Description and Objectives

This course broadly emulates a computer science project one might find in college or at work. It allows a tremendous degree of freedom, and requires discipline by the student to succeed.

Goals for Student Learning

• The student will become a proficient programmer.
• An appropriate imagination for using programming in one’s life.
• An understanding of the complexity and breadth of computer systems.
• Complete a rigorous and complicated project using computers.

Grading Rubric

The grades will be determined in each quarter by a 1 page status report, in memo format, delivered every Friday by 3pm Eastern, as a PDF, through email to jbeatty+csi@heights.edu. It will be in a memorandum format (https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/professional_technical_writing/memos/sample_memo.html) and will be graded out of 10 points. Submission after 3PM is an automatic 0 unless prior approval was given in writing.

• 7 points for detailing progress made in the past week.
• 1 point for correct grammar and punctuation
• 1 point for following the memorandum format
• 1 point for staying close to one full page

The midterm and final exams will consist of a 6 pager (https://writingcooperative.com/the-anatomy-of-an-amazon-6-pager-fc79f31a41c9) that will describe all the work done, what lessons were learned, and what could be improved, and a oral presentation in front of your peers, no longer than 5 minutes, detailing visually what was built and learned. Each part is worth 50% of the  exam.

Expected Schedule

• Friday, 3PM, 9/8/2023: What I’m working on this year
• Friday, 3PM, 9/15/2023: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 9/22/2023: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 9/29/2023: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 10/6/2023: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 10/13/2023: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 10/20/2023: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 10/27/2023: Update (End of 1st Quarter
• Friday, 3PM, 11/3/2023: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 11/10/2023: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 11/17/2023: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 11/24/2023: Thanksgiving Break, no update due
• Friday, 3PM, 12/1/2023: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 12/8/2023: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 12/15/2023: Exams, no update due
• Friday, 3PM, 12/22/2023: Christmas Break, no update due
• Friday, 3PM, 12/29/2022: Christmas Break, no update due
• Friday, 3PM, 1/5/2024: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 1/12/2024: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 1/19/2024: Update (Last update of 2nd Quarter)
• Friday, 3PM, 1/26/2024: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 2/2/2024: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 2/3/2024: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 2/9/2024: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 2/16/2024: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 2/23/2024: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 3/1/2024: Crescite Week, no update due
• Friday, 3PM, 3/8/2024: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 3/15/2024: Update (Last update of 3rd Quarter)
• Friday, 3PM, 3/22/2024: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 3/29/2024: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 4/5/2024: Good Friday, no update due
• Friday, 3PM, 4/12/2024: Easter Break, no update due
• Friday, 3PM, 4/19/2024: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 4/26/2024: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 5/3/2024: Update
• Friday, 3PM, 5/10/2024: Update (Last update of 4th Quarter)

Textbooks

Chosen by the student, if appropriate.

Course Requirements

• Students are expected to complete all assignments before class. If an assignment is late, it will receive at most half credit. If extraordinary circumstances require an extension, this will be handled on a case by case basis.
• Students are required to follow all assignment instructions. If they are turning in a code sample, the code must run. If it does not run, it will not receive any credit.
• Students must tell Mr. Beatty if they are going to miss a class, and it the sole responsibility of the student to find out what he missed, including but not limited to notes, homework assignments, quizzes, and tests. Homework must still be turned in on time, and makeup quizzes and tests must be scheduled by the student.

Successful Students

Success in this class comes from showing up and doing whats required. I tend to view programming projects more as an opportunity to practice, even if the complete solution is done. It’s better to turn in something incomplete rather than nothing at all. Programming is often very frustrating, but even more so, very rewarding. This class requires patience to work through a problem, and not run immediately to another student or the internet for an answer.