Instructor: Adam Fischbach
Office: 266C Kirkbride Hall
Phone: x4035
E-mail: jafischbach@widener.edu
Office Hours:
This is the beginning of your second year in the Computer Science program. You will continue to learn the fundamentals of computer programming in preparation for more advanced courses. This course provides an introduction to the Java programming language and the concepts of object-oriented design, including encapsulation, inheritance and polymorphism. In addition, this course will introduce you to common data structures including linked lists, stacks, queues, binary trees and hash tables. You will also study (perhaps for the second time) searching and sorting algorithms and learn how to analyze their complexity. I assume that you already know the fundamentals of imperative programming in the C programming language, including the common control structures including if-else statements and loops, as well as the array data structure.
Your grade for this course is divided into three categories: Exams, Assignments and Participation. The breakdown is as follows:
Letter Grade: I use the following breakdown for associating a letter grade with your numeric grade at the end of the semester. I do not attach letter grades to individual exams or assignments. Numeric grades are rounded to the nearest whole number for the purposes of this breakdown.
Exams: Both exams will be closed-book, however you will be allowed to bring notes on a single piece of notebook-sized paper. They will follow a short-answer/problem-solving format. The midterm exam will be held on October 24th during the regular class period. You will know the exact date for the exam at least a few weeks in advance. The final exam is scheduled by the University during the final exam week. The final exam may be scheduled during a day/time/place that differs considerably from our normal meeting times, so make no assumptions. Exam dates are NOT flexible. If you miss an exam without a legitimate (and well-documented) excuse, you will receive a zero for the exam.
In-Class & Lab Assignments: There will be weekly Lab Sessions. You will be given a problem or series of problems to solve in the given 75-minute time period. All Lab Assignments are due at the end of the current Lab Session. You must attend the Lab Session in order to submit the Lab Assignment for a grade. At the end of the semester, I will drop the lowest two Lab Assignment grades before computing your final semester grade.
I will also, from time to time, give you In-Class Assignments. These are short, open-book/open-notes quizzes related to the material we are currently covering in class. You must attend the class during which an In-Class Assignment is given in order to submit the In-Class Assignment for a grade. You will typically have 15-20 minutes to complete the assignment, depending on the assignment's difficulty.
Homework Assignments: The problems that I assign in this class will come in different shapes and sizes. Assignments will be weighted differently depending on their difficulty and how much time I give you to complete them. The relative point value will be stated on each assignment. As a rough estimate, assume that you will accumulate 50 points/week. Assignments must be turned in by the stated due date for full credit. I may accept late assignments, with penalty, until I provide the solution for the assignment. After the solution is provided (either in class or on the Web page), no more assignments will be accepted for any reason (obviously).
Participation: This part of your grade is somewhat subjective, but largely based on your attendance and engagement in class. So, if you show up and pay attention in class, and show up and do your work in lab, then you should receive full credit.
Extra Credit: I have been known to give extra credit problems from time to time, usually when I am in a good mood. Extra credit points will be applied either to your exam or assignment grade. All extra credit opportunities will be available to the entire class. However, I am not promising that I will provide any extra credit problems. I might though. You never know.
Your presence in class and lab is required. I may not take a formal attendance every day, but this is a small enough class that I'll probably notice if you're not there. If you do not attend class regularly, the participation portion of your final grade will suffer.
The Science Division strictly enforces the University's policy on cheating and other forms of academic fraud.
All work that you submit for a grade must be your own and exclusively your own. If I give you permission to work with someone on a particular assignment, that person's name must be included on your assignment. I reserve the right to require you to meet with me to discuss an assignment prior to giving you a grade. If you submit work that is not your own on an assignment or exam, you will be penalized and I will report the incident to the University. So, to sum up: Don't Cheat. I find that really, really annoying. Your responsibility in this class is to learn. If you are not doing your own work, then you're not learning.
Unless I specifically say otherwise for a particular assignment, you are expected to complete all aspects of an assignment on your own. You may discuss concepts introduced in class with your classmates or a tutor, however you may not work on an assignment with anyone. If you need help on an assignment, you are welcome to speak to me about it.
If a student has a grievance concerning a class in which he/she is enrolled, he/she will first try to resolve the problem with the instructor of the class. If it is impossible to resolve the matter at this level, then the grievance must be placed in writing and appealed in the following order:
§ Division or Program Head
§ Dean of Arts and Sciences (Arts and Sciences Academic Council)
§ Provost of the University
§ University Academic Council
All student grievances will first be referred to the class instructor before they are treated at the level of the Division Head.