CSC 121 (introductory C++) and MTH 200 (calculus I) with grades of a C or better
[it is recommended that you had a B or better in both classes to actually do well in this class — as this class is more demanding/challenging in time and intellectual difficulty]

Big C++, Horstmann & Budd, John Wiley & Sons, 2^nd Edition

For your convenience, here are links to both the Student Companion Site for the book and to the Author's Website for the book. In particular, note the Errata page (which lists typographical and other errors found in the book's text) and the source code for the book's library and sample programs. (The latter will be useful if you wish to attempt using any of the graphics from Chapter 2 in a lab/project option.)

Problem Solving with C++, Savitch, Addison Wesley
C++ for Business Programming, Molluzzo, Prentice Hall
SAMS Teach Yourself C++ in 24 Hours, Liberty, MacMillian
C++ from the Ground Up, Schildt, Osborne
C++: The Core Language, Satir & Brown, O'Reilley & Associates, Inc.
Practical C++ Programming, Oualline, O'Reilley & Associates, Inc.
The ANSI/ISO C++ Professional Programmer's Handbook, Kalev, Que Professional
The C++ Programming Language, Bjarne Stroustrup, Addison Wesley

To foster the student's deepening understanding of the programming process. We will continue to emphasize problem analysis and algorithm development while showing the importance of testing and documentation in generating well-crafted programs. The C++ programming language will be used.

In particular, we will be learning text file handling, pointers & iterators, basic dynamic memory management, operator overloading (including function objects), templates (both function and class), inheritance, and polymorphism. As time permits we will introduce some topics from data structures (CSC216) such as: algorithm analysis, linked lists, stacks, queues, recursion, trees, etc.

In fact, here's a sad tree-like rendition of the topic schedule for your perusal.

Attendance is an important aspect of classroom learning. It provides access to both the teacher's years of experience and the experience and understanding of other students (during discussions and group work). It is in the classroom that we find a sounding board for our conceptualizations of the ideas read in the book. It is also a place where we can hear explanations of topics from the book in a different light (from a different angle). All classes should be attended by the student.

Cheating is never a good thing. Some people think of cheating as merely copying their friend's (friends') or other's work. Nope. Cheating also includes plagiarism (of your textbook, other books, journals, magazines, Web pages, etc.). (Plagiarism is also a federal crime.) Cheating earns both parties 0's on the assignment. Continued cheating will result in failure of the course. Please turn in your OWN work. It would be a shame for you to fail simply for lack of thinking on your own.

Assignments are not meant to be worked on together. You can help each other and share ideas, but do not end up with a single program among your group! Each of you should have your own program that is distinct in real and meaningful ways from others'.

Also note that you cannot earn a C in this course without having shown at least a 70% competency on each and every topic covered during the semester (not a 70% average over all topics, but 70% on each topic). (See main page for your course for a topic list.)

In class activities refers to group activities (done during lecture time — ideally without a computer) and some sort of reading 'pop quizzes' (for both book readings and online notes).

The labs and projects portions of your grade will come from the three portfolios you will be handing in (see below). Tests will be done in lecture time — not take-home.

Lecture tests consist (most often) of true/false, fill in the blank (rarely a word list), short answer, and hand-execution/debugging of code. Lecture tests may also include hand-coding of small (5-15 line) segments of code. Multiple choice can also occur, but all correct answers must be chosen (i.e. it isn't multiple guess). Finally, matching is a rare occurrence. (The online question sets make a pretty good sample of types and style of questions.)

Make-up exams (with a reasonable excuse — see attendance), will be ALL essay and/or hand-coding/execution.

Also there will be tests and a cumulative final during the semester. This means that each test will be worth of your overall grade. (Yes, the final, although cumulative, is equal in weight to a regular test.)

When an assignment is given (i.e. placed on the web page), you can hand it in as soon as you are done for a review of its content. ('done' here means that you've made a reasonable attempt to start the program or answer the questions. You don't have to have it perfect before you hand it in. You can even hand in something you've merely outlined/flow-charted, if it is a complete enough outline.)

I will give the checked paper back to you ASAP so that you can make any needed corrections to it before using it in a portfolio (if you so choose). You can also hand papers in as many times as you like before the portfolio is due. (Remember that this corrections policy is good for EITHER of the online assignments: projects and labs.)

Finally, every assignment will also be rated (typically between 1 and 7) as to its difficulty (1 is quite easy, 7 is fairly challenging). These ratings will help you determine what (corrected) assignments you'd like to hand in for your portfolios. Also, labs and projects often have options which can be done that will increase the level rating of the assignment.

Three times during the semester, you will turn in what you consider to be your best work up to that point (since the previous portfolio). Collect together your best (corrected) assignments and hand them in as a portfolio. The portfolio must contain a certain total ratings value each of labs and projects and consist of only a certain total number of items. These totals will be mentioned in the portfolio announcement on the web page and/or during class. The announcement is purposely delayed until at least a week before the due date so that you will concentrate on doing and understanding and not meeting minimum requirements.

Any assignments you turn in that exceed the total ratings value for their category will be added to an extra credit pile for review at the end of the semester. This extra credit work will be added to some part of your grade where it will do the most good (typically projects or tests).

Example: If the projects section of a portfolio said the minimum ratings value was 16 and the maximum number of projects were 4, you could choose several different combinations of project ratings to satisfy these requirements. You might choose to hand in 3 projects which were rated 6. You might choose to hand in 4 projects rated 4. You might choose to hand projects in rated at 4, 6, and 7.

You might choose to hand in a 4, a 6, and 2 7's. If you did this, I might place either the 4, the 6, or either of the 7's on the extra credit pile (the remaining items already add up to more than 16). To avoid me picking, you can mark those items you wish to be extra credit with XC or EC or XCred or Extra Credit marked in plain large type/writing at the top.

See also the portfolio page for more information.

Due dates (on portfolios) are present for a reason. If you do not turn in your papers by the due dates given, credit may be denied. (Reasonable excuses may be accepted.)

For further information, please see the portfolio page.

(Horizontal rules in the table demark logical separations in topic matter based on level of difficulty and/or time)