Note: For general information on this course you should start from the 202.001 Home Page, which includes links to the Lecture Schedule and the Laboratory Session Schedule. This page covers textbook information and policies regarding homework, exams, lecture attendance, and grades. Please note that there is also a separate Laboratory Policies page which describes the grading and attendance policies for your weekly supervised lab sessions.
Text: Introduction to Java Programming, Comprehensive Version (8th Edition), Y. Daniel Liang, Pearson/Prentice Hall, ISBN 13: 978-0132130806.
Summary of course contents: Basic principles and techniques of object-oriented software design and its application to modern software development projects. Use of visual modeling tools such as the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and the Java programming language in object-oriented software development. Design of container classes for storing data, including methods for manipulating data structures. Techniques for analyzing performance of algorithms. Properties of linear data structures (lists, stacks, queues); hierarchical structures (trees, binary trees), including their manipulation via recursive algorithms; set and map structures (including hash tables).
Much of your work load in this course will be in the form of programming projects, all of which will be implemented in the Java programming language. These will include all the projects that you implement in your weekly supervised Laboratory Sessions. As noted above, a separate Laboratory Policies page describes the grading and attendance policies for the lab sessions.
In addition, several projects will be assigned by your lecture instructor. These homework assignments are to be done on your own time,but in general these will be simple exercises designed to reinforce basic concepts and help you prepare for the exams. Unless otherwise stated, each homework project will be due one week from the date of assignment. At any time during the semester, you can get a current list of the homework assignments, with descriptions and due dates, from the Homework page.
The policy on late lecture assignments is as follows:
| Up to ONE week past due date: | 10% off regular grade |
| More than ONE week past due date: | NO CREDIT |
This policy is designed to reduce the load on both the students and the available systems, especially during the last weeks of the semester. Again, please note that this policy applies only to the homework assignments. Consult the Laboratory Policies page for policies regarding the supervised lab projects.
In addition to the formal lab projects and the lecture-based assignments, there will be three midterm exams and a final exam. Tentative dates for the midterms are given in the Lecture Schedule, and the actual date for each midterm will be announced at least two weeks in advance. The date of the final exam is set by the UNCA Spring 2011 Final Exam Schedule (Monday, May 2, 8:00 - 10:30 am). At any time during the semester, you can consult the Exams page for currently available information.
Makeup tests are normally not permitted, unless a student can provide in advance a satisfactory reason for failure to take a scheduled test. Because of the time constraints, no makeup is allowed for the final examination.
Overall grades for this course will be evaluated as follows:
| Average grade for all supervised laboratory projects: | 30% |
| Average grade for all homework: | 30% |
| Average grade for three midterm exams (open book): | 30% |
| Final examination (open book): | 10% |
The weighted numeric grade computed on this basis at the end of the semester is used to determine the final letter grade for each student. Letter grades for this course will be based on the plus/minus grading policy (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D, F).
Although class rolls are not taken on a regular basis, consistent attendance is regarded as an essential requirement of the course. In particular, repeated or consecutive absences are a key factor in "borderline" grading decisions.