COMP141 - Computer Science I: Programming Fundamentals (Spring 2021)
Welcome to Programming Fundamentals for Spring’21!
- Instructor: Dr. Matt Lang
- Email: langm@rhodes.edu
- Phone: (440) 666-2694
- Office: Briggs 207
- Office Hours: MW 2-5pm
- Zoom ID: mattlang
- Schedule time: calendly.com/mattlang
- Schedule: MWF 1-1:50pm (remote)
- CS Program Slack
- Course channel:
#comp141-sp21-lang - Tutoring channel:
#tutoring
- Course channel:
- Course Syllabus
- Feedback[1]
- Tutoring: Sunday through Thursday, 7-10pm on Slack
Source of truth
The Canvas site for this course will contain the schedule and assignments. Materials will be distributed through Canvas.
Remote learning
Please read through the principles that I outlined for my fall classes. My ideas for how we will do remote learning in this class are similar.
The basics for this class are:
- Course materials will be distributed on Canvas, including readings, assignments, etc.
- Lectures will be synchronous and discussion based. Participation is important and your questions about the reading will guide our discussion.
- All lectures will be recorded and made available on Box. Only students in this class will have access to these recordings.
Resources
- Textbook: ZyBook online text book.
- Graphics in notebooks with
cs1.graphicsreference. - Course style guide.
- Using the class notebook environment
- Link to notebook environment.
Tentative schedule
| Day | Date | Topic | Assignment/Reading |
| Wed | Jan 27 | Introduction | zyBook Reading 01 |
| Fri | Jan 29 | Python, output, variables | zyBook Reading 02, Lab 0 |
| Mon | Feb 1 | Operators, input | |
| Wed | Feb 3 | Literals, comments, intro wrap-up | Project 1 |
| Fri | Feb 5 | Lab 1 | zyBook Reading 03 |
| Mon | Feb 8 | if, if-else, relational operators | zyBook Reading 04 |
| Wed | Feb 10 | if-elif-else, and/or | zyBook Reading 05 |
| Fri | Feb 12 | Functions | Project 2 |
| Mon | Feb 15 | Parameters, local variables | |
| Wed | Feb 17 | Graphics | |
| Fri | Feb 19 | Lab 2 | zyBook Reading 06 |
| Mon | Feb 22 | Return values | Project 3 |
| Wed | Feb 24 | Functions + if-elif-else | |
| Fri | Feb 26 | Lab 3 | zyBook Reading 07 |
| Mon | Mar 1 | Spring break | |
| Wed | Mar 3 | While loops | zyBook Reading 08 |
| Fri | Mar 5 | Writing loops | Project 4 |
| Mon | Mar 8 | Counting loops | zyBook Reading 09 |
| Wed | Mar 10 | For loops | |
| Fri | Mar 12 | Lab 4 | zyBook Reading 10 |
| Mon | Mar 15 | Midterm 1 | Project 5 |
| Wed | Mar 17 | break, continue | |
| Fri | Mar 19 | Nested loops | |
| Mon | Mar 22 | Using next/previous values | optional zyBook Reading ch 12 |
| Wed | Mar 24 | File I/O | |
| Fri | Mar 26 | File iteration | |
| Mon | Mar 29 | Reading data files | Project 6 |
| Wed | Mar 31 | Lab 5 | zyBook Reading 11 |
| Fri | Apr 2 | Spring recess | |
| Mon | Apr 5 | Strings I | |
| Wed | Apr 7 | Strings II | zyBook Reading 12 |
| Fri | Apr 9 | Lab 6 | Project 7 |
| Mon | Apr 12 | Lists I | |
| Wed | Apr 14 | Lists II | |
| Fri | Apr 16 | Midterm 2 | |
| Mon | Apr 19 | Lists III | zyBook Reading 13 |
| Wed | Apr 21 | Lists IV | Project 8 |
| Fri | Apr 23 | Lab 7 | |
| Mon | Apr 26 | 2d Lists I | |
| Wed | Apr 28 | 2d Lists II | |
| Fri | Apr 30 | Lab 8 |
Handouts by topic
| Topic | Handout |
| variables, IO | handout |
| Conditionals | handout |
| Functions | handout 1, handout 2, handout 3 |
| Loops | handout 1, handout 2 |
| Files | handout, handout |
| Strings | handout |
| Lists | handout 1, handout 2 |
Feedback
At the end of this course (and halfway through), you will have an opportunity to evaluate me and your experience in this course. However, hearing your feedback way after the fact doesn’t allow me any opportunity to either emphasise the things you are finding helpful, or to correct the things that may give you friction. In order to provide you with an opportunity to give me feedback in semi-real-time, I’ve created this form. Your comments are anonymous (but if you either don’t believe me or want to be more cautious, you can fill it out in your browser’s incognito mode, so that you aren’t logged in to anything).
I will take all comments seriously, and try to do the best that I can to make sure that you are heard through my actions.