Computer Science 163-01:
Computer Science II
Winter 2009

with McGuire


This course covers programming methodology, design and analysis of algorithms, and an introduction to data structures and an introduction to the CIS computing facilities.  Examples from a wide range of computing applications will be discussed. 

Course Web-site:   http://www.cis.gvsu.edu/~mcguire/teaching/163/     Course-materials are available there.

Instructor:   Hugh McGuire

Remember, at any random time, if you have a question, try sending it to mcguire@cis.gvsu.edu ; I may be able to help you thus even outside of office hours.


Regarding being with people working on computers such as at office hours, here's a little note about computer etiquette:  To be polite, when someone is typing a password, look away from their hands at the keyboard.


Class Sessions
Lectures Lab session
MWF 9:00 to 9:50 a.m. at MAK B-1-118 W 10:00 to 10:50 a.m. at MAK A-1-171
Yes, lab sessions meet during the first week in the term.

Prerequisite: CS 162

Textbook(s)

You need the following: If our university bookstore sells out of an item, then naturally ask them to order more for you.

Optional book

Systems

We'll be using our (CIS) department's EOS computers.  You'll learn about using these computers starting in our first lab session.


Work

Weighting of Work (tentative)
Participation: 2%,   Homework assignments / intermediate projects: 38%,   Final Project: 20%,   Midterm examination: 15%,   Final examination: 25%.
Within each category of work, individual items (such as individual assignments) have weights depending on their importance.

Tests
The midterm examination will be tentatively on February 20 (Friday).
All the sections of CS 163 do their final examinations at the same time: tentatively Saturday, April 18, 9:00–10:50 a.m., in a room on the ground floor of Manitou Hall.

Participation
When I call upon you during lecture, you earn the credit for participation by simply saying one pertinent thing.  You do not need to answer a question completely correctly; if I want more than the answer you give, I can call upon more people.

If you really don't want me to call on you during lectures, just tell me and I won't.

Beyond being called upon, further opportunities for you to earn credit for participation may include your asking pertinent questions, and/or in-class exercises/activities.

Home-/Lab-Assignments:
You'll have assignments due approximately each week at lectures.  At the top on the front of your submission, you should identify your work with your name.  I need you to submit printed a.k.a. 'hard' copies of your work (because having hardcopies facilitates grading in various ways). 

As in CS 162, your code needs to conform to our standards for style.

The penalty for late submission of an assignment/project is -10% per day.
This conforms to the other sections of CS 163.
(This is different from my General Course Policies.)


Lectures

Though our textbook contains all of this course's material, sometimes students are interested in using my lecture notes as an additional source for this course's material.  For this, I'll try to provide lecture notes in my Web-site for this course before presenting them so that you can print them, bring them to lectures, and write on them there.  Further, just in case you might miss a lecture, in my Web-site for this course I'll provide the additional material that gets written into my lecture notes after they're presented. 
(Incidentally, I don't bother providing all of my material all together because our textbook does that, so it would be redundant.  I encourage you to write the additional material into the lecture notes because I believe you learn it better by doing so.)


Special Needs?
If there is any student in this class who has special needs because of a learning, physical, or other disability, please contact me and Disability Support Services (DSS) (via 616.331.2490).  Furthermore, if you have a disability and think you will need assistance evacuating our classroom and/or building in an emergency situation, please make me aware so I can develop a plan to assist you.


Drop Deadline
Just in case, note that the Registrar's deadline for you to drop a course this semester is 5:00 p.m. March 6 (Friday).  If you remain enrolled past that deadline, then you will definitely get some grade for this course recorded in your transcript.