Prof. Matthew Hertz WTC 207D /
Quick Show of Hands Used code that someone else wrote? Had someone else use your code? Looked at code you wrote 6 months ago? Written code you know is really optimized?
High-level Objectives Learn to write code that doesn't suck Bug-free (within reason) Even after 6 months, can be modified & updated Less likely to be hunted & killed by colleagues Have programs complete before next ice age Have fun
Expectations of Me Lectures prepared and organized Give interesting, thoughtful, fun problems Be (reasonably) available to answer questions Be honest and forthright
Teaching Style Reasoning more important than answer Once answered, rarely see question again Lucky guesses are not meaningful Explaining how & why demonstrates mastery Class participation is vital Need to understand problem to adjust approach
Adult Learning Students read material before class (Short) lecture explains key ideas Provides 2 nd opportunity to see material Limits long, boring droning Students work in teams to solve problems Make sure you actually understand material Easy to correct when mistakes made early
Expectations of You Work hard Come to class prepared Support & help all your classmates Ask for help early and often Let me know what you are thinking
Important Policy Class examines real-world problems Not typical for most CSC courses Requires everyone act like you are an adult Assumption needed for labs to be reasonable Keeps the problems small, but sufficient Use simple meanings without arguing
Grades available via Angel Tests given on Mar. 2 nd & Apr. 23 rd Receive one grade for both lab & lecture Course Grading Tests 22% Final 28% Lab Projects 25% Activities 7% Pattern Report 18%
Grading Philosophy Grades reflect student's demonstrated ability Not a competition where grades are relative Quite happily give "A" to all who earn it Remain fair for students past, present, & future When in doubt, I consider what is most fair Effort alone insufficient to raise a score Important to reward working efficiently
Course Grading Goals Build skills needed to write good code Provide opportunities to learn & improve Present material in variety of ways Spot problems early & correct them quickly
Lab Programs
Collaboration Fellow students are a great resource Provides multiple viewpoints & understandings Get together, discuss material, and study Can have them answer lingering questions Clarify assignment and what it requires Learn and practice some basic social skills
Collaboration Work you submit must be done by you When discussing lab projects for this course Leave conversation with memories only Wait 15+ minutes before starting on your own Solutions always unique after waiting Step away from computer when discussing code When in doubt, ask me
Course Website Pages for course found on Angel Handouts, slides, assignments posted before class Can also find solutions after work is due May not include everything said in class Better than nothing, but worse than being here!
Textbook Head First Design Patterns, Eric Freeman and Elisabeth Freeman, O’Reilly Media, Additional readings linked from Angel pages Available at local bookstores & amazon.com Covering most of this textbook
Design Patterns Grady Booch called them: One of greatest advances in past fifteen years Booch popularized object-oriented design in 80’s In last fifteen years, co-created UML in 1997 Agile Alliance founder (along with others) Abstracts programs to go far beyond code Popular for object-oriented systems: C#, C++, Java PHP, Perl, ECMAscript use; commonly used on web Drives modern scripted languages: Ruby, Groovy
For Next Lecture Readings on Web about how programs compiled How does compiler consider variables? Is there technique used in every modern compiler? How can I work bad S&M jokes into a lecture? Do you really understand what your code means? There is lab Friday & important to be on time Unlike remaining labs, will use different format