Instructor Information

NOTE: Office hours and office location are valid for weeks the instructor is on campus and the course has a face-to-face format. For the other weeks office hours will be held online by appointment.

Summary

Course Objectives

• design and construct Java programs according to the object-oriented programming paradigm with mastery of core concepts/techniques such as encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism
• independently construct Java code that will correctly implement solutions to problems that require the following concepts or techniques: text files, multi-dimensional arrays, classes, linked lists, common sorting techniques, sequential searches in lists and arrays, binary search, arrays of classes, and recursion
• represent the object-oriented design of a solution using UML
• trace the execution of a program that makes use of any of the features, data structures, or algorithms presented in class
• express a solution to a natural language problem in a recursive fashion (when appropriate)

Grading

CodeSpiral		6%
lab days		9%
online checkins		4%
homework assignments		15%
first exam		22%
second exam		22%
final exam		22%

A		90	–	100
B		80	–	89
C		70	–	79
D		60	–	69
F		0	–	59

Overall Course Structure

Weeks Instructor is On Campus

• Sunday 11:59pm homework is due.
• Monday 10:00am–10:50am is a lecture period.
• Tuesday 11:59pm CodeSpiral module is due.
• Wednesday 10:00am–10:50am is a lab day.
• Friday 10:00am–10:50am is a lecture period.

Weeks Instructor is Off Campus

• Sunday 11:59pm homework is due.
• Monday 10:00am–10:50am is an online checkin (see description below). Also, consume online lecture(s) in preparation for lab day.
• Tuesday 11:59pm CodeSpiral module is due.
• Wednesday 10:00am–10:50am is a lab day.
• Wednesday to Saturday: consume online lecture(s) and work on homework.

CodeSpiral

Lab Days

If you know in advance you will have to be absent on a lab day you can receive credit by doing the following:

1. Prior to the start of class on Wednesday leave a comment on the lab day assignment in Canvas announcing you will be absent and do a commit of your prelab assignment and push it to GitHub. If your committed prelab work is on time and correct you will receive 3 points.
2. Prior to noon on Friday leave a comment on the lab day assignment in Canvas explaining your progress since the first message. Perform a commit and push of your completed lab day work to received up to 7 points.

Even during weeks when the instructor is not campus there will be someone present to conduct the lab days and who will be able to answer questions.

Online Checkins

• Connect to the P2 Teams Meeting Room (https://josephus.sergeantservices.com/meeting_room/p2) before the start of the session (10:00am).
• Participate appropriately in the session with your camera on and remaining engaged until the session is dismissed by the instructor. NOTE: You will lose a point for each minute you are not present (not to exceed 5 deductions in a checkin session).
• You must be in a distraction-free environment, ready to take notes and to work on your computer throughout the sesssion. During the session it is not appropriate to be eating, driving, turning your camera on and off, interacting with people who are not part of the session. If your living space does not offer such an environment then you should be in the classroom for the checkin session.
• If you are unsure of whether something will be appropriate or not, use this as your standard: If you were interviewing for your dream job, would you do the thing you are considering?

Homework Assignments

A homework assignment is considered late if it is not submitted at or before the specified due date/time. Late homework assignments will receive a 20% point penalty and must be completed within a week or the original due date. Assignments that miss the one week deadline will receive a grade of 0 (unless there are extenuating circumstances).

A primary goal of this course is for each student to become an independent problem-solver. Achieving this goal requires that each student practice solving problems independently. For that reason, each assignment contains a list of allowed resources. You will be required to complete each assignment using ONLY the allowed resources.

Exams

The instructor will be physically present for Exam #2. That exam will be hand-written during the scheduled class session. The instructor will not be present for Exam #1 and Exam #3, so the exams will be administered in an unusual way:

• The exam will take place on the specified day during the regularly scheduled class period and in the usual room.
• The exam will be presented in online form and will require use of the lock-down browser (instructions for downloading and using the browser will be provided in advance of the first exam).
• You will be able to bring (and reference) printouts of the command-sheets (without commentary) that were provided in the first week.
• You will be able to bring blank paper and writing utensils in case you find it helpful to jot ideas down before typing them.
• The exam is time-limited based on the length of the class period so you will need to work quickly and efficiently.

AI and Learning

Here is the pattern you need to follow with regard to homework assignments:

1. When you hear a lecture or watch a lecture video you should plan to take notes on paper. Why take notes? It enhances learning. Why paper? Multiple studies have shown that physically writing something produces different activities in the brain than typing the same thing ... and you remember better when you write.
2. When taking notes you should especially dot down notation and concepts that are being introduced. The total knowledge that exists about databases could fill many college courses. What is presented in this course is the curated gold. If you master the concepts presented in this course you have a solid foundation for acquiring additional knowledge and can become truly productive.
3. When you are faced with a homework assignment you MUST only use those resources that have been expressly allowed for that assignment. Imagine if this course had the goal of getting you ready to run a marathon. A homework assignment asking you to run a 5-mile route could be finished much more quickly and easily if you hop on a motorcycle and drive the route! The problem, of course, is that you did not accomplish the purpose of the assignment. The purpose was not to traverse the route, but rather was to produce in your endurance, muscular development, bone density, cardiovascular growth, etc. None of those benefits come by riding the motorcycle.
4. If you find yourself struggling with a homework assignment that is a good thing. It is in the struggle that you actually learn. Getting help should be your last resort. And when you get help, it MUST be ONLY using the resources that are allowed for that assignment.
5. If there are 5 days between when an assignment is given and when it is due you need to think of it as needing 5 days of your attention. So, you need to start it on the day it is assigned. When you first read an assignment you should write down the major steps that you'll need to take and then start assembling the parts you need. If you don't know how to start then you should review notes and lectures. If that doesn't help then ask your instructor for guidance. If you want until the due date to start an assignment there is not time for you to do the needed steps to complete it.

Students with Disabilities

Student Support

In addition, all full or part-time students are eligible to receive free, confidential, and voluntary counseling services at HSU. Services include consultation, evaluation, counseling, and crisis support services for students facing issues impacting their overall well-being. To obtain any of these services, students may call The Office of Counseling Services at (325) 671-2272, email counseling@hsutx.edu, or begin the intake process by completing our online forms at:https://www.hsutx.edu/intake.

Computer Account Use

Attendance

Accordingly, absence from more than 25 percent of class meetings and/or laboratory sessions scheduled for a course (including absences because of athletic participation) is regarded as excessive, and a grade of F may be assigned as deemed appropriate by the professor.

Course Calendar and Class Structure