Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
North Georgia College & State University

Course Description: This course will cultivate critical thinking skills by presenting computer science as a problem solving discipline with emphasis in: fundamentals of computer science, algorithm development and analysis, and the design, coding, debugging and documentation of structured programs. Introduction to some software engineering concepts will also be covered.

Course Objectives: Students will be introduced to the basics of programming in Java. Program design will be exemplified by the top-down strategy using stepwise refinement. Students will learn programming methodology through systematic analysis, design, implementation, and testing.

 Methods of Instruction: A combination of Lecture-Discussion, Labs, Projects, and a Project Portfolio are the methods of instruction that are used in this course.

Evaluation:

Quizzes will comprise true/false & short answer questions, while exams will also contain some programming problems. Quizzes may be announced or unannounced.

The Final Exam is mandatory, cumulative and must be taken at its scheduled time.  In order to make a C or better in the class, you must pass the final exam. If for any emergency, you need to take the finals before the scheduled date, you must submit your request at least 10 days before the scheduled date.

 Lab Requirements and Policies:

Labs are designed for hands-on experience. They are scheduled during the regular class hours and will be treated as regular class hours as far as the attendance policy is concerned.

During the laboratory sessions, you must work on the assigned laboratory programs. If you finish early, you may choose to help others or to leave class early. See the instructor before leaving to avoid missing end of class material.

Project grading:

Projects will be graded as follows:

Project Submission Requirements:

• Your project must compile correctly and produce the desired output.
• You will submit projects online using an FTP program. Submission instructions will be given in class.
• As with industry software development, you have to adhere to coding standards followed by the author in the prescribed textbook. Additional requirements will be discussed in class and will be posted on the course web site.

General Expectations:

• absence/attendance policy: You are expected to attend each class meeting. If you miss a scheduled exam because of an emergency, doctor's appointment, serving on a jury, etc., notify the professor in advance if possible. You will make up the exam as a part of your final exam if advance arrangements cannot be made.

• class withdrawal policy: If you decide to withdraw from this class, you need to fill out a withdrawal form and get all signatures. After getting the necessary signatures you must submit the completed form to the registrar's office. This should be done before midterm.

• individual vs. collaborative work policy: Unless informed otherwise by the directions in an assignment, all submitted work is to be individual work. The tutoring lab has CS lab assistants to help you with general questions, but work that is turned it should be your own.  

• cell phones & pagers policy: Please do not use cell phones during class. Cell phones and pagers should either be turned off or use a silent ring.

 Course Content: (by week)

• Week 1: Introduction to Computers
• Week 2: DOS Commands, Basic Java Editing in TextPad
• Week 3 : Objects and classes 
• Week 4 & 5: Fundamental Data Types 
• Week 6 & 7: Java Applets and Graphics
• Week 8 & 9: Decisions
• Week 10 & 11: Iteration
• Week 12: Designing Classes
• Week 13 & 14: Arrays
• If Time Permits: Chapter 12 – Graphical User Interfaces

Required Text:

Horstmann, Cay, Big Java, Wiley & Sons, 2002.

Bibliography of Useful Resources

• [1] The Java^TM Programming Language, Second Edition. Ken Arnold and James Gosling, Addison-Wesley, 1998.
• [2] JAVA^TM, How to Program, Second Edition. Harvey M. Deitel and Paul J. Deitel, Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1998.
• [3] Java in a Nutshell, Second Edition, A Desktop Quick Reference for Java Programmers. David Flanagan, O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., 1997.
• [4] Java Platform Documentation. On-line documentation at http://java.sun.com/docs/.
• [5] The Java^TM Tutorial, A practical guide for programmers. On-line tutorial at http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/index.html.

Academic Integrity Policy:

Honor Code: "On my honor, I will not lie, cheat, steal, plagiarize, evade the truth or tolerate those who do."

Suspected violations of the Academic Integrity policy should be referred by students to the instructor. If the instructor concludes that a violation of the Academic Integrity policy has occurred, the instructor will either (1) penalize the student and file an incident report with the Academic Integrity Council or (2) refer the matter directly to the Academic Integrity Council. If an incident report is filed by the instructor, the instructor will review the completed report with the student and will request that the student sign the report as an indication that the student is aware of the contents of the report.

Accommodation for Students with Disabilities:

North Georgia College & State University (NGCSU) is committed to the full inclusion of individuals with disabilities and to the principle of individual rights and responsibilities. To that end, the policies and procedures of NGCSU reasonably ensure that a person with a disability is not, on the basis of that disability, denied full and equal access to and the enjoyment of academic programs and co-curricular activities or otherwise is subjected to discrimination in such programs and activities.

The policies for access by individuals with disabilities at NGCSU are designed to ensure full compliance with all pertinent federal and state legislation, specifically to include Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.

To receive disability accommodations, the student should contact the Coordinator of Disability Resources, Office of Academic Support Programs, Room 207 Barnes Hall. Approval of reasonable accommodations will be made on a case-by-case basis.