5%
Homework and tests assess somewhat 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 the instructor or a TA.
If you find an error in the grading or in our records, you must bring it to your TA's attention within one week of when the item was returned.
Your grade in the course
The distribution of grades in the course is generally the same from quarter to quarter, with a median of about 3.0. If everyone does much better than usual this quarter, then final grades will be higher, of course, but because the course is so large, we rarely see any significanct difference in scores from quarter to quarter.
Midway through the course, students often ask for an 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 the instructor 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 discussion board). 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.  These e-mail messages are also archived and can be viewed on the course 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, but 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.
 
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. Quoting from those policies: "In general, any activity you engage in for the purpose of earning credit while avoiding learning, or to help others do so, is likely to be an act of Academic Misconduct."
Violations of these rules will be referred to the appropriate University authorities for disciplinary action... not fun for anybody.