Syllabus

Course description

4 credit hours. Assumes basic high school mathematics (no calculus) but no programming experience.

Introduces programming and problem-solving using Python. Emphasizes principles of software development, style, and testing. Topics include an operational model of Python execution, procedures and functions, iteration, recursion, lists, strings, algorithms, exceptions, object-oriented programming, and GUIs (graphical user interfaces). Weekly labs provide guided practice on the computer, with staff present to help. Assignments use graphics and GUIs to help develop fluency and understanding.

Expected outcomes

In CS1110, students will acquire the following skills:

• Be fluent in the use of procedural statements--assignments, conditional statements, loops, function calls--and arrays.
• Be able to design, code, and test small Python programs that meet requirements expressed in English. This includes a basic understanding of top-down design.
• Have knowledge of basic sorting and searching algorithms.
• Have knowledge of the basics of vector computation.

Times & places

Staff

See the Staff page for additional staff information and office hours.

Material

Required material:

• Textbook: Think Python Second Edition by Allen B. Downey.
• Operating Systems:
  • Windows: We require that all students with Windows use Windows 10.
  • MacOS: The version of Python that we are using for this class is only compatible with Sierra (10.12) or higher. If you have an older version of MacOS, we recommend that you upgrade to Catalina (10.15) immediately.
  Please contact the course instructor before the first day of class if you believe that meeting these requirements will be challenging for you.

Communication

Course announcements and materials will be posted on Canvas. Assignments and grades will be managed by CMS. If you have a question about course material, post it to Piazza; public posts are preferred so others can benefit from the discussion (they’re still anonymous to other students). If you need to request special accommodation or discuss something one-on-one with an instructor, email is preferred.

Academic integrity

Simply put, academic integrity is about respecting yourself and respecting others. You respect yourself by submitting work completed through your own effort; you respect others by acknowledging contribution from others when such external contribution is allowed, e.g., for group projects. Individual effort is required for exams: you may neither seek nor accept help from others. You must read the complete Code of Academic Integrity as it applies to this course. Ignorance of the Code is not an acceptable excuse.

If we suspect that the Code of Academic Integrity is not being obeyed, we may upload student submissions to 3rd-party services that detect plagiarism; enrollment in this course implies consent for your submissions to be used in this manner.

Grades

You must adhere to the Code of Academic Integrity for all work.

This course is not intended to be a competition between students, which is why we do not curve to a letter grade. Instead, our letter grades have a specific meaning:

• A: Student has mastered the material and can become a consultant.
• B: Student is strong enough to continue to CS 2110 and the major.
• C: Student should consult with their advisor before enrolling in more advanced CS courses.

Grades of D and F are rare and are typically given to students who stop turning in work.

While we do give some +/- grades when students are near the border, we prefer to give straight letter grades for the most part. In recent years the grade distribution as been 40% As, 40% Bs, and 20% Cs. The number of As has risen over time while the number of Cs has gone down.

Because of everything that is involved in grading, we do not set or announce hard grade boundaries. We will say that, historically, any course total over 91 is an A and any course total under 87 is a B (or lower), but the 90 – 88 range is looked at on a case-by-case basis. With that said, we promise to communicate how you are doing after ever single assignment and exam. Your performance evaluation in this class should never be a surprise.

Items that count towards your course grade include homework assignments, Canvas exercises, labs , and exams (two tests and a final).

• Homework Assignments: Barring emergencies, late assignments are not accepted unless a previous arrangement has been made with the instructor.
• Exercises: Canvas modules inlcude excercises; when assigned, these are due by 10:00am the next day.
• Labs: Tuesdays and Fridays are lab days. You have until 10:00am on the day of the next lab to complete a lab and show it to your lab instructor if necessary. Labs are graded primarily on effort, not correctness. A student can miss (not complete) two labs with no penalty to their grade.
• Exams: You must attend remote, one-on-one or small group exams (two tests and one final) with course staff at their scheduled times unless University-allowed accommodations have been granted and discussed with the instructor at least one week before the exam in question.

Your course score is computed using the following weights:

With the "S/U" grade option, you need a "C-" or better (determined as stated above) in order to receive an "S".

Accommodations

For Students with Disabilities: Your access in this course is important to CS1110 course staff. Please request your accommodation letter early in the semester, or as soon as you become registered with SDS, so that we have adequate time to arrange your approved academic accommodations.

• Once SDS approves your accommodation letter, it will be emailed to both you and the instructor. Please follow up with the instructor to discuss the necessary logistics of your accommodations.
• If you are approved for exam accommodations please consult with the course instructor at least one week before the scheduled exam date to make the alternate testing arrangements.
• If you need an immediate accommodation, please contact the course instructor by email and SDS at sds_cu@cornell.edu.
• If you have, or think you may have a disability, please contact Student Disability Services for a confidential discussion: sds_cu@cornell.edu, 607-254-4545, sds.cornell.edu.

For Physical and Mental Health: If your physical or mental health prevents you from completing required work, email the course instructor as soon as possible to make an alternative arrangement for the missed work.