COS 100: Introduction to Programming

Interim 2021

Basic Information

• Instructor: Jed Yang,
• Office hours: Tuesday and Friday 13:30–14:30; or by appointment (instructions)
• Lectures: MTWRF 12:30–15:15 in Zoom
• Course website: https://www.mathcs.bethel.edu/yang/cos100.21i/

Calendar

Daily schedule to be updated throughout the term; topics and exam dates are tentative and subject to change.

Before class, do the reading listed for the first half. After class, do the reading listed for the second half.

Day	First Half	Second Half	Due
1. 01/05 Tue	Introduction to Introduction to Programming - worksheet 1 - hw00: Getting started, due 01/05 Tue 10pm	Basics (Chapters 1, 2) - hw01: Counting lines, due 01/06 Wed 10pm - Read: Zelle 1.0–1.5, 2.3–2.5.1 (1.0 refers to the "Objectives" segment before 1.1)	hw00
2. 01/06 Wed	Arithmetic (Chapter 3) - worksheet 2 - Read: Zelle 3.0–3.1	- lab01: Working with numbers - hw02: Counting the cost, due 01/08 Fri 10pm - Read: Zelle 3.2–3.3, 3.5–3.6 (3.5 refers to a factorial program in 3.4 that you may not understand yet)	hw01
3. 01/07 Thu	Branching (Chapter 7) - worksheet 3 - Read: Zelle 7.0–7.1.2	- lab02: Making decisions - hw03: Counting credits, due 01/11 Mon 10pm - Read: Zelle 7.2. This reading is shorter, this would be a good time to catch up on past reading.
4. 01/08 Fri	Logic - worksheet 4 - Read: Zelle 2.1, 7.3	- lab03: Using logic - Read: Zelle 7.5–7.5.3	hw02
5. 01/11 Mon	Iteration (Chapter 8) - worksheet 5 - Read: Zelle 2.6, 8.2	- lab04: Repeating - hw04: Darts game, due 01/13 Wed 10pm - Read: Zelle 8.0–8.1, 8.3–8.3.2. Finish lab04 first before reading this.	hw03
6. 01/12 Tue	- continue with lab04 - Read: Zelle 8.4. Read this regardless of whether you finished lab04.	- lab05: Repeating again - lab06: Extra practice - hw05: Guessing game, due 01/14 Thu 10pm - Read: Zelle 8.5
7. 01/13 Wed	exam1	Functions (Chapter 6) - worksheet 6 - Read: Zelle 6.0, 6.2	hw04
8. 01/14 Thu	- worksheet 6 wrap-up - Read: Zelle 6.4 (pp.184–186)	- lab07: Writing functions - hw06: Handling money, due 01/19 Tue 10pm - Read: Zelle 6.5 (skip paragraphs related to triangle2.py)	hw05
9. 01/15 Fri	Sequences (Chapter 5) - worksheet 7 - Read: Zelle 5.0–5.1	- lab08: Working with strings - hw07: Encryption, due 01/20 Wed 10pm - Read: Zelle 5.2, 5.4
10. 01/19 Tue	- continue with lab08 - Read: Zelle 5.3, 5.5	- lab09: Working with lists - hw08: Decryption, due 01/22 Fri 10pm - Read: Zelle 5.6–5.8.1	hw06
11. 01/20 Wed	exam2	Graphics - lab10: Graphics - hw09: Smiley face, due 01/21 Thu 10pm - Read: Zelle 4.0–4.4 (skim; use as reference)	hw07
12. 01/21 Thu	Mutation - Read: Zelle 6.6	- lab11: List mutation	hw09
13. 01/22 Fri	Multidimensional lists - Read: Zelle 5.9–5.9.3	- lab12: Lists of lists - hw10: Gradebook, due 01/26 Tue 10pm	hw08
14. 01/25 Mon	- review	- work on final project
15. 01/26 Tue	- lab23: Bonus lab	- work on final project	hw10
16. 01/27 Wed	exam3

Course Information

• Official course description: An introduction to programming using a current procedural (imperative) programming language. Standard data types and control structures are introduced.
• Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites, just an enthusiasm to learn. No previous programming experience is necessary. If you have significant coding experience (e.g., you took a course in high school, even if you didn't take an AP exam), please come talk to me about whether COS100 is the right course for you.
• Textbook: John Zelle, Python Programming: an introduction to computer science, 3rd edition, 2016, ISBN: 9781590282755.
• Software: We will be using Python 3. You should install Thonny on your own computer.

Topics

In this course we will focus on problem solving and formulating problems in a computational way. This allows us to then develop algorithms, or step-by-step procedures, for solving these problems. We will use the programming language Python as a means to explore fundamental programming and computer science ideas.

Objectives

By the time you've completed the course, you will be able to:

• Break down a task into a series of steps (an algorithm) that solves the task.
• Read and understand simple programs (or algorithms) written by others.
• Design, implement, and test projects in Python that can be run and understood by others.
• Excel in COS 105 in the Spring.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

- Colossians 3:23–24 NIV

I will be trying to make these verses true for me as I work with you throughout this course, and I hope that you will, too.

Structure and Adjustments

Grading

Your grade will be determined by a weighted arithmetic mean of various components with weights listed in the table on the right. The total score will be converted to a letter grade whose lower bounds are: 93% A, 90% A-, 87% B+, 83% B, 80% B-, 77% C+, 72% C, 69% C-, 66% D+, 60% D, 0% F.

Note that there is no preset curve of how many of each letter grade will be given. If you all do A-level work, you will each get an A. As such, you are encouraged to help each other in the pursuit of perfection.

In many courses I intentionally make one exam harder than others, which gives me information (in a mathematical sense) in separating an A performance from an A- performance. Typically, I will let you know and adjust that exam scores upward. What this means is that you should NOT care about how hard an exam is. If you do A-level work, you will get an A, regardless of the raw numerical score prior to adjustment.

Besides possibly adjusting scores upward for difficult exams, I also reserve the right to lower the grade cutoffs. Both of these help you. I will not hurt you by adjusting your exam scores downward or increasing the grade cutoffs.

Participation and Class Structure

Computer science is an exciting, challenging, and dynamic field, and one of the most effective ways to learn is by doing. Thus, we will spend the majority of our class time grappling and working with interesting problems and questions. We will be working on projects and considering some larger questions in the field. This will require you to actively apply the course concepts in new and unfamiliar ways, which is a great way to deeply learn new material.

In particular, many class days will involve worksheets, discussions, and completing practice labs while the professor and TA wander around (virtually) offering advice and verifying your solutions.

Reading. To adequately prepare for this style of learning (commonly called the "flipped classroom"), you are required to complete specific reading assignments or exercises before class meetings. Your aim is not to understand every detail, but to get a sense of where we are headed. Even a few minutes of pre-reading can help with class time. After class, you may need to read the sections carefully again to fill in the gaps. Keep up with the reading: if you do not read, you may be more lost in class!

Attendance and participation. I expect you to attend class. Any time that you are not in class for the full class period without a written exception from the professor will result in a 1% deduction from your course grade. On lab days, you may leave early with full credit if and only if you show your completed labs to the professor or TA and receive verbal clearance to leave. If you know in advance that you will need to miss a class period, be sure to receive a written exemption from the professor beforehand in order to avoid the penalty. Asking for an excused absence after you have already missed the class will generally not meet with success.

Coming to class is not just about showing up; it is also about being fully engaged in the learning experience. If you have a question, others in the class may also be wondering the same thing. So, please speak up and ask questions anytime you need to. Not only will you be helping yourself, but also you will be helping your peers.

Be mindful of others. Refrain from using mobile phones or laptops for activities unrelated to the learning process. There is research that suggests taking notes by hand is better for long-term retention (P. A. Mueller and D. M. Oppenheimer, The pen is mightier than the keyboard, Psychological Science 25 (2014), 1159–1168).

In general, your are expected to keep your video on most of the time to make your engagement more clear. Let me know if there are legitimate reasons why you need to be off-camera frequently.

Participation points may be deducted if you are off-task or distracting yourself or others. It is my sincere hope that every one of you get all the points for attendance and participation.

Illness. You should make every effort to attend class when you are healthy. If you become ill, for your well-being, you should not come to class. Yes, this sounds like common sense, but it is tempting to try and power through as normal so as not to fall behind. If you become ill, or know that you will need to miss class for some reason, please contact me as soon as you are able, and we will work together to plan how you will keep up and/or make up any missed work.

Other Components

Homework and Projects. Homework and projects will be assigned throughout the term.

In general, work handed in late will receive zero credit.

However, because life is weird right now, you are given four (4) Grace Passes. Each Grace Pass can be used to extend the deadline of an assignment by 24 hours (regardless of weekends and holidays).

• To use a Grace Pass, you must email me your intent before the assignment is due. (No explanation for the tardiness is necessary or desired.)
• If you wish to use more than one Grace Pass for a single assignment, you must discuss with me first. (This is to prevent you from falling too much behind.)
• Grace Passes may not be used for extensions beyond the final day of classes.
• This allotment is to cover for legitimate reasons for tardiness that may arise. To be fair to everyone in the class, I will generally not grant additional extensions without the intervention of a doctor or dean. But if a genuine emergency situation arises, please talk to me. In particular, if you have a delay due to COVID-19 or other long-term health issues, please talk to me instead of using up a large number of Grace Passes.

Exams. There are three (3) in-class exams (see calendar for a tentative schedule). Each exam is cumulative and covers all material that has been addressed up to that point.

There are no make-up exams except in circumstances recognized by the instructor as beyond the control of the student. To receive this consideration, the instructor must be notified of the problem before the exam unless this is impossible, in which case as soon as possible.

Time outside of class. I expect a typical student to spend about two to three hours outside of class for each hour in class. Some students need to spend a bit more than that (which is okay). If you are spending more than 10 hours per day on this course outside of class time, please come talk to me so we can find ways to help you learn the material without spending so much time.

Policies

Learning integrity.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

- Psalm 139:23–24 NKJV

Collaborative work is an integral part of many successful ventures. As such, I expect that you should collaborate with your classmates a lot during your time in this course. However, it is important to understand that there is a big difference between thinking about and solving a problem as part of a group (which is good, both educationally and morally) and copying an answer or letting someone else copy your answer (which is bad, educationally and morally, and has punitive consequences).

In short, I trust you to maintain the utmost level of academic integrity in this course. Please do not break this trust; if you do, there will be repercussions. The formal policy below lays this out explicitly, and supplements Bethel's academic honesty policy.

Collaboration policy.

• You may collaborate on the homework assignments to the extent of formulating ideas as a group, but you may not collaborate in the actual writing of solutions/code (unless explicitly allowed in the instructions).
• In particular, you may not work from notes taken during collaborative sessions.
• You may not consult any materials from any previous offerings of this course or from any other similar course offered elsewhere unless explicitly permitted.
• You may not show your homework assignment code to other students, or to copy code from other students or other resources, including Internet sources. Do not email each other code, and do not copy code over each other's shoulders. Any code you hand in for an assignment must represent your own work.
• You are required to completely understand any solution/code that you submit and, in case of any doubt, you must be prepared to orally explain your solution/code to me. If you have submitted a solution/code that you cannot verbally explain to me, then you have violated this policy.

Handing in plagiarized code will result in a minimum penalty of no credit on the assignment and may result in harsher penalties depending on the severity of the honesty policy violation. Plagiarizing code will also result in being less prepared for the exams since you will not have developed the skills to produce appropriate solutions on your own without assistance. If you have doubts about the honesty of an action, ask the professor. Ignorance is not an excuse.

Accommodation policy. Disability-related accommodations are determined by the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services (OARS). Students are responsible to contact the Office of Accessibility Resources and Services. Once OARS determines that accommodations are to be made, they will notify the student and the instructor via e-mail. Students choosing to use the disability-related accommodations must contact the instructor no later than five business days before accommodations are needed. The instructor will provide accommodations, but the student is required to initiate the process for the accommodations.

Concerns and appeals. If you have any concerns regarding the course, your grades, or the instructor, see the instructor first. If needed, see Bethel's academic appeals policy.

Getting Help

If you need help there are multitude of resources you can use:

• Yourself. If you're stuck on a problem or struggling with a concept from class, take a break and think about something else (e.g., your Hebrew assignment, the economics of Star Trek) for a few hours and then try a fresh start.
• Your classmates. You are each other's best resource: talking through the course material with someone else who is also trying to master it is a great way for you both to learn. (And don't discount the learning that you will do while trying to explain to a classmate an idea covered during class that you think you understand; I can't count the number of times that I've discovered that I didn't really understand something until I tried to teach it to someone.) The homework assignments are meant to challenge you, and figuring some of them out together is a great approach.
• CS Lab. The Math/CS Department offers support for students enrolled in CS classes by providing a Math/CS Lab five days per week virtually via Zoom. If you are having any difficulty with your homework in this class, please seek help from the tutors in CS Lab. Plan CS Lab hours into your weekly schedule and develop this habit early on in the course.
• The instructor. Stay behind after class or email to make an appointment. To make an appointment, please email me several times you are available and try to give me at least 24 hours of lead time. Each afternoon, I will look at your availabilities and try to schedule as many people as I can fit for the next day.