| Class meeting | 2610: 11:00-12:15 TTh Austin 304; 2611: 2:00-4:00 Tu or Th Austin 320 |
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| Instructor | Karl Abrahamson |
| Office | Austin 233 |
| Office hours | MW 12:45-2:00; Tu 9:45-11:00; Th 6:45pm-8:00pm or by appointment |
| Phone | 328-1879 |
| karl@cs.ecu.edu | |
| Course web page | www.cs.ecu.edu/~karl/2610/spr03/ |
| My web page | www.cs.ecu.edu/~karl/ |
| Text | Problem Solving with C++: The object of programming (third edition) by Walter Savitch |
The prerequisite for this course is CSCI 2510. You should have obtained some familiarity with the basics of C++. Some people in this course might not have seen C++ before. I will cover the language from the beginning, so there will be a chance to catch up, but those unfamiliar with C++ will need to work hard to learn the language basics.
You must be registered in the lab component, CSCI 2611, concurrently with this course.
Material for this course is posted on page http://www.cs.ecu.edu/~karl/2610/spr03/. More material will be added as the term progresses. All assignments will be posted on the web page.
The course web page contains material on grading of programs that you should read. You will be expected to be aware of the grading criteria, and complaints that you were not aware of them will not be accepted.
This course focuses on small scale software development using C++. We will cover the C++ programming language and principles and techniques for writing small scale software. Topics will include the following.
Basics of C++: variables, assignments, conditionals, loops, input and output.
Functions. Writing and understanding functions. Recursion.
Elementary algorithm design.
Elementary object-oriented programming.
Working with files.
Arrays and algorithms using arrays. Strings.
Elements of dynamic memory allocation.
This is not a course on how to use any particular libraries of classes or functions, but concentrates on design methods using fundamental language features.
Grading will be on the basis of two midterm exams, a final exam and approximately twelve small programming assignments. The midterms exams will count for 22% each, the final exam will count for 28%, and the programs will count for a total of 28%. The final exam will be comprehensive, covering the entire course.
This course has a lab component, CSCI 2611. Since writing programs is an important part of this course, the lab assignments will consitute the programming component of your grade for CSCI 2610.
Cutoffs for grades will tentatively be 90% for an A, 80% for a B, 70% for a C and 60% for a D. Those cutoffs will not be raised.
For the lab, we will use the computers in Austin 320. There are two kinds of computer in the lab. The Sun workstations run Solaris. The Dell computers are dual boot, running either Windows 2000 or Solaris. We will use Solaris for the assignments. Solaris is a brand of Unix. Unix is an operating system that was designed by programmers for programmers, and is an excellent system for software development. It is not as friendly to the novice as Windows, but makes up for that in other ways. See the Notes on using Solaris.
Each of you will receive a login id. Your account is usually your first initial, your middle initial and then your last name, up to a total of eight characters. For example, if your name is John Q. Student, you account name would be jqstuden. If you do not have a middle initial, the letter x will be used for it. Your initial password will be new1User. You will be required to change it. Use the passwd command.
The first day of laboratory, you should try your account.
There are surely going to be things that you do not understand. Some things are only explained somewhat tersely, and it is expected that not everyone will understand them. ASK QUESTIONS!
Ask questions early, not when it has become too late to make use of the answer. Ask questions in class when you do not understand something. Ask questions in the lab. Do not sit and stare at the computer monitor waiting for it to give you some inspiration. Monitors are not great inspirers.
I will not take attendance. It is up to you to attend class. You are responsible for announcements and assignments given in class. If you miss a class, it is up to you to obtain notes and any other information that was provided in the class. Excuses that you did not know about something because you did not come to class and did not obtain the information will not count for anything at all.
| Those who choose not to attend class can count on doing poorly in this course. If you choose not to attend class, then you must live with the consequences of that decision, however bad they are. I will not take responsibility for your poor decisions. |
No incompletes will be issued in this course except for extraordinary circumstances, and even then only if you are nearly done already, and have done work of acceptable quality so that it is realistic that you can pass the course.
Attend class. Arrive on time.
Do not allow yourself to fall behind. Work on the homework early. Do not wait until just before the deadline.
Schedule time to work outside of class. The time available during the lab will not be enough, and you will need to put in additional time.
Read your notes and the book twice. Take a break in between. You will learn much more this way.
If you are having trouble, seek help soon. Do not wait until it is too late.
In the event of a weather emergency, information about ECU can be accessed through the following sources:
| ECU emergency notices | http://www.ecu.edu/alert |
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| ECU emergency information hotline | 252-328-0062 |
East Carolina University seeks to comply fully with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Students requesting accommodations based on a covered disability must go to the Department for Disability Support Services, located in Brewster A-114, to verify the disability before any accommodations can occur. The telephone number is 252-328-6799.