Course Policies and Themes

Steven Zeil

Last modified: Jun 11, 2020

Contents:

4.1 From Coding to Programming

4.2 Scaling Up

5 Where to Go from Here?

1 Overview

Welcome to CS333

Problem Solving and Programming in C++

Combines CS150 and CS250 into a single accelerated course
- Aimed primarily at students who first studies programming in a different language than C++
Instructor: Steven Zeil
Website: Enter through Blackboard

Quick Tour of the Course Website

BlackBoard site
- Hosts announcements, calendars, tests, forums
Most of the content is on a CS Dept server
- Lecture notes, labs, assignments
- This material remains accessible after the end of the semester

The Outline Page

The Outline page (“Modules” in Blackboard) is the “heart” of the course

Lecture notes
Assigned reading from the text book
Labs and self-assessments (ungraded activities)
Assignments, tests, projects

2 Policies

Details in course syllabus
- Available on the entry page and the course Policies page

All students are responsible for reading the syllabus and adhering to the policies described there!

2.1 Communications

Office hours info is posted on Blackboard.
- Available options include face-to-face, net-conference, or by phone
email to szeil@odu.edu

2.2 Grading

Exams: 3 exams
- Final exam is cumulative
- Dates are fixed (see Outline page)
Assignments
- Mainly programming
- Due before the start of the next scheduled exam
Semester project

A larger program, developed through the last third of the course
- Submitted in phases:
  - test specification
  - basic design
  - ADT design
  - implementation
- Due dates are fixed

3 Assignments

Programming Assignments

Few require writing entire programs from scratch.
- Instead, focus is on finishing or modifying a program by applying the lessons of the current topics section.
You are responsible for
- Coding your solution
- Testing your solution (before submitting it!)
- Reading the grade report
- Checking your solution against mine and against my tests
You can ask questions at any point in this process.
- If you don’t ask, I will assume that you have read and have understood what you have read.

Pace Yourself

There’s a lot of material in this course
There’s not time to waste by staying stuck on one assignment.
- Assignments do build on past lessons, so trying to move on to later material while working on an earlier asst may not work.
So, if you get stuck, ask questions
- Take the time to frame your question carefully so that I have enough info to actually give you a helpful answer.
If you are stuck for more than a few days, it’s time to move on.
- Read my solution and tests.
- Run the tests through your own code
- If you don’t understand how my solution works, ask.

Submitting Assignments

Each assignment page will have a link or button for submission.
- You can submit from your local PC from your CS Unix account.
Most assignments will be automatically graded.
- You should receive an emailed response within an hour.
Unless stated otherwise, you may resubmit assignments, up to a total of three submissions

4 Course Themes

Coding in C++
Moving from Coding to Programming
Using ADTs to organize your programs

CS333 Part I

Roughly equivalent to CS150

CS333 Part I

Roughly equivalent to CS150
focuses on coding

CS333 Part I

Roughly equivalent to CS150
focuses on coding
- how to write what you want in C++

CS333 Part I

Roughly equivalent to CS150
focuses on coding
- how to write what you want in C++
- For most of you, this will be a matter of learning how to re-express familiar concepts in a new programming language.

CS333 Part I

Roughly equivalent to CS150
focuses on coding
- how to write what you want in C++
- For most of you, this will be a matter of learning how to re-express familiar concepts in a new programming language.
  - E.g., you already know what loops, arrays, etc., are and why they are used, but you may not know how to express them in C++

CS333 Parts II & III

Coding != Programming

Coding is only a part of programming
- low-level design, testing, & debugging
Programming is only a small part of software development
- Requirements analysis, design, validation

4.1 From Coding to Programming

The focus of this course is programming
- Yes, we will learn lots of C++, even after part I
- But the focus will shift to the entire programming task
…in the context of software development
…scaling up in size and complexity
- You can’t use the same tools, materials, and techniques as problems get larger

4.2 Scaling Up

4.2.1 “Toy” projects

Suppose you wanted to build a bridge across some water. If all you need is to allow a few people to walk across it, you can get by with some pretty basic materials and construction techniques.

A toy program is usually defined as having < 100 lines of code, written by one person, and used for a very short time before being thrown away.

4.2.2 Small-scale projects

But if it needs to support a steady stream of walkers over time, …

Small-scale projects (cont.)

… or perhaps horses, livestock, etc., you need to put in a lot more prior planning and use more sophisticated tools and techniques.

A small programming project is a one-person project, typically no more than a few hundred lines of code, intended for use by a limited audience.

These bridges require more skills than did the simple plank bridge.

4.2.3 Medium-scale projects

And as you continue to scale up both the weight of vehicles crossing the bridge…

A medium software project involves one person or a small team working for several months to a year producing up to a few tens of thousands of lines of code.

4.2.4 Large-scale projects

… and the size of the stream being crossed, you find that completely different construction techniques and materials are required.

Large software projects involve many programmers working for a year or more to produce hundreds of thousands to millions of lines of code.

4.2.5 Scaling up requires different skills

Is it really so surprising that you would similarly need different approaches to engineering software as the size and complexity of the problem increases?

The techniques that worked for you in your first programming class (or in the first part of this one) won’t work forever.
In this course we will show you new techniques that can help you on larger software projects.

We’ll give you opportunities to practice these new techniques
- But, by definition, even medium scale projects cannot be accomplished within a semester
- So you will be practicing on toy and small projects

Please practice what we preach!

We will teach you how to design basic programs, how to test them, how to debug them

Please practice what we preach!

We will teach you how to design basic programs, how to test them, how to debug them
As we move through the semester, we expect you to use the techniques we teach you

Please practice what we preach!

We will teach you how to design basic programs, how to test them, how to debug them
As we move through the semester, we expect you to use the techniques we teach you
- Don’t jump straight to coding without designing.

Please practice what we preach!

We will teach you how to design basic programs, how to test them, how to debug them
As we move through the semester, we expect you to use the techniques we teach you
- Don’t jump straight to coding without designing.
  - You’ll find yourself sometimes staring at an empty screen with no idea of that to do

Please practice what we preach!

We will teach you how to design basic programs, how to test them, how to debug them
As we move through the semester, we expect you to use the techniques we teach you
- Don’t jump straight to coding without designing.
  - You’ll find yourself sometimes staring at an empty screen with no idea of that to do
- Don’t submit your assignments for grading after running only a single test (or none at all)

Please practice what we preach!

We will teach you how to design basic programs, how to test them, how to debug them
As we move through the semester, we expect you to use the techniques we teach you
- Don’t jump straight to coding without designing.
  - You’ll find yourself sometimes staring at an empty screen with no idea of that to do
- Don’t submit your assignments for grading after running only a single test (or none at all)
  - You’ll be unhappy when your code scores poorly because it failed most of our tests

Please practice what we preach!

We will teach you how to design basic programs, how to test them, how to debug them
As we move through the semester, we expect you to use the techniques we teach you
- Don’t jump straight to coding without designing.
  - You’ll find yourself sometimes staring at an empty screen with no idea of that to do
- Don’t submit your assignments for grading after running only a single test (or none at all)
  - You’ll be unhappy when your code scores poorly because it failed most of our tests
- Don’t “debug” your code by making random changes hoping to stumble onto the solution.

Please practice what we preach!

We will teach you how to design basic programs, how to test them, how to debug them
As we move through the semester, we expect you to use the techniques we teach you
- Don’t jump straight to coding without designing.
  - You’ll find yourself sometimes staring at an empty screen with no idea of that to do
- Don’t submit your assignments for grading after running only a single test (or none at all)
  - You’ll be unhappy when your code scores poorly because it failed most of our tests
- Don’t “debug” your code by making random changes hoping to stumble onto the solution.
  - You’ll just waste your own time.

5 Where to Go from Here?

Go to the Policies page
- Read the syllabus
- Read “Communications Policy”
Then head off to the Outline page