CS 110 Syllabus -- Spring 2021

CS 110 Essentials of Computer Science
Spring 2021
3 Credits

Section -DL1    Class Day/Time: MW 1:30 - 2:45 p.m. (with some asynchronous elements)
Class Location: Online
Instructor: Prof. John Otten
Email address: jotten2@gmu.edu        Office Phone: 703-993-1669 (email preferred)
Office Location: ENGR 5335           Office Hours: After class and by appointment

Graduate Teaching Assistants:

Abimbola Abel
Alka Ajit
Rushil Nandan Dubey
Xu Han
Qiying Mu
Anuj Pokhrel
Sulabh Shrestha

Undergraduate Teaching Assistants:

Troy Acuff
Nikita Alluri
Evan Matthew Baker
Marcus Barreto
Yixuan Chen
Khang Nguyen Le
Andrew Nguyen

Contact emails for the Teaching Assistants can be found on the Blackboard CS 110 Course page.

Textbook and Readings:

Computer Science Illuminated (6th or 7th Edition) by Nell Dale and John Lewis

The 7th Edition is available in the GMU Bookstore

https://gmu.bncollege.com/shop/gmu/textbook/computer-science-illuminaccess-600008997475?sectionId=96080666&displayStoreId=15552&sectionList=&booksAddedforSec=&fromTBList=true

The 6th Edition can be accessed online for free through the O'Reilly Learning Platform via the GMU Library. Note that this edition is not quite as up to date as the 7th Edition, but should serve you in the course nearly as well as the 7th Edition.

https://learning-oreilly-com.mutex.gmu.edu/library/view/computer-science-illuminated/9781284055917/

Introduction to Unix by Fiamingo, DeBula, Condron, available online for free.
Assigned readings of webpages and other materials will be given as the course progresses.

Computing Resources: Technology requirements necessary to successfully complete this class include a computer where you have the ability to install software and that has Internet sufficient to access Blackboard class materials, and to attend any synchronous classes virtually through Blackboard Collaborate Ultra. A working microphone and webcam may be necessary to allow full participation in class activities.

Course Description: This course provides a baseline knowledge of technical and social issues at the heart of computer science. No prior knowledge of computing or programming is assumed. Students will develop a basic understanding of simple algorithms, information representation, and styles of problem solving which strongly affect computer science. They will gain practical experience working with a Unix-like operating system. Data security will be discussed to ensure safe communication. Students will gain exposure to basic software development tools such as version control, text editors, and shell scripting. A variety of social and ethical issues will be discussed throughout the course including information ownership and the impact of computing on society.

This course is required for all computer science students and serves as an opportunity for students to be introduced to Computer Science Department policies. Freshmen and transfer students are required to take the course in order to ensure that all CS students have exposure to certain essential tools and topics early on to enable their use in subsequent classes.

Prerequisite: None. Enrollment in the course is limited to students in the BS Applied Computer Science or BS Computer Science programs.

Note: Students who have completed CS 310, CS 330, and CS 367 should NOT enroll in CS 110. Please see your academic advisor for alternative options regarding the completion of your BS CS or BS ACS course requirements.

Learning Outcomes: This course is intended to meet the IT Ethics component of the Mason Core Requirements. To do this, it will address the following outcomes:

IT Outcome #3: Students will understand many of the key ethical, legal and social issues related to information technology and how to interpret and comply with ethical principles, laws, regulations, and institutional policies. This will be met through class discussions related to ethical theories and social implications of current computing trends such as Artificial Intelligence, Software Reliability and Social Media. Several class assignments will also address these topics.
IT Outcome #5: Students will understand the essential issues related to information security, how to take precautions and use techniques and tools to defend against computer crimes. This outcome will be met by class lectures on encryption, student use of secure communication channels (i.e. Virtual Private Networks), and an assignment on the modification of software security settings.

The course also has the following outcomes:

Students will understand the requirements of the Computer Science Major at GMU and have an appreciation of Computer Science as a discipline. This will be met with lectures on the requirements for the CS major, as well as assignments that teach about the history of computer science and the people who influenced its progress.
Students will have a basic understanding of the Unix operating system and how computers convey, store, and manipulate information, including binary representation of numbers and ASCII encoding of characters. This will be met through class lectures and assignments that assess the students' understanding of Unix, binary numerical operations, ASCII representation of text, and logical operations.
Students will learn techniques for general problem solving and dividing complex problems into manageable component parts. This will be met through class lectures that discuss various factors that hinder one's ability to find solutions to problems, puzzle solving techniques, and exercises that teach students how to break down the steps necessary to create solutions.

Grading:

Homework assignments / Topic Papers: 40%
Textbook Quizzes (on Blackboard): 15%
Class Participation / Group Assignments / Instructor Evaluation: 15%
Midterm Exam 15%
Final Exam 15%

In addition, in order to receive a passing grade in this class, each student will also meet at least once with an academic advisor in the CS Department during the semester for the purposes of course planning for following semesters.

Late Assignments: Assignments turned in after the due date will be penalized up to 10 percent per day (incl. weekend days/holidays). You should recognize that late work can cause major penalties, so start work early! If your assignment isn't the way you'd like it to be when the deadline is near, submit it anyway for partial credit. In fact, submit early and often! The Blackboard system permits you to retrieve and resubmit your assignment until the due date, so you may resubmit if you improve your assignment prior to the deadline. Resubmissions after the deadline require approval of your TA (s/he may already have graded your assignment). If you know that you wish to resubmit a new version after the deadline, it is your responsibility to notify your TA no later than the time of the deadline, so s/he will not grade the on-time submission. No resubmissions may be made after an assignment has been graded.

Class Communications: CS 110 will be using Piazza and Blackboard for most class communications. You are responsible for any notifications or information posted on Blackboard/Piazza either by your instructor, your GTA or the class UTA(s), and you will need to check the systems regularly for such notices. Some information may be disseminated through these systems rather than in class. Individual communications with the professor/GTA/UTA may be done by email using your GMU email account. When you email, please be sure to include your name, the class number and the topic in the subject header. (E.g.: Subject: My Name / CS 110-003 / Homework 2)

Special Accommodations: If you are a student with a disability, please see your instructor and contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS) at (703) 993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through the ODS: http://ods.gmu.edu

Absences and Participation Credit: Any absences from class for health or emergency reasons are excusable only if reasonable notice is provided, in advance if possible. Documentation may be required.

Honor Code Policies: All students are expected to abide by the GMU Honor Code found at http://oai.gmu.edu/mason-honor-code/full-honor-code-document/. This policy is rigorously enforced. Unless otherwise specified, all class-related assignments are to be individual efforts. Certain portions of group assignments may require individual efforts as well. Be careful to follow instructions regarding acceptable group efforts. Plagiarism is governed by the GMU Honor Code and will not be tolerated. Cheating on any assignment will be prosecuted and result in a notification of the Honor Committee as outlined in the GMU Honor Code. Sharing, collaboration, or looking at any assignments that are not your own is considered cheating. Review the university honor code and present any questions regarding the policies to instructor.

The computer science department has an additional, more restrictive CS Honor Code that you are also subject to. Make sure you read and familiarize yourself with these rules.