Course Required Materials:

• Computer Science, A Structured Programming Approach Using C, Forouzan and Gilberg, THIRD EDITION, ISBN: 0-534-49132-4

• NEW: Programming Applications for Engineers Course Packet (Spring 2014 edition)

What is the time commitment for CS 159?

CS 159, whether you enroll in the distance education or the on-campus summer offering, is in an 8-week format where 6 total summer credits is considered a full-time commitment.  With CS 159 being a 3 credit course it is quite possible that you could spend 16-20 hours a week on the course preparing assignments, communicating with the instructor and lab partners, reviewing on-line demonstrations, and reading the text.  Students in the traditional offering typically spend 8 hours a week in class and another 8 to 12 hours a week outside of class preparing assignments and studying.  If your availability this summer limits your ability to make this time commitment then you should consider enrolling during the academic year (fall or spring semester).

• Can I take a vacation with my family this summer?  Assignments in CS 159 this summer have firm deadlines (see below).  Missing one week of work in the summer is equivalent to missing two weeks during an academic semester (16 weeks).  You would never consider missing that amount of time during the fall or spring and it is strongly discouraged that you would request such consideration during the 8-week summer session.

• Can I work a full-time job/internship at the same time I'm taking CS 159?  Students have successfully completed CS 159 while on an internship or co-op experience. Just note the extra time commitment mentioned above and consider how that may limit your ability to have the full experience associated with an internship at a new company and in a new location.

• How much time does someone new to programming need to invest in CS 159?  Students with significant programming experience may indeed spend less time early in the course as we introduce basic programming concepts and those with less experience may need to invest more time. At some point in the course the material and problems will become more challenging and require the same amount of time for nearly all students. See the paragraph above for estimated/expected time commitments for a three credit course at Purdue University. Students with minimal programming experience have been very successful in CS 159 and much of this can be attributed to their overwhelming dedication to their education.

• How do I know if distance education is the right format for me? This is a difficult question to answer. A number of students in the past have taken this option because they thought it would be easier and shorter than the regular session. I believe this is a huge mistake that has resulted in a higher percentage of lower grades as previous students underestimated the challenges associated with a distance learning format.

  • Most students know their academic habits well. If you consider yourself the type of student that would never let an assignment go incomplete, who is great at communicating with instructors and lab partners, and frankly would go out of their way to never miss a lecture (in face-to-face courses), then distance learning may be a good format for you. It is often those with poor habits that find themselves earning poor grades in a distance learning format.

How often do I need to be on-line?

It is expected that you have a reliable and readily available Internet connection.  Assignments will be due two to three times a week and many will require collaboration with partners who are not physically in the same location or available at the same time as you are.  This will require regular (perhaps exclusively) electronic communication.
 

If you anticipate intermittent or unreliable Internet availability then you should NOT consider the distance offering of this course.   For example: Every summer it occurs that a student returns to their home country and during the time of the course the region of their country has limited Internet access and/or electrical power service due to concerns ranging from weather to high demand that cannot be met. If you know that where you will be for the summer has a history of such service interruptions then it is probably in your best interest not to enroll in a distance education experience.

• Most students are on-line and involved with CS 159 work on a daily (including weekends) basis.

What software and computer resources do I need?

1. A web browser compatible with Blackboard Learn. Firefox appears to work well, there are known issues with Internet Explorer and Google Chrome and the ability to view what these browsers consider to be insecure content.

2. Obtain terminal (secure shell) software that will allow you to connect remotely to the server that we will use this summer to program and submit work for grading. Most students who use the Windows operating system will download and install PuTTY.

When are assignments due? 

• Note:  All times are local to Lafayette, IN.

Homework:
 

The homework assignments are individual efforts designed to give you the opportunity to solve problems on your own without the assistance of other students. All assignments will be posted on Blackboard 5-7 days before they are due.	Homework Assignment	Due at 11pm on
	1	June 23
	2	June 30
	3	July 7
	4	July 14
	5	July 21
	6	July 28
	7	August 4

Labs:
 

CS 159 Lab Schedule All assignments due at 11pm on date listed below.
Week of	Wednesday	Friday	How are lab partners assigned? Groups are typically composed of students who are in similar geographical locations. An effort is made to include students of various programming backgrounds in a group.
June 16	Lab #0	Lab #1
June 23	Lab #2	Lab #3
June 30	Lab #4
July 7	Lab #5	Lab #6
July 14	Lab #7	Lab #8
July 21	Lab #9	Lab #10
July 28	Lab #11	Lab #12

When are exams?  What can I expect in terms of time limit and exam format?

• The first midterm exam will be available on Blackboard from July 3rd at 8:00am until July 4th at 5:00pm. 

• The second midterm exam will be available on Blackboard from July 24th at 8:00am until July 25th at 5:00pm. 

• The final exam will be available on Blackboard from August 7th at 8:00am until August 8th at 5:00pm.

  • Each exam will permit a single attempt and have a limit of one hour for each midterm and two hours for the final exam. 

  • Problems will be multiple-choice with an emphasis on programming terminology, good programming practices, and interpreting code.

  • You are permitted to utilize your resources including your computer, text, and code you have previously written on the exam.  Time will be a limiting factor as to how much you can use those resources and still complete the examination.

What is required in terms of exam proctoring?

• Summer 2014 proctor information can be found here: http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~wcrum/cs159/summer14/proctor.pdf

What resources will be made available to lead you through the material of the course?

• Readings will be assigned from the C programming text.  The course notes packet, we will re-use the version from the spring semester, will serve as a great resource for sample code and will serve as your guide through the on-line demonstrations.

• To foster discussion on topics, assignments, and other technical challenges regarding the compiler and UNIX, we will likely make use of piazza.com. An invitation to join the course on Piazza will come as we get closer to the start of the term.

  • Relying on the community of learners in the course is a great way to get another perspective on a topic from someone at (or near) the same level of understanding as yourself and a reply to a request will probably come faster from someone else in the course than waiting for a single individual such as the instructor to respond.

  • With the course enrollment limit expanded it is very likely that a teaching assistant will be charged with grading assignments and to assist with communication.

• Demonstration videos will be provided on topics throughout the semester.  These videos will be relatively short and include several examples on each topic.  Some of the topics of these videos are known in advance and others will be responses to observed struggles on assignments, the topic discussions on Piazza, and interaction with the instructor (student requests for specific demonstrations will be accepted).

• The instructor is willing to meet during Summer office hours (M 11-12, T 12:30-1:30, M 11:00-12:00, Th 12:30-1:30) on campus (HAAS G-26). 

  • Phone calls can also be made during these times.  If other students are in the office at the time you call an appointment may be made after office hours to continue the conversation without interruption.

  • E-mail will be responded to on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons.  Do not expect the instructor to reply in real-time or to be available at all hours of the day via e-mail.  Teaching assistants may have greater availability to respond to concerns through Piazza.

    • You MUST always use your Purdue e-mail account when interacting with the instructor.  Be sure to include an appropriate subject to your e-mail and a detailed (and check spelling) message so your concern can be addressed.