Vancouver Island University

CSCI 159: Introduction to Computer Science I

Course Outline

Calendar Description
CSCI 159 (4) Introduction to Computer Science I

A first year course in computer science. Topics include structured programming, top-down program design, procedures, recursion, and an introduction to dynamic data structrues. (3:0:2)
Prerequsites: Pre-calculus 12 or Math 152 or equivalent.

Contact Information

• Lecturer: Gara Pruesse
• Office: Building 315 Room 218
• Email: Gara dot Pruesse at viu dot ca
• Course web site: csci.viu.ca/~gpruesse/teaching/159
• Office Hours:
  • Tuesdays 11:30-1:00

Instruction Time and Place

• Lab N05: Bldg 315 Room 102 Tuesdays 2:30-4:30
  Lab N06: Bldg 315 Room 102 Wednesdays 11:30-1:30
  
• Lecture: Bldg 470 Room 111 Tue Thu 10:00-11:30

Assessment

• Labs exercises 36%
• Lab quizzes: 25%
• Final Exam -- 39%
• To pass the course you must pass the final exam.

Topics:

• Introduction to Program Design
• Computer Basics
• Variables, Constants and Expressions
• Data and Data types
• Input and Output
• Conditions and Conditional Statements
  • Boolean Expressions
  • if statements
  • switch ...case statements
  • Nested Conditionals
• Iterated (Loop) Statements
  • While statements
  • For statements
  • do ... while statements
  • Nested loops
• Functions
  • Library functions
  • Invoking (calling) a function
  • Declaring a function -- function prototypes
  • Writing a function
  • Return a value
  • Variable scope (local vs global)
  • Parameters
  • Pass-by-value parameters
  • Pass-by-reference parameters
  • Recursion
• Introduction to Arrays
  • One-dimensional arrays
  • Indexing into an array
  • Range of index values
  • Multi-dimensional arrays
  • Array as parameters or arguments
  • Sorted vs Unsorted arrays
  • Array applications
• Characters and Character Strings
• Basic File Operations
• struct structures
  • struct fields and their access
  • struct variables as arguments
  • structs as return types
  Pointers
  • Addresses
  • Indirect Access Operations
• Linked Lists
  • Basic node structures
  • Types of linked lists
  • Linked list operations:
    • add
    • remove
    • search
  • Linked list applications

Learning Outcomes

• Analyze and explain the behaviour of simple programs involving the fundatmental programming constructs including variables, expressions, assignments, I/O, control constructs, functions, parameter passing, and recursion.
• Identify and describe uses of primitive data types.
• Write programs that use primitive data types.
• Modify and expand short programs that use standard conditional and iterative control structures and functions.
• Design, implement, test, and debug a program that uses each of the following fundamental programming constructs: basic computation, simple I/O, standard conditional and iterative structures, function definition and call, parameter passing, constants and enumerated types.
• Utilize recursion effectively in a program.
• Write programs that use the following data types: arrays, structs, strings.
• Write programs that use ointers for dynamic memory allocation and release.
• Apply consistent docuemtation and program style standards that constribute to the readability and mainatainability of software.
• Describe the concept of wild and dangling pointers and the risks associated ith them.
• Describe the condept of dynamic data structures and their use.

Labs

Computer accounts

Appeals of Grades:

Grade Conversion:

Guidelines Concerning Fraud

• Independently producing work submitted under one's own name;
• Properly and appropriately referencing all work;
• identifying all collaborators in work;
• Completing examinations without offering or receiving assistance, excepting those students requiring assistance due to a documented disability;
• Respecting the integrity of examination materials and/or the examination process;
• Respecting the integrity of technological systems, software copyrights, and file privacy of others.

• a student presents another's work as his or her own, or allows another to do so.
  As fraud invalidates the evaluation of a student's progress, it is the duty of instructors assistants to take measures to prevent fraud and to be vigilant towards symptoms of fraud. Students are nonetheless encouraged to discuss the material of the course together. Students may discuss assignments but no written material or record of any kind shall leave such discussions with any party.
  This includes emails and texts -- by their nature, they leave a written record, so are not permitted.
  
  All submitted work in this course is to be executed individually. You must understand your submitted work; if you don't, it cannot be considered your work, and you grade on the work can be changed accordingly.
  
  [Confused? You can always talk to your instructor if you are in doubt about whether academic integrity has been upheld. I recognize that sometimes our best learning happens when we interact with others. The general rule is: talk with others, write on the board together to exchange ideas, but then erase/throw away all jointly generated materials -- leave the interaction ONLY with a changed brain. Do not look at or refer to any jointly generated materials.]
  As in all academic endeavour, due credit must be given to all reference material. Students should consult the course instructor if they are not certain which outside material is appropriate for use in a course.
  
• In case fraud is detected, credit is withheld from the work affected. The students involved are reported to the department chair and Dean of Science and Technology, who may take additional disciplinary action commensurate with the severity of the fraud and the past records of the students.