Syllabus for CSC 230: Programming Concepts and GUIs (Fall 2013)


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Contact Information
Thomas E. Blum
Office: Holroyd-133
Office Hours:
  • Mon. 9:00 - 10:00 & 4:00 - 5:00 (Holroyd 133 or Holroyd 124)
  • Tues. 10:30 - 11:30 (Holroyd 133 or Holroyd 124)
  • Wed. 9:00 - 10:00 & 4:00 - 5:00 (Holroyd 133 or Holroyd 124)
  • Or by appointment
Phone: 215-951-1139
e-mail: blum@lasalle.edu
Web: http://www.lasalle.edu/~blum

Topics: Problem solving and programming using problem-based learning; web programming (JavaScript and some jQuery) in an integrated development environment; control flow, iteration, arrays, file processing, classes and objects, basic graphical user interface concepts (forms, inputs, etc), i.e. event--driven programming.

Meetings (Time and Place)

Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11:00-11:50 in Holroyd 153
Tuesday 2:00-3:50 in Holroyd 120

Holidays:
Labor day: Mon, Sept. 2
Midsemester break: Mon, Oct. 14 & Tues, Oct. 15
Thanksgiving: Wed, Nov. 27 & Thurs, Nov. 28 & Fri, Nov. 29

Other important dates:
Classes start: Aug. 26
Midsemester grades due: Oct. 21
Last day to withdraw: Nov. 1 Classes end: Dec. 6
Finals week: Dec. 9 - Dec 13

Course Calendar Link

 http://www.lasalle.edu/~blum/c230-cal-f13.htm

Text:

 None required

W3 Schools Websites:

Online Books:

To find one set of relevant ebooks in La Salle University Connelly Library collection, go to the online catalog and do a keyword search on "safari online".

Title(s) relevant to this course:

  • JavaScript by example / Ellie Quigley
  • jQuery 1.4 reference guide: a comprehensive exploration of the popular
  • jQuery cookbook / jQuery Community Experts
  • Speaking in styles: fundamentals of CSS for Web designers / Jason Cranford Teague
  • jQuery in action / Bear Bibeault, Yehuda Katz
  • The ultimate HTML reference / Ian Lloyd
  • Head first HTML with CSS & XHTML / Elisabeth Freeman, Eric Freeman
  • Learning PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, and CSS: a step-by-step guide to creating dynamic websites / Robin Nixon
  • Beginning HTML, XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript / Jon Duckett
  • Beginning JavaScript and CSS development with jQuery / Richard York

Learning Objectives

 Students should be able to:
  • Design and implement an HTML page with JavaScript facilitated interactivity, such as retrieving input from a user and changing the page's content or style in response.
  • Apply control structures (such as if-else, try-catch, switch, for, while, timer).
  • Analyze a situtation and then select and implement the appropriate programming logic.
  • Construct programming array structures.
  • Choose appropriate string methods (including parsing) to implement solutions.
  • Design, create and use a class.
  • Read data from a JSON file.
  • Use some elements of the jQuery library.

Assessment:

There will be a weekly lab as well as a weekly homework. There will be three open-book, open-notes exams in which you will write code and a final of the same format. The various components of the course will be weighted as follows:

        Homework: 20%
        Lab/Class: 20%
        Tests: 30% (lowest dropped)
        Final: 30%
or if it benefits the student
        Homework: 20%
        Lab/Class: 20%
        Tests: 45% (no drop)
        Final: 15%
  • The plus/minus grading system will be used.
  • Attendance will be taken.
  • Absences, lateness, inattention, etc. will be factored into the lab/class component of the grade.
  • Over three unexcused absences may result in the reduction of your final grade.
  • One can email solutions provided that they are compressed or post them and send me the link.
  • Homeworks and labs are due a week after they are assigned. Labs and homeworks submitted after the test on the relevant material will not be eligible for full credit.
  • The lowest of the three test grades will be dropped. The final has a weight equal to two tests. If the final is the lowest grade, it will be counted equal to a test and no test grade will be dropped.
  • Make-up tests are given at the discretion of the professor. If you miss a test, you should assume it will serve as your dropped score unless you have met with me to discuss the reason for missing the exam and to schedule a make-up.
  • All tests are cumulative, though they will tend to focus on and give more weight to the new material.
  • It is your responsibility to keep copies of all of your assignments, tests and so forth at least until you receive your final grade for the course.

Classroom Behavior:

While in the classroom, students should behave in a manner that is neither distracting to nor disrespectful to the professor or other students. Cell phones should be turned off.

Cheating:

 When using materials from a book, website, etc., the source must be cited, otherwise it is considered plagiarism. Claiming another's work as your own is cheating. A student caught cheating will receive a score of zero. Repeated cheating can result in a failing grade for the course. Asking another for help on a step or two in a many step homework is acceptable; handing in duplicate or nearly duplicate work is not. If you require a significant amount of assitance, you should seek my help. Finally, openly allowing your work to be copied is also cheating.

http://www.lasalle.edu/students/dean/divpub/manuals/sgrrr/index.php?accordion_num=2&vn2_accordion_num=3&content=policies&anchorID=inte (Academic Integrity Policy)
http://www.lasalle.edu/students/dean/divpub/manuals/sgrrr/index.php?accordion_num=2&vn2_accordion_num=3&content=policies&anchorID=dish (Academic Dishonesty)

Some Tutoring

 Tutoring for various subject areas (70+ courses) is available for La Salle undergraduates. Subject tutors help students identify what as well as how to learn, clarify course content, and help students understand their strengths and weaknesses regarding the subject matter. Students should take advantage of tutoring at the first indication of difficulty in a course or whenever they wish to improve their performance or knowledge in a course, for example, to improve grades or to maintain high grades. Students can make tutoring appointments through GradesFirst located under Tools in the mylasalle portal. For students who have created their own study groups but would like a tutor to assist the group with the material, “facilitated study groups” can be arranged. For more information, contact Kitty Kaar at 215.951.1822 or kaar@lasalle.edu

The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science sometimes has "walk-in" computer science tutoring available. If available the time and place will be announced.

Academic Skills Workshops

 Academic Skills Workshops are offered face to face and online on a variety of topics such as study strategies, documentation styles, test taking, group study, and time management. A number of workshops are also archived online so students are advised to go to www.lasalle.edu/portal/learningsupport for workshop descriptions, dates, and times. Additional academic resources are available online as well. For more information, contact Mary Robertson at robertso@lasalle.edu or Jaime Longo at longoj@lasalle.edu

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