CS 141 
Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming
Fall 2024

General info:

***READ THIS SYLLABUS.***

I know some professors have 10-page syllabi detailing finer points of classroom behavior, but this syllabus tells you how to succeed in the class.

Contact information:

• Will Briggs, phone extension 8157 
• email: briggs dot double-u at lynchburg.edu 
• office: Hobbes 104.
• office hours are on my door and web site

Office hours are not the only times we can talk! Those are just the hours that I guarantee to be there.

Text:  C++20 for Lazy Programmers.

Motivation:

• to become good programmers (upon completing the 141-142 sequence)
• to become experts in C++, a powerful and popular language
• to prepare to become experts at programming in general, on further study

Class will consist almost exclusively of designing and writing programs.

Grading:

The tentative percentages of your final grade are:  4 tests, 70%; labs, 22% (that's about 2 points per lab); reading questions, 8%. The final is just another test, equal in weight to the other 3. The lowest test grade will be dropped. Weekend questions are there to test your reading of the text, and since they weigh little you can't make them up.  The grading scale is described here. 

FAQ

• How do I succeed in this class? 
  • Answer the weekend question.
  • Always save your program on your Google Drive, so you can access it even if you can't get into the lab, or the computer you sit at.
  • Start the compiler as soon as you sit down at the computer. Rather than waiting for it to load while I'm talking or others are working.
  • Turn in all the assignments, even if they don't work.  I give partial credit.  Not turning in an assignment gets you a zero.  Turning in one that doesn't work (but has all its parts written and is indented and commented) usually gets you at least a 50.
  • Turn your assignments in on time, even if they don't work.  If you do turn an assignment in on time, but you have a chance to improve it, you'll get 2 more days to work on them, with a 5 point penalty.  I'll grade the later one if you like.  I strongly suggest that if you don't get it working on time, you come by and talk to me about whatever difficulty you were having.
  • Answer all questions on tests, even if you're clueless.  Again, I give partial credit.
  • Show up for all classes.  Those who don't come always do worse than those who do.

  Now, some less crucial suggestions:
  

  • Get help from me or our tutors.  I have never had a student fail who talks to me regularly.
  • Do a lot of programming -- nothing works like practice.  (You wouldn't expect to go out on the field and be a sports hero w/o practice, right?  Programming is similar.)
  • Play with what you've learned.  It's hard to get all you need just by doing my assignments -- think of what you want to do with programming, and how to do it.  I welcome your suggestions of how to incorporate your own interests into the class.
• Can I have extra credit?  If the work you have now is getting you down, is more work the answer?  I've never known students to benefit from extra credit.  The way to succeed is to do the assignments well.
• My program doesn't work; should I erase it and start over?  NO!  You'll just get the same problems, with a fresh set of typos. 
• Can I start on this the night before and get it working?  I doubt it.  I couldn't.
• Am I stupid?  No, you're a new programmer.  Everyone forgets and uses "=" for "==" sometimes.

Other helpful hints:

• Keep your old programs -- a following assignment may build on one (in my class, or in a later class).
• Put comments in, and indent correctly, as you write. The purpose of comments and indenting is to make it readable -- and if it isn't readable, you won't be able to get it working.
• The debugger is your friend. 

Equipment:

Visual Studio 2022 Community Edition (not Visual Studio Code, which is a different program); textbook source code (also here; click Code, Download ZIP).

You're welcome to use your own computer. Sorry, Macintosh won't work.

Policies:

• Assignments are due at midnight of the due date.  If you turn it in by that time, and you want more time to work, you can have 2 more business days to work on it with a 5 point penalty.  If you don't turn it in on time, you don't get credit.
• Handouts and assignments will all be posted on the hydra drive, \\hydra\Dept_Resources\ComputerScience\briggs\141. You can cut-and-paste that path into a MS Windows window (not a web browser) to get to it, on any lab machine. The link only works on campus computers.
• How to turn in an assignment:
  1. Be sure that the folder has your name and the lab in the name (example joeBlowLab1). If I get a folder without your name on it (on the folder, not the zip file), I may take up to a letter grade off or not grade it.  (It's a mess when everyone labels his/her folder "Lab 1" and they all blend together and I can't tell who wrote what.) 
  2. Remove the Debug and .vs folders (see Chapter 1)
  3. Zip the folder.
  4. Attach the zip file to an email to me. (No Google Drive links, except for Lab 2 which is sometimes too big to email.)
  5. Put "141-grade" in the subject. See the first lab or in-class project for more details. 
  6. Turning in a lab with the wrong format incurs a 10-point penalty. I may waive this for the first lab when you're getting settled in, but after that, you'll know what you're doing.
  Get this right in week 1 and never worry about it again.
  
• Absences:  You can have 4.  If you have more than 4 absences, you are withdrawn from the class.  Lab absences count as absences.  One tardy is half an absence. We can deal with special circumstances such as an out-of-town game if you tell me in advance. Medical absences require a doctor's or clinic note.
• Coming late/leaving early counts as half an absence.
• If you are in COVID isolation, let me know and I will try to bring a camera to class so you can join by Google Meet. It may not be as good as in-person attendance, but it's better than missing out! If attending remotely, I'll count you as present as long as you keep your camera on, and notify me in chat if you must step out.
• Tests, though designed to cover material since the last test, are by the nature of the subject comprehensive nonetheless.  The final is just another test.
• Cheating is dealt with by the Honor Board. How much help is too much with an assignment? If you're stumped on a problem, and someone shows you how to solve a similar one, that's OK. If you're shown how to solve your problem, that's too much. There will be no group work and no collaboration on code in this course.
• Makeup tests: I don't give makeup tests, but you don't need one, because you can drop the lowest test grade.  If you know of an absence in advance, you can schedule a test with me for an earlier time.
• For accommodations for disabilities, see below.

University of Lynchburg is committed to providing all students equal access to learning opportunities. The Center for Accessibility and Disability Resources(CADR) works with students who have documented medical, physical, mental health and cognitive diagnoses to make arrangements for appropriate, reasonable accommodations. Accommodations are available as applicable in both live and virtual classroom settings for all terms (Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer). Students registered with CADR who receive approved accommodations are required to provide letters of accommodation each semester to each professor if they wish to use their accommodations. A meeting to discuss accommodations the student wishes to implement in individual courses is strongly suggested. Accommodations are not retroactive and begin when the accommodation letter is provided to faculty. For information about requesting accommodations, please visit https://www.lynchburg.edu/academics/center-for-accessibility-and-disability-resources/intake-and-accommodations/ or use the contact information below. (Effective: 12/5/22)

Contact Information