15-110: Principles of Computing


An introductory computer science course for students with little to no computing experience. Students will learn the core elements of programming in Python and will also receive a broad overview of big ideas in the field of computer science. The course begins with fundamentals of programming (data, variables, functions, conditionals, loops, and recursion) and the basics of computer organization (data representation and memory), then introduces major data structures (lists, dictionaries, trees, and graphs), the core concepts of efficiency (through runtime analysis and a case study of search algorithms), and how computing is scaled for practical use (concurrency and the internet). The course concludes with an overview of how computer science can be used as a tool to support other domains (data analysis, simulation, and machine learning) and how computer science influences and is influenced by the world (history, ethics, and modern events).

Meeting Times

SessionInstructor(s)TimeLocation
Lecture 1Kelly Rivers (krivers)MWF 2:00-2:50pm ESTGHC 4401
Lecture 2Franceska Xhakaj (francesx)MWF 3:00-3:50pm ESTPOS 153
Recitation ADian (dianz) and Vy (vtran)R 9:00am- 9:50am ESTGHC 5208
Recitation BAmogh (atundlam)R 10:00am-10:50am ESTGHC 5208
Recitation CAvani (aguduri) and Chloe (chloeh)R 11:00am-11:50am ESTGHC 5208
Recitation DAnishka (anishkaj) and Daniel (dgunawan)R 12:00pm-12:50pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation EEzra (eboldizs) and Nathan (nmaher)R 1:00pm- 1:50pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation FDavid (dshao) and Michelle (mfchen)R 2:00pm- 2:50pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation GEkin (eozince) and Vivian (vsui)R 3:00pm- 3:50pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation HNeha (ntirumal) and Ritika (ritikam)R 4:00pm- 4:50pm ESTGHC 5208
Recitation IMuzaffar (mimohame)R 10:00am-10:50am ESTGHC 5210
Recitation JBen (bcarbone) and Emily (egetty)R 11:00am-11:50am ESTGHC 5210
Recitation KJen (jennifex) and Sean (spjohnso)R 1:00pm- 1:50pm ESTGHC 5210
Recitation LKrishna (kpatel2)R 2:00pm- 2:50pm ESTGHC 5210

Office Hours

In-person TA Hours take place in the Gates 5th Floor Teaching Commons and clusters. When you have a question, sign up on the OH Queue and a TA will come find you to help.

Remote TA Hours take place remotely on Zoom. When you have a question, sign up on the OH Queue with a link to a Zoom meeting you host, and a TA will join your Zoom call to help.

Instructor Hours take place in Gates 4109 for Prof. Kelly and GHC 4003 for Prof. Franceska. Meetings with the instructor are also available by appointment.

Drop-in Tutoring is run by the Student Academic Success Center and takes place in the Fifth & Clyde Neighborhood Space. This is a good resource for students who would like additional help. SASC also offers one-on-one tutoring here

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday
In-person TA Hours1-5pm1-5pm
Remote TA Hours5-7pm5-7pm5-7pm5-7pm5-7pm5-7pm5-7pm
Instructor Hours10-11am (Kelly)2:30-4pm (Franceska)12:30-1:30pm (Kelly)1-2pm (Kelly)4-5:30pm (Franceska)
Drop-in Tutoring8-10pm