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Welcome to CS 100, Discovering Computer Science, Fall 2020
(CRN # 10615, with Mon labs at: 11am:10606, 12pm:10613)
Syllabus changes made 8/31 are shown in blue. Syllabus changes made 9/5 are shown in green. On 9/7 I combined the 10% Class Quizzes & 10% Reading Quizzes into a single 20% Class & Reading Quizzes category.
This is not for the current semester, but is an archival copy!
General Information
Lecture meets: Mon, Wed, 9-9:50, online using Zoom. Class on Fridays will be asynchronous, with you completing on your own the assigned work listed on the schedule. You will need to be logged in to your browser using your UIC netid.
Labs will be online using Blackboard Collaborate, on Mondays starting at 11am or 12 noon. There is no lab the first week of class.
See bit.ly/cs100eval for advice from previous students.
Instructor: Dale Reed
Office: SEO 917, though I won't be there until campus opens up fully after Covid-19, so contact me online.
Office Phone: (312) 413-9478
email: reed @ uic.edu (remove the spaces inside the email address)
Website: bit.ly/dalereed (or just do a Google search on Dale Reed)
Office Hours: See above website
Prerequisites: None
What you Need:
Download and register for Zoom through UIC's web site using these instructions, which will direct you to the Zoom downloads page. I recommend you use the Google Chrome browser. To join our lecture and lab Zoom sessions you will need to be logged in to your browser using your UIC netid.
A webcam and mic on your computer. To earn class participation credit you will need to either participate in discussions during class or will need to write an essay for each class. More details are given below under Course Grading Criteria.
You will need your own Circuit Playground Express, $24 plus shipping at https://www.adafruit.com/product/3333. Be sure you get the "express" version, not the old "non-express" version.
You should have gotten an email invitation to join Piazza, the online discussion board we will be using for this class. Piazza is specifically designed to get you help quickly and efficiently from classmates, the TA, and me. Rather than emailing questions to us, please post your questions on Piazza. To access Piazza follow the link in the navigation bar at left. Your posts can be anonymous to other students, but won't be anonymous to teaching staff. In case for some reason you didn't get the Piazza invitation, find our class signup link at: https://piazza.com/uic/fall2020/cs100
Register for App Lab, the environment we'll be using in learning programming.
Create a Code.org accounts using your UIC email address, so we can give you credit for your work.
Visit the following link to join the CS 100 class section: https://studio.code.org/join/KFVVBK
After you have followed the above steps to create an account and join the class, go to www.code.org and click the 'sign in' button
The free online book Blown to Bits, by Abelson, Ledeen, & Lewis. It includes links to download the book for free as a pdf. There will also be many other assigned readings, available through links on the course schedule.
Register for Flipgrid and record a 15-30 second intro video of yourself at https://flipgrid.com/8b04100c with:
Your name & major
A hobby or something you like to do in your free time
A food or restaurant you would recommend to others
You are responsible for all information (handouts, announcements, notes, etc.) covered during class. You should look at any online copies of notes and ask fellow classmates for missed information.
Registering Late
For those who register late for the course please send an email to the course instructor and all the TAs listed on the Lab/TA page on the course web site. See the schedule (above left on this page) for links to previous class notes, which at the bottom include instructions on how you can write essays to make up for missing classes.
Course Grading Criteria
50% Assignments (Due at midnight. Must be posted on your google site. Late assignments accepted within 1 day with a 20% penalty)
13% Mon & Wed (Synchronous) Class participation (or essay) (Screen snapshot taken at some random time during class, and/or record taken of written class contributions)
7% Friday (Asynch) essays
20% Class & Reading quizzes (lowest score dropped)
5% Lab Quizzes (lowest score dropped)
5% Lab Activities (lowest score dropped)
See UIC course grade distributions for this course from previous semesters. At the end of the semester top Piazza citizens will be moved to a higher grade if they are on the borderline.
Class Participation:
Meaningful social interaction can make learning more effective and enjoyable, though with Zoom we're limited to seeing and hearing each other. In-class activities will often involve group work.
For those of you attending class we will use Zoom professional standards: camera on, sitting up, with your entire face visible. If you are not able to meet these requirements, please contact me and we can have a conversation about it. If it is a technical problem (no camera, slow computer) I may be able to help match you up with some university resources. If you are called on during class but do not respond out-loud or in the chat, you will lose a point for class participation.
I recommend you experiment with setting virtual backgrounds in Zoom, to hide whatever is behind you. I recognize life is complicated with Covid-19, and that some of you may have noise and/or distracting backgrounds, and have no choice in your situation. If you want to attend class live and participate, but have a legitimate reason for not having your camera on, then for each class where that is true you will need to fill out the video being off form and respond to any follow-up conversation about it so you can still can full credit for class participation for the day even though your video is off.
If you prefer (or if you need to), rather than participate in the class interaction and discussion live online you may watch the class recording and write a 400+ word (3/4 of a page) essay reflecting on the class recording, in response to a prompt that will be posted at the end of the class notes/recording for the day. This must be done within 24 hours of the original class. If you attend class, then you are not eligible for points using the essay. Post your essays using the essays google form.
Quizzes: In Class, after Assigned Readings, In Lab
No makeup quizzes will be given, however the lowest quiz score in each category will be dropped.
Quizzes to be done after assigned readings outside of class will sometimes be given.
Quizzes will sometimes be given at the beginning of class, based on assigned readings and/or assigned activities.
Quizzes will be given during the first few minutes of lab, based on the assigned activities and readings.
Labs
Lab exercises will be assigned during lab and must be completed during that lab session. Labs are graded on a 3 point scale (0: didn't do it, 1: some effort, 2: average, 3: outstanding).
If you feel that you deserve more points than you have been given on a quiz, assignment, or test, you must see the instructor about this within one week of the time the work in question is first returned to the class.
No incompletes will be given for poor performance in the course. An incomplete can only be given if there are extenuating circumstances and the student has at least a 'C' average in the course.
Class Norms
Following are the class norms we selected together on 8/31, slightly reformatted, along with two of my own (camera on & everyone participates).
Ask for help
Respect others and yourself
Have patience with others who are doing their best and help them
Make mistakes
Work towards an open-minded environment where asking questions is encouraged
Camera on, sitting up, entire face visible
Everyone participates
Academic Dishonesty and Student Conduct
Students are expected to treat other class members with respect, making a genuine effort on all assignments, discussions and class activities. Submitted work must be your own unless the assignment explicitly is intended to be done in a group.
Other
Covid-19 has put tremendous stress on us all, and want to be available to help if I can. The UIC Counseling Center offers an array of services to provide additional support throughout your time at UIC, including workshops, peer support groups, counseling, self-help tools, and initial consultations to speak to a mental health counselor about your concerns. Please visit the Counseling Center website for more information. If it feels like emotional concerns are impacting your academic success, please contact me and your academic advisers to create a plan to stay on track.
Please also refer as needed to the UIC academic calendar and the campus disability services policy, both of which apply to students in this class. I make an effort to avoid having tests on religious holidays, but if I neglect to take one into account, please let me know. If you will be missing class because of a religious holiday then please enter your information on the following form to help me keep track of this: https://forms.gle/aBhxT644ha4S2Ggz6