Bryn Mawr College
CMSC 110: Introduction to Computing
Fall 2013
Course Materials
Jia Tao

Information
Texts  Important Dates  Assignments  Lectures Course Policies Links

General Information

Instructors:

Jia Tao
249 Park Science Building
526-5061
jtao@cs.brynmawr.edu

Lecture Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays, 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Room: Park 338
Lab: Wednesdays 10am - 12pm (additional lab hours will also available, see below)

Laboratories:

Lab Assistants: The following Lab assistants will be available during the week for assistance on lab assignments.

  1. Angie Yunqi Chen, Thursdays 8:00p to 10:00p and Fridays 10:30a to 12:30p
  2. Elizabeth Fawcett, Sundays 7:00p to 9:00p and Tuesdays 7:00p to 9:00p
  3. Rebecca Park, Thursdays 4:00p to 6:00p and Fridays 12:30p to 2:30p
  4. Bryce Lewis, Fridays 7:30p to 9:30p and Saturdays 2:00p to 4:00p Saturdays 2:00p to 6:00p
  5. Angela Mastrianni, Sundays 3:00p to 5:00p and Mondays 10:00a to Noon

  6. A full schedule of TAs can be found here

Announcement:

  1. Oct 27th: Rebecca Park has cancelled her TA office hours on Thursday, Oct. 11th 4:00p to 6:00p.
  2. Oct 27th: Bryce Lewis has changed her TA office hours from Fridays 7:30p to 9:30p and Saturdays 4:00p to 6:00p

 


Texts & Software

Processing: Creative Coding & Generative Art in Processing 2 by Ira Greenberg, Dianna Xu, Deepak Kumar, Friends of ed, 2013. Available at the Campus Bookstore. Also at amazon for $40.94 click here
A Kindle eBook is available for those comfortable learning from an eBook (Amazon price is $20.00). The Bryn Mawr Bookstore price is $44.99.

Processing Software (This software is already installed in the Computer Science Lab). The software is also available for your own computer from Processing web site (www.processing.org). Download the latest stable 2.X version for your own computer/Operating System.

 


Syllabus

Course Description: An introduction to the nature, subject matter and branches of computer science as an academic discipline, and the nature, development, coding, testing, documenting and analysis of the efficiency and limitations of algorithms. Also includes the social context of computing (risks, liabilities, intellectual property and infringement).

This semester, we will be exploring the creative aspects of coding as a context for learning the above concepts. You will exercise your creativity by desiging programs in a language called, Processing. Processing is a new language/environment built upon the programming language Java. Processing was created by artists, designers, and computer scientists to explore ideas of creative coding sing computer algorithms.

We will cover the entire text during this semester. Please refer to the text for more details.

 


Important Dates

September 4: First lecture
October 2: Exam 1
December 11: Last lecture/Exam 2


Assignments

  1. Assignment#1: (Due on Monday, Septmber 16): Click here for details
  2. Assignment#2: (Due on Wednesday, Septmber 25): Click here for details
  3. Assignment#3: (Due on Wednesday, October 9 Friday, October 11): Click here for details.
  4. Assignment#4: (Due on Wednesday, Nov 6 Friday Nov 8): Click here for details.
  5. Assignment#5: (Due on Monday, Nov 18: Click here for details. Code file for Assignment #5: Click here.
  6. Assignment#6: (Part 1 Due on Monday, November 25; Part 2 Due on Wednesday, December 4): Click here for details.


Lectures



Course Policies

Communication

Attendance and active participation are expected in every class. Participation includes asking questions, contributing answers, proposing ideas, and providing constructive comments.

As you will discover, we are proponents of two-way communication and we welcome feedback during the semester about the course. We are available to answer student questions, listen to concerns, and talk about any course-related topic (or otherwise!). Come to office hours! This helps us get to know you. You are welcome to stop by and chat. There are many more exciting topics to talk about that we won't have time to cover in-class.

Although computer science work can be intense and solitary, please stay in touch with us, particularly if you feel stuck on a topic or project and can't figure out how to proceed. Often a quick e-mail, phone call or face-to-face conference can reveal solutions to problems and generate renewed creative and scholarly energy. It is essential that you begin assignments early, since we will be covering a variety of challenging topics in this course.

Grading

There will be seven assignments, weighted equally in the final grading.  Assignments must be submitted according to the Assignment Submission instructions.  You should pay careful attention to the Code Formatting Standards and Grading Policy when doing your assignments.  The grading structure for individual assignments is broken down in the Grading Policy.

At the end of the semester, final grades will be calculated as a weighted average of all grades according to the following weights:

Exam 1: 18%
Exam 2: 26%
Assignments: 56% (8% each)
Total: 100%

Incomplete grades will be given only for verifiable medical illness or other such dire circumstances.

Submission and Late Policy

All work must be turned in either in hard-copy or electronic submission, depending on the instructions given in the assignment.  E-mail submissions, when permitted, should request a "delivery receipt" to document time and date of submission.  Extensions will be given only in the case of verifiable medical excuses or other such dire circumstances, if requested in advance and supported by your Academic Dean.

No assignments will be accepted after it is past due.

Exams

There will be two exams in this course.  The exams will be closed-book and closed-notes.  The exams will cover material from lectures, homeworks, and assigned readings (including topics not discussed in class).

Study Groups

We encourage you to discuss the material and work together to understand it. Here are our thoughts on collaborating with other students:

If you have any questions as to what types of collaborations are allowed, please feel free to ask.


Links

A database of color names

 


Created on August 7, 2013.