CS 312: Introduction to Programming Vallath Nandakumar

Agenda ● Introduction ● Administrative details ● Grades, Exams ● Discuss the scope of computer science, and what computer science professionals do ● Write a short Java program

Who am I? ● Contact – Office: GDC 6.314, – – ● Education and work experience – B.Tech, ● Indian Institute of Technology, Madras – M.S., PhD (Electrical Engineering & Computer Science) ● University of California, Berkeley – Tektronix Inc. – Advanced Micro Devices – Amrita University, India

Course timings ● Lectures MWF – ● Discussion sections – Mondays – Led by Teaching Assistant (Luis (Xiaofan) Lu)

Startup ● Request CS department account (not essential) – ● Read the syllabus and look over the schedule. ● Explore the class web page ● Sign up for the class discussion group on Piazza. ● Make sure you pay attention to instructor announcements!

Startup contd. ● Software, if working at home – JDK, BlueJ (or other IDE) (optional) ● Practice-It account – Excellent for practice. Do 10 or more per week. ● Get the textbook with MyProgrammingLab – Sign up for MyProgrammingLab – Register iClicker on the iClicker website

Graded course components ● Clicker participation – 42 lectures with clicker, 1 point each: 42 points total ● Discussion section quizzes – 11 quizzes, 10 points each: 110 points total ● Programming projects – 12 projects, 1 st 10 points, rest 20 points: 230 points total – MyProgrammingLab exercises – 11sets, 53 points total ● Two Midterms: 150, 150 – conflict? me ASAP ● Final: 300 points, Day and Time TBD

Graded course components contd... ● = 1030 ● clicker, Quizzes, Programming Assignments, MyProgrammingLab capped at 400 points. ● 30 points of “slack” among those 4 components ● No points added! Grades based on 1000 points, not 1030 ● Grades posted to Grade Center on Blackboard ● Final grade determined by final point total and a 900 – 800 – 700 – 600 scale – pluses and minuses if within 25 points of cutoff: 875 – 899: B+, 900 – 924: A- – Some curving might be done at the end

Assignments ● Start out easy but get harder ● Individual – do your own work ● Okay to share tests you write ● Programs checked automatically with plagiarism detection software. Cheating will result in an F. ● Turn in the right thing - correct name, correct format or you will lose points / slip days ● Slip days – 6 for term, max 2 per assignment (no slip days on last assignment) – Turn in time VERY STRICT. – don’t use frivolously

Succeeding in the course ● Material builds on itself ● Failure to understand a concept leads to bigger problems down the road, so … – do the readings – start on assignments early – get help from the teaching staff when you get stuck on an assignment – attend lecture and discussion sections – participate on the class discussion group – do extra problems (Practice It! And MyProgrammingLab) – study for tests using the old tests – study for tests in groups – ask questions and get help when needed

Succeeding contd... ● Most important is to do lots of problems – Only way to remember the concepts – Reading and memorization of limited use – Don't hesitate to explore, try out different ways of doing a problem ● Java has many features – Don't hurry, unless it is a timed test ● Speed will come automatically – Try to get program right the first time you compile and run it ● Focus on accuracy

Common mistakes ● Not registering clicker at iClicker website ● Assuming final date and time already set ● Section number / unique id from UTDirect, not Canvas ● Not turning in the correct thing on programming assignments ● Going to the wrong section

Where to do programming (coding) ● can work in CS department microlab, 1 st and 3 rd floor of Gates, north wing (GDC) ● login via CS account name and password ● work on your own system if you wish ● Java – Web page has details under Software. - JDK 7.0 – Optional IDE. – Recommended IDE is BlueJ or Eclipse, also free

Residential Halls Study Groups Tutoring & group study for CNS majors: Intro Chemistry Including Organic Intro Math (Pre-Calculus and Calculus) Intro Biology Including Genetics Intro Computer Science 14 Convenient Locations and Times: Kinsolving & Jester West dorms Sunday - Thursday nights: 7: :30 PM – Questions? – Website:

Are Programmers Geeks, or just Smart? ( At least, we are not the pointy-haired manager!) From Dilbert, by Scott Adams

First Clicker Question Your high school was A.In Texas B.Outside Texas

Second Clicker Question I took this class in Fall 2013 with me or Mike Scott A. Yes B. No

What is Computer Science? ● Study how to manage and process information using computers, mostly digital computers

Information processing ● Digital computers process information in discrete (countable units) – Real world is 'analog', or continuous ● Height of a person, time taken to drive to work ● Computers like things to be well-defined – Humans like fuzzy stuff ● I like you sort of, maybe, kinda...

Need to adapt human thinking “We will arrive in precisely hours, Captain” “You mean, like around lunchtime, Spock?”

Programming ● a skill and tool that are applied to all other areas of computer science ● artificial intelligence, networks, cpu architecture, graphics, systems (programming languages, operating systems, compilers), security, and on and on … ● We will be using solving problems and implementing solutions in a programming language called Java ● problem solving and computational thinking are key

Programming Language ● A method of communication where humans can tell computers what to do in language that humans can read, write, and understand, and computers can also read and understand

Why are we teaching Java? Financial Sector: Top languages are Scala, Java, and C# Agency, Media, Advertising, and Design: Top languages are Ruby, PHP, JavaScript, Java, and Objective-C Enterprise Applications and Operational Software: Top languages are Java and C# Research and Development, Scientific, and Academic: Top Languages are Scala, C++, Erlang and Python