CS 210 is a continuation of Introduction to Programming (CS 110), and provides students an opportunity to further develop and refine their programming skills. In particular, the emphasis of this course is on the organization of information, the implementation of common data structures such as lists, stacks, queues, trees, and graphs, and techniques of data abstraction, including encapsulation and inheritance. We will also explore recursion and the close relationship between data structures and algorithms.
Hands-on programming is a central component of this course. There will not be a weekly laboratory session, but there will be numerous mini-labs and outside programming assignments. Assignments will focus on the design, implementation, and testing of object-oriented programs.
| Instructor: |
Pamela Cutter Olds/Upton 203F, 337-7064 Pam's Schedule (including office hours) |
| Required Text: | Collins, Data Structures and the Java Collections Framework,
McGraw-Hill, 2002. The AP® Computer Science Marine Biology Simulation Case Study |
| Recommended: | Vermeulen, et al, The Elements of Java Style, Cambridge University Press, 2000. |
| Class Web Site: | http://max.cs.kzoo.edu/cs210/ |
You can find other references in the class bibliography.
Goals: At the conclusion of this course, students should understand common data structures and algorithms, and be able to apply that understanding to implementing new data abstractions and using existing library components. Students should also be stronger programmers and feel comfortable programming in Java.
Prerequisites: CS 105 (Introduction to Computer Science) and CS 110 (Introduction to Programming).
Computing Resources and Software:
Topics to be covered (and tentative course schedule):
| Week 1: | What are Data Structures? What are Algorithms? Review of Java and OOP Language Features Classes, Encapsulation, ADTs Inheritance, Polymorphism and Dynamic Binding Interfaces JavaDocs, Specifications, Pre-/Post-Conditions Arrays and ArrayLists Review of linear traversal patterns Marine Biology Simulation Case Study |
| Week 2: | Collection Classes, List Interface, Set Interface ArrayList Iterators Sequential and Binary Search |
| Week 3: | Linear Lists (client view) Linked Lists, Doubly-Linked Lists (implementation) |
| Week 4: | More on Linked Lists, Circular Lists Introduction to Queues and Stacks |
| Week 5: | Queues and Stacks, continued Midterm Exam |
| Week 6: | Recursion Sorting Algorithms |
| Weeks 7 & 8: | Trees Tree Traversal Algorithms Binary Search Trees |
| Weeks 9 & 10: | Priority Queues Maps/Dictionaries Hash Tables, Hash Functions, HashMap, Chaining Sets, HashSet, Open Address Hashing HashIterator |
| Exam Week: | Final Exam |
Grades: Grades will be based on:
| Attendance, Discussion Questions, Occasional Quizzes | 10% | |
| Mini-Labs and Programming Assignments | 50% | |
| Two Exams | 40% |
Attendance and Participation:
Regular attendance and fully engaged participation is expected of all students in this course. Your grade will be partially based on in-class projects, discussions, and occasional quizzes, so your attendance will affect your grade. Active participation in the class means being on time, being prepared, listening to others, contributing ideas of your own, and asking questions as they come up.
Assignments:
Assignments, announcements, class notes, and other material will be made available on the course web site:http://max.cs.kzoo.edu/cs210/ Students are responsible for checking this resource frequently.Reading assignments and discussion questions or exercises may be assigned for each class. You are expected to come to class having completed the assignment and being prepared to discuss both the ideas from the reading and your solutions to any exercises. You should also bring questions you have from the reading to class. You are encouraged to work on the discussion questions and exercises in groups; just be sure that each group member understands each answer well enough to present it to the class.
There will be programming assignments assigned throughout the quarter, which may take a week or longer to complete. The time required to write a program and debug it is difficult to predict, but time-management skills are as critical in industry as they are in college. I will make programming assignments available online enough in advance that you will have some flexibility in scheduling your work, but you are responsible for budgeting your time wisely so that you will be able to complete your projects on time. Assignments are due before I come in the next day. Assignments should always be turned in on time unless you clear it with me in advance.
Programming Guidelines:
Two documents, the CS Program Style Guide and Documentation Standards, describe the programming style and documentation standards for this course. Following these standards is an important step towards writing well-structured and reusable programs. You may use two templates that have been created to help you meet the documentation standards: the class template and main class template.The CS Program Style Guide also provides a general description of the grading criteria used in this course.
Collaboration and the Honor System:
This course operates in accordance with the principles of the Kalamazoo College Honor System: responsibility for personal behavior, independent thought, respect for others, and environmental responsibility. In particular, academic integrity is a fundamental principle of scholarship. Representing someone else's work as your own, in any form, constitutes academic dishonesty. Unauthorized collaboration and receiving help from others outside the bounds permitted by the instructor are also violations of the College honor code. You are responsible for working within the permitted bounds, and acknowledging any help from others or contributions from other sources.
Discussion questions: You should feel free to work with others on the discussion questions. As you work with others, keep in mind that the goal is not just getting a solution to the problem, but learning how to solve the problem yourself.
Laboratory Assignments and Programming projects: For many of the lab assignments and programming projects you will be permitted to work in pairs. I will try to be clear about whether a given lab or project must be done individually or may be done in pairs, but you are responsible for consulting with me if you are in any doubt. When teams are permitted, you should indicate both authors in the program documentation and turn in only one copy of the program for the team (not one for each team member).
You may discuss the requirements and strategies of a programming assignment with others in the class, but you should not look at code belonging to anyone outside your team or make your code available to anyone other than your teammate. If you have code-specific questions you should address them to a course TA or computer science faculty member only. You should acknowledge in your program documentation any help you receive.
Exams should be entirely your own work.
Any student with a disability who needs an accommodation or other assistance in this course should make an appointment to speak with me as soon as possible.
