CS101 CS II Spring 2017

Syllabus

Course Information
Course number: CS101-001
Location: 2005 North Lawn Hall MWF 9-10 (Lecture).
Lab Sections W 2-4:
324 Lloyd Hall (011), 222 Lloyd Hall (012), 1059 SERC (013)
Websites: Blackboard

Instructor
Name: Dr. Brandon Dixon
Office location: 2108 Cyber Hall
Office hours: 1:00-2:00 MW, before or after class, and by appointment
Phone: (205) 348-0597
E-mail: dixon@cs.ua.edu

Catalog Statement
CS 101 Foundations of Computer Science:
Prerequisites: CS100 or (CS 150, and ECE 285 or CS 160), C- or better in all courses.
A second course in programming for students majoring in computer science. Using a high-level
language, student use object-oriented practices to study fundamental data structures and
algorithms. Issues such as computability, problem complexity and algorithm analysis, efficient
searching and sorting, data structures, and the object-oriented programming paradigm are
introduced and explained.

Course Summary
Students will be exposed to a variety of important Computer Science ideas. These ideas range
from judging the efficiency of algorithms to understanding the trade-offs between various
strategies for storing and retrieving data.

Course Objectives
At the end of this class, a student should understand the concepts of:
algorithmic complexity
basic data structures and their strengths and weaknesses
basic searching and sorting techniques
Object-oriented programming using classes in C++

Textbook
We will be using a zybooks online book:
1. Sign up at zyBooks.com
2. Enter zyBook code UACS101DixonSpring2017
3. Click Subscribe
CS101 will use the Turning Technologies clickers in class.
CS101 Syllabus Page 2

Material & Schedule

Week/Date Topic Tentative Dates
#0 1/11 Course Introduction
#1 1/18
Overview of C++ and classes
#2 1/23 Prog. #1
#3 1/30 Recursion/Backtracking
#4 2/6 Algorithmic Analysis
#5 2/13 Sorting and Searching Prog. #2
#6 2/20 Pointers, Lists, Stacks and Queues Exam 1 2/22
#7 2/27
#8 3/6 Exceptions & Templates Prog. #3
#9 3/20
Maps/Hashing
#10 3/27
#11 4/3 Prog. #4
#12 4/10 Trees & Graphs Exam 2 4/12
#13 4/17
#14 4/24 Advanced OO Concepts Prog. #5
Final Exam: 8:00-10:30 Friday May 5th
This calendar is subject to change as required by good instructional practice.
Any changes will be posted on Blackboard Learn.

Grading
Grades will be determined by the following percentages:
Percentage Task
30% Midterm Exams
25% Final Exam
30% Programming assignments
6% zyBooks materials
4% In-class and/or Clickers
5% Labs

Program Grading Methodology

For programming assignments, points are awarded for programming style, program organization,
and test coverage. Further instructions on these matters will be included in your program
assignments.
Style Organization Coverage
Every file has flower box: your name, Appropriate abstractions and generalizations Deductions
etc. Good comments / self-explanatory Appropriate separation of concerns for failed
code. Good indentation / no line wraps Significant testing/debugging tests as
Well-named variables and functions All code reachable and used, no redundancies appropriate
Short, concise functions All variable names private as possible
CS101 Syllabus Page 3

Course Policies
Exams: Exams will focus on the skills outlined in the course syllabus and will focus heavily
from the material from the in class assignments, exercises from the textbook, and programming
assignments.

Attendance/In-class assignments: In class assignments may include collaborative projects or

quizzes (based on the assigned reading for the week). No make-ups of in class assignments will
be given.
Most of the in-class assignments will be done with Turning Point clickers . You can purchase a
clicker at the SUPE Store.
Grading: If you have questions regarding the grading of your assignments or exams, you MUST
come to see the instructor WITHIN ONE WEEK after the date your assignments or exams have
been returned to you.
Class Readings: Course material consists of both class lectures and textbook sections. All
material presented in lecture and in the book will be represented on the exam.
Attendance policy: Attendance is required, including the labs. Students are responsible for
announcements on Blackboard Learn and in class. If you are not in class, it is your responsibility
to get the notes and announcements from another student. The instructors reserve the right to
check attendance and monitor class participation to use in computation of your course grade.
Makeup policy: Late programming assignments will carry a penalty of 10% per day. No
assignments will be accepted after 3 days late. Make up credit for missed exams or projects will
be given only if a doctors note is presented for the exam or due date and the professor is notified
before the exam. The grade on the final exam will be substituted for the missed exam.
UAct: The University of Alabama is committed to an ethical, inclusive community defined by
respect and civility. The UAct website provides extensive information on how to report or obtain
assistance with a variety of issues, including issues related to dating violence, domestic violence,
stalking , sexual assault, sexual violence or other Title IX violations, illegal discrimination,
harassment, child abuse or neglect, hazing, threat assessment, retaliation, and ethical violations
or fraud.

Policy on Academic Misconduct: All students in attendance at The University of Alabama are
expected to be honorable and to observe standards of conduct appropriate to a community of
scholars. The University of Alabama expects from its students a higher standard of conduct than
the minimum required to avoid discipline. At the beginning of each semester and on
examinations and projects, the professor, department, or division may require that each student
sign the following Academic Honor Pledge: I promise or affirm that I will not at any time be
involved with cheating, plagiarism, fabrication, or misrepresentation while enrolled as a student
at The University of Alabama. I have read the Academic Honor Code, which explains
disciplinary procedure resulting from the aforementioned. I understand that violation of this code
will result in penalties as severe as indefinite suspension from the University.
See the Code of Student Conduct for more information.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:
CS101 Syllabus Page 4

To request disability accommodations, please contact the Office of Disability Services (348-
4285). After initial arrangements are made with that office, contact the instructor.

This syllabus is subject to change as required by good instructional practice.

Any changes will be prominently posted on Blackboard Learn.