CSCE 181 - Introduction to Computing

Spring 2014


Professor: Dr. Thomas R. Ioerger
Office: 322C Bright Bldg.
Phone: (979)458-5518
email: ioerger@cs.tamu.edu
office hours: Fridays, 2:00-3:00, 322C Bright

Peer Teachers: (check pt.cs.tamu.edu for office hours schedule)

Meeting: TR, 3:55-5:10, HRBB 124

Course Web Page: https://people.engr.tamu.edu/ioerger/cs181-spr14/index.html

Course Description (from the TAMU course catalog)
Introduce entering students to the broad field of computing; presentations from industry and academia about how computer science concepts are used in research and end products.

Important! - CSCE 181 will no longer be designated as a Writing (W) class.

Prerequisites: None.

Textbook (optional): Networked Life, Mung Chiang, Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Course Objectives

The objectives of this course are to inform students about the field of Computer Science and Engineering, and to introduce them to the wide range of exciting applications of computation and technology in society. We will explain that Computer Science is not just about programming, but about computational thinking and the study of algorithms. Important terms and concepts in the field will be introduced, as a preview to what will be learned in other courses. We will explain the motivation for various aspects of our major, including the core course sequence in our curriculum, math requirements, supporting area, co-ops, etc. We will also discuss practical issues that are faced by Software Engineers (abstraction, testing, ethics, teamwork). In addition, invited speakers will give guest lectures on current topics such as parallel programming, artificial intelligence, and social networking, which will be used to illustrate algorithmic ideas and give students an overview of different areas within Computer Science.

Student Outcomes

At the completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. explain what computational thinking means, and how computation influences many aspects of our technological society
  2. explain how computer science is about algorithms, not just programming
  3. be familiar with important terms and concepts in the field
  4. understand the rationale for the sequence of courses required of our majors
  5. understand different aspects of being a software engineer

Grading

The grade for the course will be determined as follows:

Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class meeting. Your numerical grade for this component will be based simply on the proportion of classes you attend over the semester. For example, if the class actually meets 25 times during the semester, and a student misses 5 classes, they will receive a grade of 80% on the attendance component. Excused absences for legitimate reasons (see Student Rules) are always allowed and will not be counted against the student.

At the end of the semester, each student's score will be calculated as a weighted average using the percentages above. Students with a score of >=90% will receive an A. Students with a score of >=80% will receive a B (at least). Students with a score of >=70% will receive a C. Students with a score of >=60% will receive a D. Students with a score of <60% will receive an F. These are the minimum requirements. The actual cutoffs may be lowered at the end of the semester, at the discretion of the instructor.


Schedule:

datetopicreading assignment
Tues, Jan 14first day of class - Welcome
Thurs, Jan 16Computational Thinking Google's material on Computational Thinking
Tues, Jan 21Algorithms
Thurs, Jan 23in-class Computational Thinking exercise online article on Computational Thinking
algorithm template
Vending Machine example
Tues, Jan 28About the Major (CS at TAMU)
Thurs, Jan 30Word Clouds I will be discussing this: www.wordle.net. You might want to try it out beforehand.
here is my partial implementation we will talk about in class
Tues, Feb 4:Programming Languages and Software Engineering Teach Yourself to Program in Ten Years (Peter Norvig)
Thurs, Feb 6:Five Key Ideas in Computer Science
Tues, Feb 11:Data Science
Thurs, Feb 13:class cancelled
Tues, Feb 18:Dr. Frank Shipman (TAMU Dept. of CSE) - Humans and Computers
Thurs, Feb 20:class cancelled
Tues, Feb 25:Web Programming and Markup LanguagesProject handed out
note - you can also use people.tamu.edu to host your .html/.xml pages; any students can get a web account on here
Thurs, Feb 27:class cancelled
Tues, Mar 4:AI and Intelligent Systems YouTube video of IBM's Watson supercomuter playing Jeopardy
YouTube explanation of how Watson works
Thurs, Mar 6:class cancelled
Tues, Mar 10-14:(Spring Break)
Tues, Mar 18:Ethics for Software Engineers
ACM Code of Ethics
Thurs, Mar 20:David McMahon, Career Center, slides
Tues, Mar 25:class cancelled
Thurs, Mar 27:class cancelled
Tues, Apr 1:Dr. Jennifer Welch (TAMU Dept. of CSE) - Parallel and Distributed Computing
Thurs Apr 3: Andre Thomas (TAMU Dept. of Vizualization, formerly of Electronic Arts) - Game Development
Tues, Apr 8:Technologies that make the Internet Robust Project due
Networked Life: sections 10.1-2, 13.1, 14.1, 15.1-2, 17.1
Thurs, Apr 10:Social Networking
(Algorithms behind Google, Ebay, Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, Skype, etc.)
Networked Life: sections 2.1, 2.3, 3.1, 4.1, 5.1, 6.1-6.2, 8.1, 9.1
Tues, Apr 15:class cancelled
Thurs, Apr 17:Dr. Dez Song, Robotics
Thurs, Apr 24last day of class - class cancelled


Academic Integrity Statement and Policy

Aggie Code of Honor: An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do.
see: Honor Council Rules and Procedures


Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Policy Statement

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact Disability Services, in Cain Hall, Room B118, or call 845-1637. For additional information visit http://disability.tamu.edu.


Links

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