CS101 Sections A & B: Computers -- A General Introduction

Fall 1998

FINAL EXAM Information

Review sheet for Final Exam

New Stuff!!

Key for second exam (better copy posted next to my office door)

fill in the CIT survey and you are automatically eligible to win one of five $10 gift certificates to Starbucks!!

Schedule for Lab Exam (not including exceptions I have been notified of)

Lab Exam 2 Review Sheet

Don't miss this upcoming PBS special!

Handout on Program Control and Algorithms

Updated Schedule and Information (handed out in class on Weds. Oct 28) If you don't have one look at it right away for important class and exam information.

Internet Chat -- Check it out!
www.icq.com
pager.yahoo.com/pager

link to page about binary numbers!

Name That Computer!!!
check out this contest to name new computers on campus
CS History Outline

Important for Section B:

• It is running either Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT
• It has Microsoft Office 97 Professional software (available at UB Micro or the bookstores)
• It has software that allows you to use the internet from home

Personnel

• Instructor: Ms. Debra Burhans
• office: 239 Bell
• office hours:
  • Tuesday 11-12
  • Wednesday 11-12 IN BALDY 19 LAB
  • Thursday 1-2
  • Friday 11-12 IN BALDY 19 LAB
• phone: (716) 645-3180 x139
• e-mail: burhans@cs.buffalo.edu
• Course Web page: http://www.cs.buffalo.edu/~burhans/Courses1/CS101FALL98/index.html
• Personal Web page: http://www.cs.buffalo.edu/~burhans
• Teaching Assistants:
• David Fiden dafiden@cs.buffalo.edu TA for: C2, C4, A1, Open Lab time: 3-3:30 Tues, 11-1 Thurs
• Jay Nagaraja nagaraja@cs.buffalo.edu TA for: C2, C4, A1, Open Lab time: 5:30-6 Tues, 5:30-7 Weds
• Shubhra Bhargava sbhargav@eng.buffalo.edu TA for: C1, A2, A4, A3, no open lab time
• Shumin Liu sliu@cs.buffalo.edu TA for: B1, B2, Open Lab time: 1-3 and 6-8pm Tues
• Li Zhang lizhang@cs.buffalo.edu TA for: B1, B2, Open Lab time: 5:30-8pm Mon
• Minhua Wang mw1@cs.buffalo.edu TA for: C1, B4, C3, Open Lab time: 12-1 Mon
• Russell Brasser brasser@cs.buffalo.edu TA for: C3, B3, no open lab time
• Maurice Jansen mjjansen@cs.buffalo.edu TA for: B4, B1, B3, Open lab time: 11-1 Tues
• Pankaj Goel pg2@cs.buffalo.edu TA for: A2, A4, A3, Open Lab time: 12-1 Weds

 Lecture & lab schedule

• Lectures

Section	Day	Time	Room	Reg. Number
CS 101 A	Monday, Wednesday, Friday	10:00--10:50am	104 Knox	272859
CS 101 B	Monday, Wednesday, Friday	1:00--1:50pm	104 Knox	385435

 
• Labs are held in 19 Baldy Hall, which is located in the basement of the building.

Section	Day	Time	Reg. Number	TAs
CS 101 A1	Thursday	9:00--10:50	263325	Nagaraja, Fiden
CS 101 A2	Monday	1:00--2:50	392161	Goel, Bhargava
CS 101 A3	Friday	1:00--2:50	264111	Goel, Bhargava
CS 101 A4	Wednesday	1:00--2:50	185580	Goel, Bhargava
CS 101 B1	Wednesday	9:00--10:50	357099	Liu, Zhang, Jansen
CS 101 B2	Friday	9:00--10:50	120663	Liu, Zhang
CS 101 B3	Thursday	3:30--5:20	216033	Jansen, Brasser, Schrader (ugrad asst)
CS 101 B4	Monday	3:00--4:50	388392	Wang, Jansen



• Please note!
• You must attend the lecture/lab for which you are registered. There are still spaces available in most sections of the course.
• The instructor does not have the ability to register you.

 Textbooks and Course Notes

• Required textbooks:
  • Computers Brief Edition (contains only the first 7 chapters of the complete edition), 5th Edition, Larry Long and Nancy Long, Prentice Hall, 1998.
  • Exploring Microsoft Office 97 Professional Vol I: Revised Printing (includes Essential Computing Concepts, Windows 98 and Internet Explorer 4.0), 1st edition, Robert Grauer and Maryann Barber, Prentice Hall, 1998.
  • Slaves of the Machine: The Quickening of Computer Technology, Gregory J. E. Rawlins, MIT Press, 1998 Paperback Edition.
• Recommended Notes: The instructor will periodically make outlines of course notes available at Makin' Copies in the UB Commons for you to purchase. Availability will be announced in class.

 Lecture and Laboratory Schedule

(subject to change at instructor's discretion)

• The readings should be done before the lab/lecture! Please come to class properly prepared.

Week of:	Lecture Topic	Reading	Lab Number and Topic
Aug. 31	Introduction to Computing	Rawlins Ch 1, Long ch 1, Grauer Essential Computing Concepts	---
Sep. 7	NO CLASS on Sept. 7; Networks, Communications, the Internet	Long Ch 6 & 7, Grauer MS Internet Explorer	---
Sep. 14	continued	continued	Lab 1 -- Intro Lab and Windows NT (read: Long Appendix to Core starting on page 226, Grauer Prereq: Essentials of Windows 95)
Sep. 21	NO CLASS on Sept. 21; Inside the Computer -- Hardware	Long Ch 2, Rawlins Ch 2	Lab 2 -- Computing at UB, email, Internet
Sep. 28	NO CLASS on Sept. 30; continued	continued	Lab 3 -- WWW and HTML, making a web page
Oct. 5	Word Processing	Grauer MS Word 97	Lab 4 -- Web Publishing and Word Processing
Oct. 12	Spreadsheet Intro; Exam review; Exam 1 Friday October 16	Grauer MS Excel	Lab 5 -- Word Processing, advanced
Oct. 19	Spreadsheets	continued	Lab 6 -- Spreadsheets
Oct. 26	Software -- programming, algorithms, talking to computers	Long Ch 3, Rawlins Ch 3 & 4	Lab 7 -- Spreadsheets, advanced
Nov. 2	continued	continued	Lab 8 -- Lab Exam 1
Nov. 9	Storage and Retrieval of Information, Database Concepts	Long Ch 4, Grauer MS Access	Lab 9 -- Databases
Nov. 16	continued; exam review; Exam 2 Friday November 20	continued	Lab 10 -- Databases, advanced
Nov. 23	NO LECTURE -- LABS WILL MEET!!!	---	IMPORTANT: Monday labs will meet Monday to catch up with the rest of the class; Tuesday is a Wednesday according to the University Calendar, the Wednesday labs will meet on Tuesday
Nov. 30	Input and Output, Presentation Software	Long Ch 5, Grauer MS Powerpoint	Lab 11 -- Integration Project, Powerpoint
Dec. 7	Future of Computing, Artificial Intelligence	Rawlins ch 5 & 6	Lab 12 -- Lab Exam 2
Dec. 14	Review for Final Exam




 Grading

Grades will be based on the following:

• 7 lab projects to hand in, some of these extend over two weeks of laboratory -- 40%
• 2 laboratory exams - 10% each (total of 20%)
• 2 hourly exams - 10% each (total of 20%)
• final exam - 20%

No late assignments will be accepted.

 Exam dates

In-class exams:

• Exam 1 Friday October 16
  Exam 1 Review
  Exam 1 Review Sheet
  
• Exam 2 Friday November 20

Laboratory exams:

• Lab Exam 1 -- in lab the week of November 2 for Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday labs; week of November 9 for Monday and Weds labs
• Lab Exam 2 -- in lab the week of December 7

Final exam

The final exam will be held on a date to be announced. For now, assume it will be scheduled for the latest slot on Tuesday, December 22. Do not make travel arrangements that conflict with any part of final exam week. The final exam cannot be rescheduled for you.

 Policies

Academic Integrity

We will follow the University Policy on Academic Integrity, found on pages 16--17 of the 1998-1999 Undergraduate Catalog.

All academic work must be your own unless specifically indicated. In the lab, you will work with a partner. It is your responsibility to ensure that you understand all concepts and applications covered in the lab. Guidelines will be given to students concerning collaboration for each of the lab assignments.   After an appropriate informal review,  if any students are found in violation of maintaining academic integrity, sactions will be imposed, which can be as severe as receiving an F in the course.  Especially flagrant violations will be considered under formal review proceedings, which can call for harsher sanctions including expulsion from the University.  If you ever have any questions or concerns regarding the policy, particularly as it relates to this course, see your instructor.

Anyone whose exam average (hourly exams and final) is not passing will receive a failing grade in the course.

All work will be graded by the instructor and the teaching assistants, and then returned to you in lab.  Thus it is very important that you memorize your lab section number and write it on your work.  Any complaints about the grading must be made within 2 weeks of the work being returned. All graded work will be returned to you in lab.

Incompletes

Incompletes (I grades) will be given only in truly extraordinary circumstances where the student is passing the course but an unexpected emergency or serious illness prevents him or her from completing the final exam or one of the lab projects. Do not ask for an incomplete unless you fall into this category.

Attendance

Attendance is important.  There tends to be a strong correlation between class attendance and grade performance.  Students are expected to attend every scheduled lecture and lab meeting.  On the rare occasion that you cannot avoid being absent, you are responsible for getting class notes/assignments from a classmate, and making up missed lab work on your own.

 Disabilities

If you have a diagnosed disability (physical, learning, or psychological) that will make it difficult for you to carry out the course work as outlined, or that requires accommodations such as recruiting note-takers, readers, or extended time on exams or assignments, please advise me during the first two weeks of the course and immediately contact the Office of Disability Services. This will allow me to arrange for any necessary accomodations.

 Important dates

The last day to resign from the course is Friday, October 23. A more complete calendar of important university dates can be found at http://wings.buffalo.edu/services/rec-reg/fa98cal2.html.

It is your responsibility to be aware of these dates. Please also consult the 1998-99 University at Buffalo Undergraduate Catalog for more information concerning academic regulations.

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Debra Burhans - burhans@cs.buffalo.edu