Wrap Up

Cool stuff you can do with Python

Preparing for COP 2006

C++

Closing Comments

Final Exam Mentality and Rationale

To wrap up COP 1500, let's revisit the learning outcomes from the syllabus listed below.

Various assignments throughout the semester have attempted to measure your attainment of these learning outcomes. The final exam is one last opportunity to demonstrate you have met some of them.


As an instructor, it provides me with data to demonstrate to the department and our accrediting organizations that I am teaching and it informs course improvements.


As a student, it is a motivation to review concepts from earlier in the semester to solidify understanding and make connections.

Final Exam Preparation

  • Expand the sections below related to the course learning outcomes for some related tips, concepts, and links including the percentage of the exam related to each outcome

  • Kahoot quizzes (posted in Teams)

Final Exam Topics by Learning Outcome

1. identify, formulate, and solve simple problems by applying techniques such as algorithm creation, abstraction, and decomposition.

About 15% of final exam

  • IPO charts

  • Flowcharts

  • Be able to define the following terms in your own words:

    • Algorithm

    • Pseudocode

    • Recursion

  • Identify smallest or largest number in a list

  • Calculate average of numbers in a list

  • Searching

    • Linear

    • Binary

  • Sorting

    • Bubble

    • Selection

    • Insertion

    • Merge

  • Be able to define the following terms in your own words:

    • Decomposition

    • Abstraction

  • Solving Programming Problems

2. design, implement, test, and debug a program that uses each of the following fundamental programming constructs: basic computation, simple I/O, standard conditional and iterative structures, the definition of functions, and parameter passing

About 30% of final exam

  • declaration, assignment, initialization

  • Be able to define the following terms in your own words:

    • variable

    • function

  • Data types

    • int

    • float

    • boolean

    • string

basic computation

  • +, -, *, /, //, %, ++, +=

simple I/O

  • print

  • input

  • data type conversion (casting)

standard conditional and iterative structures

  • if, else, elif, trailing else

  • while, for

  • >, <, ==

the definition of functions

  • header

  • call

  • returning values

parameter passing

  • arguments

  • parameters

  • scope

3. distinguish among computer science, software engineering, and information technology; describe applications and fields of computer science.

About 5% of final exam

  • Be able to describe computer science in your own words

  • Be able to describe software engineering in your own words

  • Be able to describe information technology in your own words

  • Study the job summaries for the Computer and Information Technology Occupations at the BLS OOH

  • Read the Guide to Computer Science Careers at Computer Science Online

  • SDLC, waterfall, agile

  • SWEBOK

  • ACM

  • IEEE

  • ABET

  • CompTIA

4. communicate effectively with a range of audiences (at an introductory level)

About 2% of final exam

  • Group communication software like Zoom, Teams, Slack

  • Presentation software PowerPoint, Google Slides

  • Diagramming software like Visio, SmartDraw, Dia

  • Writing

5. match basic network terms, including network protocols, to definitions.

About 5% of final exam

  • OSI

  • Protocols

    • TCP/IP

    • DHCP

    • DNS

  • Utilities

    • ping

    • traceroute

    • ipconfig

6. function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives (at an introductory level)

About 2% of final exam

  • Scheduling software like Doodle, Outlook / Teams Scheduling Assistant

  • Task management software like Microsoft To Do, Google Tasks

7. acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies (at an introductory level)

About 5% of final exam

8. perform tasks related to machine level representation of data such as describing the internal representation of non-numeric data and converting numerical data from one format to another.

About 10% of final exam

  • Be able to convert between different number systems (binary, decimal, hex)

  • ASCII, UNICODE

  • Caesar Cipher

9. recognize and describe key components of computer hardware including CPU, memory, storage, and input / output devices, and perform digital logic operations using AND, OR, and NOT.

About 10% of final exam

  • Characteristics of Hardware

    • Hard drive

    • CPU

    • Memory

  • Be able to determine if statements utilizing and, or, and/or not are true or false

10. identify, describe, and utilize software related to productivity (including word processing, presentations, spreadsheets, and databases), utilities, and operating systems.

About 10% of final exam

  • Productivity Software

    • Know when word processing, presentations, spreadsheets, and databases would be appropriate to use

    • SQL

  • Utilities

  • Operating Systems

    • Be able to define “operating system” in your own words

    • Virtualization

    • Dual boot

    • Linux

  • Other Software

    • IDE

      • PyCharm

      • Eclipse