• Schedule of classes:

	Days	Lect/Sec	Time	Room
Lectures	TR	Lec. 5	01:30pm - 02:50pm	GHC 4215
Recitations	Wednesday	Sec. J	11:30AM - 12:20PM	5419-AB Wean Hall
		Sec. K	12:30PM - 01:20PM	5419-AB Wean Hall

• Instructor:

Instructor	Victor Adamchik
Email	adamchik@cs.cmu.edu
Office	7719 GHC
Office Hours	Wednesday: 04:00pm - 05:30pm    Thursday: 03:00pm - 05:00pm

• Teaching Assistants:

TA	Nathan Harmata	Madhav Singhania
Email	nharmata@andrew.cmu.edu	msinghan@andrew.cmu.edu
Sec/Time	J   11:30AM - 12:20PM	K   12:30PM - 01:20PM
Office Hours	Tu. 6 - 8 pm Th: 6 - 8 pm	M. 6 - 8 pm W: 6 - 8 pm

• Optional Textbook:

Lewis and Chase, "Java Software Structures: Designing and Using Data Structures", 3rd Edition, Addison-Wesley, 2010, ISBN: 0136078583

• Course Environment:

Course Home Page: http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/course/15-121/
Course Bboard: academic.cs.15-121

• Programming Environment:

You may use any programming environments available to you such as CodeWarrior, Eclipse, Project Builder, TextPad, Emacs and others.

• Course Requirements:

Participation in this course consists of the following activities

Attending and participating in lectures and recitations

Reading the on-line notes

Carrying out homework assignments

Taking the quizzes, midterm, and final

Staying up to date on announcements on the bboard

Attendance is strongly encouraged. You will be responsible for all materials presented in lectures. You should not expect that all lecture materials will be given to you in written form, nor should you expect that lectures will be drawn form the textbook.

• Coursework Grade:

  Course Assignments	Weights
  7 Programming Labs	35%
  8 Quizzes	25%
  2 Midterms	20%
  Final	20%

• Coursework Grading Scale:

  Grades for the course will be determined by a curve. First, we will compute a class average (also called a mean) and then a weighted total of each student's scores on assignments and exams. Next, we determine letter grade cutoffs based on standard deviation, which measures how wide the distribution spreads out. The average is a borderline B-/C+, and one standard deviation is worth a full letter grade. Thus, the B+/A- cutoff is one standard deviation above the mean.

  Individual cases, especially those near the cutoff points may then be adjusted upward based on factors such as extra credit and participation in recitation discussions (TA discretion).

• Examination:

There will be a common departamental (written) exam (3 hrs long). The exam will be administered during the final exam week.

There will be TWO midterm exams (80 mins long) given in lectures.

There will be eight quizzes (15 mins long) given in lectures.

• Makeup Exam Policy:

Make-up exams and quizzes are a courtesy that is extended to students by their instructors. An instructor is never obligated to provide a make-up exam for any student, except in case of medical or family emergencies. Students with a verifiable medical reason may be excused from being present for scheduled examinations.

If you miss the exam for medical reasons and wish to take a makeup you need to inform me by phone (412-268-8121; there is voice mail) or email before the exam or quiz. You are also obligated to provide a verifiable medical reason (doctor's note). If you do not comply with this, you cannot take the makeup and will receive a zero on the examination.

• Programming Assignments:

The homework assignments are a critical part of the course. Experience has shown that concepts are best learned by direct engagement---in our case by applying them to example problems or by implementing them in computer programs.

Programming assignments will be graded based on style (modularity, effective use of data abstraction, readability, commenting, etc.) and functionality (correctness and efficiency on the test inputs.) A working program is not sufficient for full credit. Make sure you do a thorough data validation and edge case testing. Your code should be properly annotated with comments. Your assignments will be graded by your TA.

The assignment should be handed-in electronically by midnight of the day that is listed as due day. Read FAQ for submission procedure. Late submissions will be penalized by 10 points per day. We will allow at most TWO late days for each lab.

If you’re working with a partner, you only need to hand in ONE copy of the assignment. Put both of your names/Andrew IDs at the top of the files, and just pick one of your hand-in folders to turn it in to. Both partners should also put a text file in their folders with their partner’s andrew ID, to make sure that I don’t miss anyone when I’m entering grades.

• Assignment Extension Policy:

If you cannot finish the work by deadline, you have to make an arrangement with your TA or the instructor for an extension BEFORE the due date. In your email or verbal petition you have explain your circumstances AND demonstrate the progress you made on that lab assignment. Each extension will be determined on a case by case basis. Usually extensions will be granted for extreme circumstances only, such as unanticipated illnesses or other emergencies (including an on-site job interview). Last-minute computer, network, or vehicle problems are not emergencies.

• Collaboration:

We allow a collaboration on programming assignments marked by the asterik (see the assignment page), though it is limited to max 2 students per group. If you work as part of a group, you only submit one copy of the program with both names in it. In addition, please submit in the header of the main file a description of the work each partner has done. Please be specific. We expect that both partners in the group are actively involved in the coding and debugging of all parts in some way. Your TA may ask you to explain the code and how you debugged and tested it.

• Cheating:

For homework assignments, students are encouraged to talk to each other, to the course staff, or to anyone else about the assignments. This assistance, though, is limited to the discussion of the problem and perhaps sketching of general approaches to a solution. Each student must develop his or her own solutions to the homework. Consulting another student's solution is prohibited, and submitted solutions may not be copied from any source.

The issue of cheating will be taken seriously by the instructor and TAs, and homerwork asignments will be routinely checked for violations, which will be handled in accordance with the University regulations.

Each programming assignment will be MOSSED for Plagiarism Detection.

Last updated Sunday, October 04, 2009

Victor S. Adamchik,  Computer Science Department,  Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.