The formal prerequisite is a grade of C or better in CSSE 220, so we expect that you know how to program and debug object-oriented Java code well, and that you have experience coding linked lists, recursive methods and simple sorting algorithms. Needed attitudes are (1) a willingness to work hard, (2) patience to plan your code before writing it, (3) the tenacity to code and debug until it works, (4) willingness to work cooperatively and responsibly with partner(s) on pair and team assignments, and (5) attention to detail while doing analysis.
A more detailed list of attributes, for those who like lists, is here.
Nate Chenette
| Email: | chenett1 <at> rose-hulman <dot> edu |
| Office address: | Moench D219A |
| Office hours: | See the top of the schedule page. |
Robert Williamson
| Email: | williarj <at> rose-hulman <dot> edu |
| Office address: | Moench F205 |
| Office hours: | See the top of the schedule page. |
William McEvoy and Mia Kaupaite: grading written homework assignments
Gabriel Paree-Huff: grading programming assignments
We use Piazza for announcements and class discussion. The system is highly catered to getting you help fast and efficiently from classmates, the TAs, and the instructors. Rather than emailing questions to the teaching staff, I encourage you to post your questions on Piazza. One way to enhance the Citizenship part of your grade is to post thoughtful questions, answers, and comments to the forums.
Bookmark our class page: http://piazza.com/rose-hulman/winter2020/csse230/home
| Joanna Garrett |
Data Structures and Problem Solving Using
Java, 4th edition by Mark Allen Weiss
Softcover: 984 pages
Publisher: Addison Wesley, 2010
Links: Errata Source code
The math is clean, and the code is a good reference. You’ll find it helpful for the written homework.
Note: You should be able to find this book online for a reasonable price. The 3rd edition is acceptable, as is an e-version.
We will use Moodle to post grades and materials that require restricted access (like quizzes, surveys, and homework solutions). Starting code for most programming projects will be provided using Git repositories (details in the first programming assignment document).
Static course materials will be accessed through the schedule page.
We recommend that you bookmark the schedule page.
Your solutions to weekly programming problems should be well-designed and well-documented. Some will be done with a partner, others will be individual. Each submitted program file should include (in comments at the top of your files) your name(s) and a description of the file’s contents. You should use reasonable and consistent Javadoc comments, style, and indentation. Longer methods should contain internal comments that explain why you wrote the code the way you did. Your programs should not contain lines that are exceedingly long (causing wraparound and general unreadability of printouts). Grades for programming problems will be based on correctness, style, and efficiency.
We will assign weekly homework problems (written and short coding exercises) and a few in-class exercises. They will usually be short thought problems, mathematical analyses, or algorithm-design exercises. We expect you to think through them carefully and write your answers legibly and clearly (if you can’t write it neatly, type it). On some problems, not only the correctness but also the quality of your solution will determine your grade. Some of the problems will be straightforward practice with concepts from the course; others will require creative solutions. Don’t put them off until the last minute!
There will often be in-class quizzes, which differ significantly from traditional quizzes. The answers to all of the questions should be contained in the lecture. The quizzes should help you to focus on some of the lecture material that we consider most important, to stay on track during discussion time, and to have some notes that you can use for review later. They are often graded, but not always.
Readings are posted on the schedule page for each day. We expect you to follow along with readings to supplement in-class work.
The Weiss textbook has many exercises at the ends of the chapters; it is a good idea to read all of them and to think about how you might approach them. We will only assign a few of them to be turned in, but others have been known to show up as exam problems. In addition, the Key Concepts sections at the end of each chapter provide a nice review of the major concepts in the chapters.
All assignments must be turned in before the due time if you want credit for them † .
However, we all have days when we are extremely busy, or times when a program takes longer to complete than we expect it will. To account for this, we give each student a “late day bank account” that starts with three late days.
Late Day Procedures: You do not have to notify us when you earn or use a late day. Just track your balance. (We will keep track of your late and early days based on the time of your submission to a Moodle assignment page or your latest commit time of a given project to your git repository.
Some particular assignments may be designated as ”no late days“ assignments. This might happen because:
†Occasionally, we will allow extra time for everyone to complete a particular assignment without “extending the due date.” The difference is subtle. If you are working on an assignment during a grace period, you should do so with the recognition that you are behind, and you need to quickly finish it and move on to the next assignment. If we decide to give a grace period for an assignment, we will explain the reason for it.
There will be two full exams (Exam 1 and 3) during the term, and a Final exam. On each exam there will be a paper part and a computer
part. On the computer part most of the credit will be for actually getting the code working. Typically, about
40-50% of the credit for each exam will be for the computer part, although it varies between 20% and 65%. There
will usually also a smaller in-class Exam 2 (computer part only).
| Weight | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 5% | In-class quizzes, attendance, engagement |
| 30% | Written assignments, programming projects, in-class exercises |
| 10% | Term project |
| 13% | Exam 1 |
| 7% | Exam 2 (programming only, in-class) |
| 15% | Exam 3 |
| 20% | Final Exam |
Final grades are also contingent on the following:
The above is a guideline that we typically follow. Please understand that it is not a promise. We will do our best to conform to the Rose-Hulman definition of the various grades, as described in the Academic Rules and Procedures. As you read it, note in particular that the phrase “thorough competence to do excellent work” appears in the description of the “B” grade (the standard for “A” is even higher), and it further states that “B” and “B+” will not be given for mere compliance with the minimum essential standards of the course.
We may adjust your overall average up or down by up to 5 percent, based on your citizenship in the CSSE 230 learning community. This includes attendance, promptness, preparation for class, positive participation in class and the online discussion forums, constructive partnership in pair and group assignments, timely completion of various surveys, and peer evaluation of other students’ code and of your team members for group projects.
The in-class time in this course constitutes an important learning experience. You should be there. Two unexcused absences will affect your Citizenship grade. Three or more unexcused absences may result in failure of the course. Habitually arriving late to class will also affect your grade.
We will do our best to keep the class interactive and relevant. But we recognize that sometimes it is hard as a student to stay focused on the class. With laptops in class, there are many more ways to become distracted. Unfortunately these distractions are much more pernicious, since it is very easy to get drawn into things that are not relevant to this course.
In the classroom we strongly encourage you to turn off email, messenging, etc. and only use other software for things directly related to class. If you must use non-class-related software during class, then please sit in the last allowed row. Doing so will keep you from distracting your classmates with what is on your screen.
It depends how they “help” you...
Recall the Institute policy on academic misconduct:
“Rose-Hulman expects its students to be responsible adults and to behave at all times with honor and integrity.”
Exams and homework will be done on an individual basis except where explicitly noted. The simple rule of thumb for individual work is:
Never give or use someone else’s code or written answers.
Such exchanges are definitely cheating and not cooperation.
We encourage you to discuss the problems and general approaches to solving them with other students. However, when it comes to writing answers or code, it must be your own work (or the work of your group if it is a group assignment). If you are having trouble understanding how some Java API code works or pinning down a run-time or logic error in your program, by all means talk to someone about it. Get help with debugging when you need it.
If you use someone else’s ideas in your solution, you must:
If you are ever in doubt about whether some specific situation violates the policy, the best approach is to discuss it with your instructor beforehand. This is a very serious matter that we do not take lightly. Nor should you.
You should never look at another student’s code to get ideas of how to write your own code. Beginning the process of producing your own solution with an electronic copy of work done by other students is never appropriate.
Working on written problems with other students is strongly encouraged. However, once you have solved a problem, each student should write up the solution individually, without referring to the common solution, to make sure that all of you understand it. Again, electronic copying is never appropriate.
Plagiarism (where a student solution to an exam or assignment was copied from another student’s solution, past or present, or any solution that is posted anywhere) will result in a score of -100% for the assignment or exam. Egregious cases will result in a grade of “F” for the course. Furthermore, such cases will also be reported to the Department Head and Dean of Students, as required by the Institute policy, to be added to the student’s record and so discourage repeat offenses. More importantly, such dishonesty steals your own self-esteem and your opportunity to learn. So don’t cheat!
If at any point, you are not comfortable in the classroom, for ANY reason, or you observe any behaviors by ANYONE (classmates, course assistants or your instructors) that may make the classroom climate feel less welcoming for students: please tell us.
Ways to do so include:
alangavr@rose-hulman.edu).
Rose-Hulman, and the instructors of this course in particular, are committed to working with students who have special needs or disabilities. We understand that “invisible” disabilities (learning and attention deficit disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, anxiety, etc.) can significantly affect a student's academic performance.
We strongly encourage students to document special academic circumstances with the staff at the Office of Student Affairs and then to contact us as soon as possible so that we can work together to provide recommended academic accommodations while protecting your privacy. Please note that it is the student's responsibility to request any approved, documented academic accommodations (such as extra time) at least one week in advance of exams.
Another pair of resources available to students for free:
The Student Counseling Center provides confidential, culturally sensitive support for a variety of personal concerns for the students of Rose-Hulman. We provide brief individual counseling, group counseling, couples counseling, assessment, and referrals. Our purpose is to enhance the students' ability to fully benefit from academic and social life at Rose-Hulman. This is achieved by assisting students in the development of personal awareness, building life skills, and overcoming personal concerns.
When you are feeling stress or experiencing any sort of difficult issue, our services can help you find your balance.
To make an appointment, call them at (812) 877-8537, or visit their office in the Union, rooms 245-250.
This course reinforces and extends students’ understanding of current practices of producing object-oriented software. Students extend their use of a disciplined design process to include formal analysis of space/time efficiency and formal proofs of correctness. Students gain a deeper understanding of concepts from CSSE 220, including implementations of abstract data types by linear and non-linear data structures. This course introduces the use of randomized algorithms. Students design and implement software individually, in small groups, and in a challenging multi-week team project.
Students who successfully complete this course should be able to: