IST163: Programming Practicum w/C++
Course Syllabus
Spring 2003, TR
Instructor |
: Brian M. Morgan |
Office |
: Prichard
Hall 212 |
Phone Number |
: (304) 696-6469 |
Fax Number |
: (304) 696-6533 |
Office Hours |
: MWF: MW: TR: Other times by appointment ONLY |
E-Mail |
Textbooks:
The following textbook is required for the course:
C++ Programming: From Problem Analysis to Program Design, by D.S. Malik; Course Technology; ISBN: 0-619-06213-4, 2002.
Computer
Requirements:
Supplemental materials can be found contained within the WebCT environment (http://webct.marshall.edu/). I will be sending class announcements,
updates, etc. using your WebCT account (will discuss during the first
lecture). Access to a WWW browser is
required (Netscape 4.7 or higher or Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher) and Adobe
Acrobat Reader (available for download through the course WebCT site). It is also recommended that you visit the COS
ITC center on the first floor of the Science building and sign an agreement to
obtain a copy of Microsoft Visual Studio .NET, the programming environment we
will be using this semester. This
package is available for free to students in this course.
Course
Description:
Concepts of software development and maintenance using C++, including
syntax of the language, loops, functions, pointers, decision structures, and
file processing. Proper program design using object-oriented programming
techniques are emphasized.
Credit:
The course is three (3) credit hours. It includes classroom
lectures, exams, and programming projects. Students will participate in
programming projects that illustrate the implementation of concepts in general science
applications to learn C++.
Pre/co-requisites:
none
Desired Objectives/Outcomes:
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
-
Discuss Object-Oriented programming concepts
-
Demonstrate basic console programming skills using
C++
-
Develop software applications using Microsoft Visual
Studio .NET
- Demonstrate planning techniques for developing software applications
Instruction method:
There will be approximately 3 contact hours of classroom lecture per week. Content from each of the chapters will be
enforced through programming projects and examinations, including a
comprehensive take-home final exam. Students
may work on their programming projects in Prichard Hall 200 or 207, from home,
or in the Drinko Library.
Evaluation method:
Evaluation of student's performance will be based on the quality of your
performance on programming assignments, and exams.
Grading Policy:
Final grades are based on your performance on assignments and exams, as
indicated below.
2 In-class Exams |
30% |
Final Exam |
20% |
10 Laboratory Assignments (equally weighted) |
50% |
Attendance & Participation – None
Required |
0% |
Assessment
of Projects:
The
grading of all laboratory programming projects will take into account the
following:
1.
Although the most important attribute of a program is
correctness, grading will take into consideration such items as time and coding
efficiency, documentation, etc.
2.
Programs must have proper inline documentation and must
be properly indented. 20% will be deducted for poorly documented and/or poorly
indented code.
3.
All submitted code must compile correctly to receive
at least partial credit. Code that does not compile will receive 0 credit, no exceptions.
This means you must debug your code before submitting.
4.
When a problem does not specify a required
complexity, the grading will differentiate between efficient and nonefficient
code. For example, if you write a program that contains a number of
checks that are redundant and/or has one or more loops that iterate zero or one
time, up to 10% of the grade will be deducted.
5.
When a method name and/or parameters are specified in
an assignment’s description, you must use that name and/or parameters.
6.
When you write a function, remember that the function
should work for all possible inputs. Not on just your test inputs.
7.
Although interactions with other students are
encouraged, you must compose your own answers, unless otherwise noted.
Individuals
who utilize other people’s code, thoughts, or ideas must provide appropriate
references to said resources. Failure to
provide such documentation will result in a failing grade for the assignment,
and may result in a failing grade for the course.
In
determining the overall grade for a project, you can expect the following
grades based on performance:
A –
Excellent work that meets and/or exceeds all of the requirements for a given
project, code compiles and works for multiple test samples, all code and
associated files are well-documented, and the code is written efficiently.
B – Good
work that meets all of the requirements of the assignment, but may have errors
in documentation or coding, or contains code that may not work with all
possible data samples.
C –
Average work that meets all of the requirements of the assignment, but is
missing one or more of the items in its entirety that is mentioned in terms of
an A grade.
D – Below
average work which fails to meet one or more of the requirements of the
assignment.
F –
Unacceptable work which fails to meet two or more requirements for an
assignment, or has code that will not compile and execute.
Final letter grades
are determined based on the following grading scale:
90-100% |
A |
80-89% |
B |
70-79% |
C |
60-69% |
D |
Below 60 |
F |
The instructor reserves the right to change these values depending on the overall class performance and/or extenuating circumstances.
Policy Statement:
Programming Assignments: The
course includes a number of homework programming assignments. All assignments
are due BY THE BEGINNING OF CLASS on
their due date and must be submitted through the WebCT Dropbox.
NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
Exams: There
are three exams: The first will come after chapter 7 the second after
chapter 13 and a comprehensive Final exam (as scheduled). Exact dates of the exams
will be announced in class.
Make-up Exams and Late Penalty: Make‑up exams will not be given except under unusual
circumstances and satisfactory written justification. Any student who misses an exam due to an
unexcused absence will receive a grade of zero for that exam with no
opportunity for make-up or substitution.
University excused absences or those occurring with a good reason will
be excused. Make up exams must be taken
within one week of the original scheduled date.
The decision whether to give a make up exam rests with the instructor.
Passing grade: Programming
assignments and exams are required parts of the course and must be
satisfactorily completed to pass this course.
A student must have a passing grading in each area. A failing grade on a component may
result in a failing grade in the course.
Attendance Statement:
As with last semester, I am NOT making class attendance mandatory. However, I will keep a record of who is
attending and who is not. If you miss
class, it is your responsibility to catch up on material missed, and it will
not be the responsibility of the instructor to catch you up on material missed
during office hours.
Withdrawal Policy:
The University withdrawal policy is followed in this course.
The last day to drop an individual course for the Spring
of 2003 is
University Holidays:
The class is officially dismissed on the following dates:
Spring Break:
Topics and Methodology:
The following outline delineates the tentative class schedule with topics to be
addressed during the course. Please
note this is a tentative schedule and it may change upon class progress:
January 14 |
Review of Syllabus Introduction to WebCT |
January 16 |
Microsoft Visual Studio .NET Tutorial |
January 21 |
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 |
January 23 |
Chapter 2 |
January 28 |
Chapter 3 |
January 30 |
Chapter 3 Programming Project #1 Due |
February 4 |
Chapter 4 |
February 6 |
Chapter 5 Programming Project #2 Due |
February 11 |
Chapter 6 |
February 13 |
Chapter 7 Programming Project #3 Due |
February 18 |
Review for Exam 1 |
February 20 |
Exam 1 |
February 25 |
Chapter 8 |
February 27 |
Chapter 9 Programming Project #4 Due |
March 4 |
Chapter 9 |
March 6 |
Chapter 10 Programming Project #5 Due |
March 11 |
Chapter 10 |
March 13 |
Chapter 11 Programming Project #6 Due |
March 25 |
Chapter 12 |
March 27 |
Chapter 13 Programming Project #7 Due |
April 1 |
Chapter 13 |
April 3 |
Review for Exam 2 Programming Project #8 Due |
April 8 |
Exam 2 |
April 10 |
Chapter 14 |
April 15 |
Chapter 15 Programming Project #9 Due |
April 17 |
Chapter 15 |
April 22 |
Chapter 16 |
April 24 |
Chapter 16 Programming Project #10 Due |
April 29 |
Catch Up Day Review, Receive Take Home Final |
May 1 |
NO CLASS – Time to work on Final Exam |
May 6 |
Final Exam Due by |
For each topic
discussed in the textbook, specific experience of other students and the
instructor will be discussed to enhance the characteristics involved. Programming projects for the course will be
based on the chapters we discuss in the textbook. Additional material may also be covered in
the class.
Every student is
responsible for all materials presented in class, including lectures, notes,
and handouts. Students are also highly
encouraged to work through the end of chapter exercises in the textbook to help
with difficult concepts. In case you are
not present for a class, it is your responsibility to contact the instructor
and receive information about the material presented in that class. Class attendance is very important.
Effort Required:
As a 100-level course, this course is provided as an introductory course, but
there will still be a considerable amount of development and research effort
required of the student. For every one
hour in class, the student is expected to put in an effort of at least 3 hours
outside the class for studying and programming.
Because of background and preparedness, some students may have to put in
additional effort.
Communication:
The Bulletin Board facility of WebCT and private E-mail will be used to make
any general announcements, last minute changes, etc. It is mandatory that you monitor your WebCT
course messages at least once a day.