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.

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.

• 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).

• Research Exercises: To help develop research skills in identifying and evaluating source material, the course includes four sets of research exercises, with two questions per set. These exercises also involve reviewing the process involved in obtaining answers to questions, with the goal of becoming more effective and efficient in researching topics. Student experiences with these assignments will provide background for discussions of research strategies.

• Papers: Class discussions and readings for this course will discuss a wide range of topics related to computing at a reasonably general level. For more depth, students will investigate two of these areas in greater depth and organize their work in two 5-7 page papers. Each a paper normally will involve library research covering at least five sources (with at least two from a printed source).

  In order to help refine each paper, the development of papers will proceed in two steps. First, students will prepare a draft paper and bring four copies to class. This draft will be circulated within a group, and each author will receive feedback on the draft from others in the group. Students will have the opportunity to revised their papers as they wish after receiving this feedback.

  So that all members of the class may benefit from this research effort, students will present their findings in 10-minute reports to the class for each paper.

• Hour Tests and Final Exam: There are no tests and no final examination for this course.

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 12 at 5:00 pm;
the final Laboratory Exercise must be turned in by Friday, May 13 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. However, since the course also emphasizes problem solving and individual understanding, collaboration is not allowed on class questions, homework exercises, or papers.

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:

30%

Research Exercises:

10%

Class Questions:

10%

Papers:

50%

This document is available on the World Wide Web as

     http://www.walker.cs.grinnell.edu/courses/105.sp05/index.shtml

created December 8, 2004 last revised January 18, 2005
For more information, please contact Henry M. Walker at walker@cs.grinnell.edu.