CS 1510 - Data Structures I
Instructor: Clayton Price
Office: 325 Computer Science
Phone: 573-341-4491
E-mail: price@mst.edu
Text: Data Structures and Other Objects Using C++, Main and Savitch, 3rd ed.
Home page: http://www.mst.edu/~price and http://www.mst.edu/~cpp
Attendance in class is mandatory. You will be responsible for all the material presented in class and otherwise designated (such as reading material). Come to class on time and be prepared. If you miss class for some reason, it is your responsibility to find out what you’ve missed; it is not my responsibility. If you miss more than 3 classes, I WILL drop you from the class. (If you wish to drop the class, don’t assume that I will do it automatically when you stop coming to class. Please bring me a drop slip to sign.) Be responsible for your actions and/or inaction.
Please turn off any and all pagers, cell-phones, and the like while you are in my class. It is a common courtesy to do the same while in any other class on campus. If you are a member of an emergency response team (such as an ambulance crew or rural fire-fighter), please let me know.
The material that we will cover in the text is roughly all of it. I will link a topics list schedule later in the semester when I can generate one. Additional material not in the text may be presented.
Your grade in this class will be determined by your performance on tests, quizzes, and regularly assigned homework. Tests will be announced at least one week in advance and quizzes may or may not be announced (so be prepared!). The number of quiz points in the semester is not determined a priori. There will be 4 tests. You may not make-up tests or quizzes unless you have acceptable and verifiable reasons for missing class that day. Acceptable excuses include such circumstances as ‘acts of God’ (e.g. death in the family, being hit by a large truck on the way to class, etc) and exclude such non-excuses as a faulty alarm clock, drinking binges, having a grand piano fall on you from a 5th floor window (this never really happens -- only in the cartoons),etc. Do not bother to ask me if you may take a test early because I won't let you -- no matter what the reason. Dates that classes are in session are well published; don't ask me if you can miss a class or test because you want to leave for vacation early.
Homework assignments will be programming problems designed to hone and test your C++ and problem solving skills. These programs will be your primary contribution towards preparing for the exams. If you fail to submit any one of these, you will hurt yourself/grade twice. Make every effort to submit each one. Important: All of your programs must meet programming guidelines, which are linked on this website.
You will have an assigned lab time on Thursdays in room 212 of Computer Science Bldg. At your assigned time, you must demonstrate that your program compiles and works correctly. You also have the option of demonstrating your program on the Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday of the week following the original due date of that assignment. If you elect to do this, it will cost you 50% of the assignment's graded points. You will be given two free late "passes" for the semester. Thus, you can demo late twice without incurring the late charge of 50%. Coooool. You must be sure to tell the grader that you are using one of your late passes.
Your final grade will be based on a straight scale (90% - 100% A; 80% - 89% B; etc.). Your tests will account for 50% of your final average, the homework/programs will account for 40% of your final average, and the quizzes will be 10% of the final average.
If you score below 60% on any test you need to come to my office to discuss the situation with me. Don't ignore this warning.
I will send you messages concerning the class via e-mail. So check your email regularly (at least once a day, and preferably twice). Please note that I usually log off my computer and email at about 4 p.m. and don't log in at home. If you send me an email after that time, I probably won't (but I might) read it until the next morning. I usually don't check email on the weekend also.
VERY IMPORTANT: If at any point in the semester after the 5th week your average falls below 70%, you will need to come to my office so that you and I can discuss the difficulties you are having with the course. It is very important to me that you earn the best grade in this class that you are capable of earning. I will do all I can to help you.
Don’t cheat! Don’t even think about it. If you cheat, you will be caught and the penalty is severe. In response to a first offense, I will give you a zero for the assignment and lower your semester grade one letter and notify your adviser and the Provost. Your second offense will get you ejected from the class. I expect you to do your own work. This means that you should not work with another student on your programs; I want to see your work. Do not work with others and turn in duplicates. Do not turn in work that you did not write (this includes material copied from the internet or other sources). Don’t try to fool me. You are free to ask questions of others and learn from your friends, but not to copy ideas and/or code. Do not let others copy from you.
Be sure to seek my help if you need it. I will be glad to help if I can; you only have to ask. My office hours are as stated above. However, I am in my office most of the day and am happy to see you any time I can. Call for an appointment or ask me after class for an appointment. You should also avail yourself of the help provided by the cs153 tutors. Their schedule will be made available to you.
As the semester progresses and I get to know each of you better, my lectures will become more relaxed. I will endeavor to make the whole experience enjoyable for you as a student by including humor in my lectures where I can. Of course, this opens up the possibility that I may inadvertently offend some one. Please be sure to know that I in no way intend to offend anyone. If it happens that I have offended you with some remark, I assure you that it was not intended as such, but only to be humorous.
I will do my best to address any concerns you have about the class. You simply need to ask me. My immediate supervisor is the chair of the CS dept., Dr. Ali Hurson. If there are any problems that I am unable to resolve for you relevant to this class, address your concerns to Dr. Ali Hurson. His office is 325 CS and his e-mail is hurson@mst.edu.