Computer Science 105 has at least five major goals:

1. To address common student questions regarding how computers work, why they behave as they do, and how they can be used to help solve problems;

2. To provide an overview of core topics and great ideas in the field of computer science;

3. To discuss the general knowledge, skill, and perspectives that will help people function productively in today's technological society;

4. To consider various social and ethical issues related to computing; and

5. To help sharpen problem-solving skills, particularly in areas related to computing.

Throughout the course, discussions of topics will begin with common questions. As we shall discover, thoughtful answers to common, practical questions often require an understanding of ideas and principles. Simple, narrow, superficial answers can avoid deep issues, but these are rarely satisfying over the long run. Altogether the course seeks to peel back layers of technical details to discover underlying principles and approaches.

Much of the topic-coverage in this course is informed by discussions within the National Research Council (NRC). More specifically, in 1999, a study group of the NRC produced the report, Being Fluent with Information Technology, that addresses what every informed citizen should know about computers and technology. The report identifies 10 high-level "intellectual capacities", 10 "information technology concepts", and 10 practical "information technology skills" that cover basic computer fluency. This course will consider most (or all) of these topics.

Henry M. Walker

Office: Science 2420
Telephone: extension 4208
E-mail: walker@cs.grinnell.edu
Office hours are posted weekly on the bulletin board outside my office.
Additional hours can be scheduled by appointment.
If you wish, you may reserve a half hour meeting by signing up on the weekly schedule.

Walker, Henry M., The Tao of Computing: A Down-to-earth Approach to Computer Fluency, Jones and Bartlett, 2005.

Since the published textbook was not be available for the first part of the semester, individual chapters were distributed to class members as needed. Since the book has now appeared, these materials are no longer available on-line.

While the schedule for this course is expected to evolve, a Tentative Class Schedule is available in .dvi , pdf , and postscript formats.

Also, if you are logged into the departmental network and want a copy printed, click duerer to have a copy printed on the printer duerer, and click pacioli to have a copy printed on the printer pacioli .

Course Work will involve a combination of the following activities.

• Laboratory Exercises are an integral part of this course. A careful write-up is expected for each lab. Work in pairs on these labs is encouraged, and collaborating students should submit only one write up for the pair.

• Discussion Questions in each chapter are designed to highlight ideas and stimulate conversation. Part of the class will be devoted to these discussions. Also, some discussions will take place in small groups, with conclusions reported to the full class. are found at the end of each chapter. Participation on whole-group and small-group discussions is expected.

• Class Questions: To encourage preparation for class, the tentative class schedule specifies several class periods for which students are to prepare discussion questions. For such classes, students will be expected to submit (via blackboard) two questions on the readings by 5:00 pm on the day before class. While many types of questions are appropriate (e.g., open-ended, clarifying, connective and relational, involving value conflicts), simple factual questions should be avoided (unless the facts are in dispute).

• Exercises are found at the end of each chapter. A selection of these and other problems will be assigned throughout the semester. Work on exercises should be done individually; collaboration is not allowed for this part of the course.

• Paper(s) Optional: This course will discuss a wide range of topics related to computing. Students are encouraged to investigate one or more of these areas in greater depth and to organize their work in a 5-7 page paper. Such a paper normally would involve library research covering at least five sources (with at least two from a printed source). While such independent research is optional, one paper could be substituted for either both hour tests or for the final exam (at the student's choice). Two papers could be substituted for both tests AND the exam.

• Hour Tests: Two hour tests are scheduled for Wednesday, March 3, and Monday, April 26.

• Exam: Following the College's published schedule, the final examination for this class is scheduled for 9:00 am until noon on Thursday, May 13.

Deadlines are shown on the Tentative Class Schedule , and work is due at the start of each class specified. A penalty of 25% per class meeting will be assessed for any assignment turned in late, even work submitted at the end of a class. However, for laboratory exercises, an extension is automatically granted for at least one class period if the MathLAN network is down for an unscheduled period for a period of three or more hours during the week preceding the assignment.

Absolute Deadlines:
All homework (except the final Laboratory Exercise) must be turned in by Thursday, May 6 at 5:00 pm;
the final Laboratory Exercise must be turned in by Friday, May 7 at 5:00 pm;
laboratory reports or assignments received after these deadlines will not be counted in the grading of the course.

The work in this course is split between individual and group work. Students are encouraged to work together on all laboratory activities and discussion questions. However, since the course also emphasizes problem solving and individual understanding, collaboration is not allowed on class questions, homework exercises, or tests.

The final grade will be based upon each student's demonstration of her or his understanding of the material covered, not on the performance of the class as a whole nor on a strict percentile basis. While some flexibility may be possible in determining a final semester grade, the following percentages approximate the relative weights attached to various activities in this course.

Lab. Write-ups:

20%

Discussion:

10%

Class Questions:

10%

Assignments:

25%

Hour Tests:

20%

Final Examination:

15%

This document is available on the World Wide Web as

     http://www.walker.cs.grinnell.edu/courses/105.sp04/index.shtml

created December 2, 2003 last revised January 14, 2005
For more information, please contact Henry M. Walker at walker@cs.grinnell.edu.