CIS 150 • Introduction to Computer Logic and Programming

Jefferson State Community College • Internet Section • Fall 2012

Old Course Number CIS 110 (prior to Fall 2009).

Catalog Course Description This course includes logic, design and problem solving techniques used by programmers and analysts in addressing and solving common programming and computing problems. The most commonly used techniques of flowcharts, structure charts, and pseudocode will be covered and students will be expected to apply the techniques to designated situations and problems.

Prerequisite Basic computer skills (CIS 130 or equivalent background). You should be familiar with fundamental computer concepts such as accessing the Internet, opening files, saving files to a specific storage device or folder, and printing the contents of a file.

Textbook You are advised to read the chapters that correspond to the material for each unit, as the author's explanation may enhance your understanding of the lecture materials.

Starting Out with Programming Logic and Design, third edition, by Tony Gaddis. ISBN-10: 0-13-280545-6; ISBN-13: 978-0-13-280545-2. Note: if you have already purchased the second edition (ISBN-10: 0-13-607773-0), that will suffice for this course.

This textbook may be available in different bindings and / or with different ISBNs. Please consult with your instructor should you wish to buy such a variation on the textbook.

Software You may wish to make use of diagramming / flowcharting software such as Microsoft Visio. Students enrolled in CIS courses at Jefferson State may obtain the software free-of-charge through the MSDN Academic Alliance; be looking for an e-mail message in your Pipeline account with your login information.

Course Content This course will deal with good practices for program design in the form of pseudocode, flowcharts, and other documentation forms. Students will become familiar with basic program elements such as user interaction, variables, modules, decision structures, loops, functions, arrays, files, and objects. Quizzes, assignments, and exams will focus on concepts, the correct ways to express solutions, and the relationship between programs and problem solving.

Grades Refer to the following table for the contribution of each course item to your grade.

Quizzes For each chapter, you will complete a quiz on Blackboard consisting of fifteen questions that range from identifying the proper terms for concepts to applying flowchart symbols or pseudocode statements to solve specific problems. These quizzes will be timed; you must submit your responses within a certain time of starting the quiz. There are no opportunities to make-up missed quizzes; however, there are two extra quizzes that will allow you to recover points missed on earlier quizzes.

Codework Ten times during the semester, you will complete an assignment consisting of one of the three following types of problems:

• Hand Tracing: Given a complete program in flowchart or pseudocode form, identify the program's results. The assignment may ask for the values of specific variables, or it may want the complete output as it would appear on the screen or in a file.
• Debugging: The program provided will contain several errors; these may include incorrect or inconsistent spellings, missing or out-of-order statements, or invalid formulas. Examine the code, listing each error and how it should be corrected. If a line contains multiple errors, list each error separately. Providing the corrected code in itself will not be sufficient for credit. There will be a minimum number of errors that must be found for full credit; additional errors found may provide bonus credit.
• Writing: You will be presented with various scenarios for which you are to generate a flowchart or pseudocode to represent your logic to solve the problem. You may also be required to design the output the program will generate.

Your solution to a Hand Tracing assignment must be entered in the Submission box on the Blackboard assignment page. Your solution to a Debugging or Writing assignment must be in a file in one of the following file formats: Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx), OpenDocument (.odt or .odg), Portable Document Format (.pdf), or Rich Text Format (.rtf). A student who submits a file in any other form will receive a zero for that assignment.

No late assignment submissions are accepted. Pay careful attention to the assignment deadlines.

Examinations After roughly every three chapters, you will be given an examination that tests your knowledge of program design principles as well as your ability to apply them to specific problems. The questions on these examinations will be similar to those from the quizzes, but their contents may not be identical. Because of the cumulative nature of computer programming, you are advised to maintain a thorough understanding of topics covered early in the semester so as not to hinder your performance on examinations covering later chapters.

Each examination is available over a period spanning two and a half days; you must take each examination during the specified period for the examination. As with the quizzes, each examination will have a time limit. In the event of an extreme emergency with documentation supporting the reason you missed an examination, you may make up one examintation provided that the make-up occurs within one week of the scheduled examination date. If logistics prevent the scheduling of a make-up within one week, your instructor may choose to substitute your final examintation grade in place of that examination grade. If you miss more than one examination, you must contact your instructor to determine if, and how, you will be able to recover the points for the other missed examination(s).