Hello and welcome to COSC 1200, Object Oriented Programming 1. In this course the students will be taken through fundamental programming techniques, styles, structures, algorithms, and architectures to learn object oriented programming methodologies. The focus of the course is on learning to write software code, and not on the specific language of choice. We will be learning Java in this course, but the course is an agnostic roadmap to learning to program software using Java.
In order to have the maximum success in this course, you will have to attend classes, complete homework, discuss your solutions with the professor, and apply yourself to the best of your ability. Statistics prove that students who attend class regularly, are always the students with the best overall results. This is your future, take it upon yourself to drive it, it will not happen by itself, only you can turn the steering wheel in the correct direction for you!
Although attendance in class is not mandatory, nor will it be policed, attendance is your best method of succeeding in the course. Deadlines and submissions will not be altered in any way due to a students attendance or lack of attendance.
This class is designed around demonstrations, practice exercises, and ongoing discussion with the professor. This is only achieved through regular attendance in class. No sympathy will be given nor any accommodations made for students who miss classes.
If you do have to miss class, it is suggested that you contact your professor and just simply let them know, but in addition contact a fellow classmate to take notes for you and whom you can speak with afterwards to help receive the material. It is not your professors responsibility to reteach material already taught in class to those who miss class.
5 major assignments (12% each) - 60%
4 Class Exercises (6% each) - 24%
4 take home quizzes (4% each) - 16%
The 5 major assignments are spread throughout the term with roughly 10-14 days to complete each one. They are graded shortly after submission and detailed formative feedback provided to the students.
The 4 Class Exercises are completed within classroom time where students are encouraged to collaborate with other students, ask questions and discuss issues with the professor. Class exercises will often be spread over more than 1 class and therefore regular attendance is required. Some class exercises will not be submitted, but rather demonstrated to the professor requiring the student to verbally answer questions about their submission to demonstrate understanding and learned knowledge.
The 4 take home quizzes will be completed outside of class time, within a given window of time (usually 2-3 days) and each student will have only 1 attempt. Once the quiz is started, the student will have a limited amount of time to complete it as per stated in the instructions you can see before you start the quiz. Because of the flexible nature of the quizzes, no makeups and no late submissions will be accepted. Make sure you set a reminder to complete the quizzes before their due date!
All submissions will be completed through DC Connect. Submissions will NOT be accepted through email or MS Teams.
Assignments 1 through 4 submissions are considered late after 11:59pm on their due date and will be subject to a 25% penalty. Submissions will not be accepted after 72 hours.
Assignment 5 will not be accepted more then 24 hours after the posted deadline due to the tight deadlines to submit marks to the college.
Class exercises will be due by the end of the last class in the week they are posted. (example: If your last class of the week is Thursday 3:10-5pm, then your due date is Thursday at 5pm.) Late submissions will only be accepted upon negotiation with the professor BEFORE the last class of the week. Missing classes does NOT change the deadlines.
The text book in this course is required. Each week there is homework reading that you are responsible for in addition to the material covered in class.
The REQUIRED course textbook is available online at no cost:
Busbee, K. L. & Braunschweig, D. (2018). Programming Fundamentals - A Modular Structured Approach, 2nd
Edition. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This book is available directly on the web or downloadable in a variety of formats via
https://press.rebus.community/programmingfundamentals/ .
Throughout the term, the professor will provided links to supplemental articles, videos, and other online resources for you to review on your own time. These resources are highly recommended for those who require additional learning tools, and even for those who are doing well. One thing learned from a 10 minute video, make the video worth watching!
These resources will be posted in both the getting started section and the weekly content sections within the week they are relevant.
Classes will consist of a mixture of theory, demonstration, practice exercises, and class exercise assessments. The focus will mostly be on demonstration while theory is roughly covered in class, but mostly covered through homework reading of the textbook and other provided online resources.
Class time is meant as a time for you to learn where you have dedicated time and access with the professor. Students may feel a tendency to leave once the lecture part of the class is complete and practice exercises, or assignment working time is allowed, even when they have not yet finished the work. It is highly recommended that you stay and work on the practice or assessments in the classroom as you have ample opportunity to collaborate with classmates, the professor is there to help you, and help given outside of class will be limited to the availability of the professor.
I will repeat, your best chance for the highest success is attendance, focus, staying to work during class, and utilizing the opportunity to speak with the professor while they dedicated to help you during class.