Loyola University Chicago

Computer Science 271
Structured Programming & Data Structures
Michael Goldwasser

Fall 2000

Math. and Computer Science Dept.


COURSE INFORMATION

Lectures:
Tuesday 1:00-2:15pm, DH441 (Damen Hall)
Thursday 1:00-2:15pm, DH441 (Damen Hall)
Lake Shore Campus

Labs:
Section 024: Tuesday 2:30-3:20pm, DH342 (Damen Hall) (note the change of rooms)
Section 025: Tuesday 12:00-12:50pm, DH340 (Damen Hall)
Information about the Department Labs

Instructor:
Michael Goldwasser
Email: mhg@cs.luc.edu
Office: DH 115, Lake Shore Campus (inside the DH105 Suite)
Phone: (773) 508-2883
Hours: Mondays 2:00-3:00pm, Thursdays 2:15-3:30pm, or by appointment.

Teaching Assistants:
Thomas Courtney
Email: tcourtn@cs.luc.edu
Hours: tba

Tutoring Centers:

Tutoring is available for this course (and others) on a walk-in basis or by appointment through either
  • the department's Mathematics and Computer Science Learning Center (featuring our TAs, among others!)
  • the University's Learning Assistance Center.

  • Text:
    Data Structures and Algorithms in JAVA, 2nd edition
    Michael T. Goodrich and Roberto Tamassia
    John Wiley & Sons, 2000, ISBN 0-471-38367-8
    List price: $71.95
    Will be available at Barnes & Noble Campus Store, Beck's, or many online vendors (shop around!)

    Note: Please notice that we are using the second edition of the text which has just been printed. This book has a brown cover (the original had a white/yellow cover).



    Prerequisites:
    The official prerequisite for this course is Structured Programming (Comp 170). Also, we will specifically assume that you took the prerequisite using the Java programming language. If this is not the case, it will be up to you to learn Java outside of class (Chapter 1 of the textbook offers such a review of Java).


    Grades: The graded work of this course will be weighted as follows:
  • 30% - eight programming assignments (lowest score dropped)
  • 20% - eight written homeworks (lowest score dropped)
  • 10% - twelve lab assignments (lowest score dropped)
  • 10% - midterm 1 (Thurs, 26 Sep 2000)
  • 10% - midterm 2 (Thurs, 2 Nov 2000)
  • 20% - final exam (Tues, 12 Dec 2000 - 10:20am)

  • A precise definition for what percentages will be required for which letter grades will be announced immediately after the mid-semester break.


    Late Assignments: The timing of lectures, labs, and assignments are designed in a coordinated way. For this reason, students are most strongly encouraged to turn in all required assignment in a timely fashion.
  • All exams must be taken promptly at the required time. Requests for rescheduling an exam will only be considered if the request is made prior to the start of the exam, or else in an ``emergency'' situation with appropriate documentation.
  • For both programming assignments and written homeworks, the following late penalty will be strictly applied. Any assignment which is not turned in promptly by its due date and time will be assessed a penalty based on the formula S = R * exp(-t/5), where S is the grade given, R is the grade the work would have gotten if turned in on time and t is the amount of time (in days or fractions thereof) the work was late. Thus, the value of a late assignment decays exponentially, with a half-life of about three and a half days. Examples: work turned in 1 hour late will receive 99% credit, work turned in 5 hours late will receives 96%, one full day late receives less than 82%, work turned in five days late will receive under 37%. This penalty will only be waived in an ``emergency'' situation with appropriate documentation.
  • Labs are scheduled at specific, required times. You must attend the lab and turn in your results, in order to receive credit.



  • Collaboration Policy: Unless otherwise instructed, every part of the required work for this course is to be completed entirely on your own.


    Academic Honesty: You may certainly use other references in learning and understanding the material covered in class, as well as consultations with the instructor, teaching assistant, or members of the organized tutoring centers on campus. However, when it comes to any work which is submitted for this course, we expect that you will not use or search for direct or indirect solutions using any outside references, including but not limited to:
  • other texts or books
  • online information other than this course web page
  • other students in this class
  • past students, whether from this school or other schools
  • any people except the instructor or teaching assistants.
  • Students are also expected to have read the full statement on academic integrity available on page 14 of
    Loyola's ``Undergraduate Studies'' book. Violations of any of the policies of that statement, or the policies outlined in this handout will be dealt with strongly. Any such violations will result in a minimum penalty of a zero on the given assignment, and all incidents will be reported in writing to both the department and the appropriate dean. These penalties will also apply to a student who is aiding another student.


    comp271 Class Page
    mhg@cs.luc.edu
    Last modified: 29 August 2000