Introduction to Computer Programming (CPTR125) 

Andrews University

Affiliated and Extension Program

UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTHERN CARIBBEAN

FACULTY OF SCIENCES & TECHNOLOGY

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Programming in a selected language – JAVA.  May be repeated for a total of three unique languages.  Satisfies general requirements for computing majors.  Only 3 credits of CPTR125 may apply toward a computing major or minor.

 

Prerequisites:  Math placement exam score of 2.0 and keyboarding skills of 20+wpm.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon successfully completing this course, you, the student will be able to:

 

• Exhibit a thorough understanding of basic programming concepts (such as data types, selection and repetition statements, functions, arrays, etc.) and program design by incorporating these concepts into programs and by doing written exercises;
• Understand and be able to apply elementary concepts of software engineering, such as good program design for modularity and reusability, into every program you write;
• Demonstrate a knowledge of the syntax and semantics of the JAVA language by writing programs in that language
• Show a broad familiarity with the fundamental concepts and vocabulary in the field of Computer Science by completing written exercises, quizzes, and tests.

COURSE TEXTBOOK

• Required: Lesley Anne Robertson - Simple Program Design – 4^th Edition – Course Technology.

- Additional (recommended) resources for the course are:

·         Deitel & Deitel – JAVA -  How to Program 4^th  Edition – Deitel.

·         Terrence W. Pratt & Marvin V. Zelikowitz - Programming Languages – 4^th Edition

·         Rogers Cadenhead & Laura Lemay – Teach Yourself Java 2 in 21 days – 4^th Edition – SAMS.

·         Judith Bishop – Java Gently – 3^rd Edition – Addison Wesley

GRADING POLICY

A minimum grade of C will be recognized for Computer Science majors and D for other students doing the course for appreciation.

COURSE WEIGHTS

COURSE PROCEDURE

1.      Read the textbook.  It will be imperative that students observe this assignment for their own good.

2.   Assignments and Tests will be used as a means of reinforcing the student's understanding of material covered in lectures.  As performance on these will contribute to the student's final grade, full participation is expected; consideration will be given to certified, legitimate excuses only.  Late assignments and presentations are acceptable and will therefore have a 50% discount of the total grade of that specific assignment or presentation.

3.      Class Attendance will be very important.  As such, the Class Absence Policy of the CUC will be adhered to. Additionally, students are required to be at class on time. For each absent, the grade of the "Class Attendance" item will be reduced by 2 points (out of 10).

      Remember:

·         3 tardies = 1 absence of class.

·         5 absences and 1 late during the whole semester are the maximum allowed to a student of a three (3) credits course.

4.      Any form or intent of cheating or dishonesty will be severely punished.  All cases of dishonesty or suspected dishonest will be dealt with as outlined in the CUC Handbook.  Cases involving suspected dishonesty will be forwarded to the office of the V.P.  for Student Development for placement in the student’s file.  Cases involving known dishonesty will be handled by the student withdrawing from the class with a failing (F) grade. Christian maturity is assumed of all students.

5.   The classes of this course will be held in the CS1 classroom. The use of any software (out of the lectures of the course and the software needed for the assignments of the course) is forbidden during class time. Two (2) points of the mark of the Last Exam's grade will be discounted (each time) from the student who was found using any forbidden software (like MSN, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc.).

6.      Since the lectures, grades, assignments specifications, notice board, etc. are in the Official Web Site of the instructor (www.davidsiguel.cuc.edu.tt), each student is expected to check for news in the referred site minimum twice a week.

7.      One of the communication channels between the instructor and the student is via E-Mail. Each student is expected to have an active CUC e-mail account address and to check for personal messages from the instructor or other members of the course as minimum once a week.

8.  The course schedule is subject to changes. Such changes (if any) will be announced in class and will have the same effect as if they were initially in the schedule.

            Survival Hints

To do well in this class, you should:

1.   Thoroughly read the pertinent sections in the book both before class and again throughout the week, as some points may not become clear until they have been explained and discussed in class.

2.   Do exercises (you should attempt to do problems not assigned by the instructor).

3.   Feel free to stop the instructor and ask questions when questions arise during class discussions.

4.   Know the theory as well as the practical (i.e., resist the urge to simply learn little snippets of code-learn how to come up with those pieces instead).

5.   Practice!  Programming is as much an art as it is a science, and it does not come quickly unless, you take the time to practice often.

SCHEDULE OF LECTURES

Last Revision: May 14, 2007

*** End of Syllabus ***

Introduction to Computer Programming (CPTR125)