CS 140 Syllabus Fall 2010

Instructor

Ed Harcourt
Office: Bewkes 105-1
Phone: x5444
edharcourt@stlawu.edu
Office hours: Monday - Friday 10AM - 11:30AM. If these don't work for you please make an appointment. Also, if my door is open feel free to drop in.

Course Info

CS 140 - Introduction to Programming

This is a first course in computer programming. There is no prerequisite for this course. The course web site is accessible here.

There is no textbook that you are required to purchase for this course. That makes it imperative that you attend every class and take careful notes. In the earlier part of the semester I will assign some reading from an online textbook Learning with Python (2nd Edition).

Required Software

If you want to be able to do the programming assignments on your own computer you'll need the software listed below. Install them in the order listed. Your computer must of course be on the SLU network with access to the T and P drives.

Windows

The Python Programming Language interpreter. There is a copy of this at
```
T:\Harcourt\Fall10\140\software\windows\python-2.6.5.msi
```
Copy this to your desktop and double click on it to install it. Once it is done installing you can remove the file you copied to your desktop.
Pygame. There is a copy at
```
T:\Harcourt\Fall10\140\software\windows\pygame-1.9.1.win32-py2.6.msi
```
Simply copy this file to your desktop and double click on it to install it.
Komodo Edit.
```
T:\Harcourt\Fall10\140\software\windows\Komodo-Edit-5.2.4-4343.msi
```
Copy this to your desktop and double click on it to install it.

Apple Mac

All of the files you need to install Python are are in the folder

  T:\Harcourt\Fall10\140\software\mac

Grading

Grades are based on a 100 point scale and are derived from the following.

Exams (60%)
Homework Assignments (40%)

It is imperative that you keep copies of your graded work. Mostly these will be useful for studying, but occasionally we'll need to reconcile a grading difference and I'll need to see your graded copy.

Calculating your grade

To determine your exam average add up the total number of points you have received on exams and quizzes and divide by the total number of possible exam points.

To determine your homework average add up the total number of points you have received on homework assignments and divide by the total number of possible homework points.

The 100 points above translate to the following GPA points.

GPA	Average
4.0	94-100
3.75	92-93.5
3.5	89-91.5
3.25	87-88.5
3.0	84-86.5
2.75	82-83.5
2.5	79-81.5
2.25	77-78.5
2.0	74-76.5
1.75	72-73.5
1.5	69-71.5
1.25	67-68.5
1.0	60-66.5
0	0-59.5

Click here to toggle displaying the grade table.

In Class Work

Just about every class period there will be an in class lab for you to work on. You may work with a partner if you wish. You do not have to. There is only one possible grade for a lab, it is either done or not done. You must be present in class to get credit for the lab. You can not make them up.

Exams

There will be two mid-term exams and a final exam.

Exam 1: Thursday September 23
Exam 2: Tuesday November 2
Final exam: Tuesday December 14, 8:30AM - 11:30AM.

There will be many short quizzes during the semester. These are almost always based on material covered the previous class.

Homework

You will have regular programming assignments about one a week. These will be due at the beginning of the class. These assignments are designed to reinforce something you learned in a previous class and also to prepare you for the next class. You will always turn in two thing for a homework; a program printout, and the file copied to your personal folder on the T: drive.

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory. However I fully understand that we may get ill or have a family emergency. It is your repsonsibility to let me know if you cannot attend class. It is also your responsibility to get notes from someone. Missing class is never an excuse for not turning in graded work (or turning it in late).