San Jose State University

CS 46A - Introduction to Programming

Cay S. Horstmann

Spring 2010

For meeting times and location, office hours, and contact information, please visit http://www.sjsu.edu/people/cay.horstmann.

The schedule is subject to frequent change; visit it before each class meeting.

Description

Basic skills and concepts of computer programming in an object-oriented approach using Java. Classes, methods and argument passing, control structures, iteration. Basic graphical user interface programming. Problem solving, class discovery and stepwise refinement. Programming and documentation style. Weekly hands-on activity.

For the official catalog description, please visit http://info.sjsu.edu/web-dbgen/catalog/departments/CS-courses.html.

Prerequisites

Eligibility for Math 30 or Math 30P or instructor consent.

Textbook

Cay S. Horstmann, Java Concepts 6th Edition. ISBN 978-0-470-50947-0.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

Analyze and explain the behavior of programs involving the fundamental program constructs
Write short programs that use the fundamental program constructs including standard conditional and iterative control structures
Identify and correct syntax and logic errors in short programs
Choose arrays or array lists for a given problem and write short programs that use arrays or array lists
Design and implement a class based on attributes and behaviors of objects
Construct objects using a class and activate methods on them
Use static and instance members of a class properly
Identify and describe the properties of a variable such as its associated value, scope and lifetime
Describe the parameter passing mechanisms in terms of formal parameters, actual parameters, non-object parameters and object parameters
Write a graphics program that draws simple shapes
Analyze and explain the is-a relationships among objects using a class hierarchy and inheritance
Compare and contrast the notions of overloading and overriding methods in an object-oriented language
Write short programs that read and/or write text files
Analyze or explain the behavior of a simple exception handler involving a try-catch or throws clause
Write javadoc comments for classes and methods
Use an integrated development environment and a debugger

Course Requirements

Exams: Two in-class exams (15% per exam) and a final exam (20%). Exams cannot be made up, except for reasons of illness, as certified by a doctor, or documentable extreme emergency. Makeup exams may be oral.
Programming Assignments: Two assignments per week (35%). Schedule your time well to protect yourself against unexpected problems. I suggest you ignore the official deadlines and complete the assignments 48 hours earlier. Late work is not accepted, and there is no extra credit or makeup work.
Team Project: One team project (10%), assigned by the instructor. Late work is not accepted, and there is no extra credit or makeup work.
Class Attendance and Participation: I expect each student to be present, punctual, and prepared at every scheduled class and lab session. 5% of your grade is for particpation in class and online discussions, and your performance on quizzes that check the assigned pre-class reading.
Laptops: You will be required to bring a wireless laptop to all (!) classes and exams.

Grading Policy

Exams are curved and given letter grades with + or -. Each graded task (assignment, project, etc.) is graded as a letter grade, using the following scale.

A = all (or almost all) of the task solved and delivered in a professional manner
B = most of the task solved, but at least one key issue missing, or significant issues with delivery
C = some of the task solved, with at least half of the key issues resolved, but at least two key issues missing
D = a solution has been attempted, with at least one but but less than half of the key issues resolved
F = no solution has been attempted, or the attempted solution did not resolve any of the key issues of the task

Letter grades are converted into number grades and weighted with the percentages given in the Course Requirements section. The weighted average is rounded towards the nearest letter grade, which is your class grade.

Miscellaneous Policies

Add Policy: I will randomly choose among add requests that I receive before the second class meeting time, and in the order of receipt thereafter. If there is space, I will reply to your email with an add code. You must use your add code within 48 hours and email me to confirm that you added the class, or the add code will be reassigned to someone else.

Individual Work: All homework and exams must be your own individual work. It is ok to have general discussions about homework assignments, or read other material for inspiration. You may never copy anything from anyone without attribution, with one exception—you may copy from the textbook. For homeworks and exams, you may not copy anything from any other student at all, and you may not collaboratively produce results in pairs or teams.

Publicly Viewable Work: Your class work (including homework, exam, and project work) may be viewable by other students of this course. Your grades will not be viewable by others.

Copyright of Materials: All materials created by the instructor for this course, including lectures, handouts, homeworks, exams, solutions, projects, and so on, are copyrighted property of the instructor. You may transscribe or record lectures or copy course materials for the use of yourself and other students registered in this course. You may not sell or give transscriptions or recordings of lectures or copies of course materials to others without the prior written consent of the instructor.