COURSE OUTLINE

Revised Spring 2008

COS101 Course Number Introduction to Computer Science Course Title

3 Lecture/2 Laboratory Hours: lecture/laboratory/other

4 Credits
(specify)

Catalog description:

Introduces both majors and non-majors to the concepts and topics of computer science. Students
will develop algorithmic thinking and abstraction through program design and language structures
using a 3-D animation programming language. Students will also explore the various topics of
computer science including computer architecture, algorithm analysis, operating systems and
programming languages.

Prerequisites: MAT 034 or equivalent

Required texts/other materials: Learning to Program with Alice; Dann, Cooper and Pausch;
Pearson Prentice-Hall; 2006.

Thumb or Flash drive of any size

Last revised: 9/06

Course coordinator: Donald Reichman

Information resources: http://www.mccc.edu/~reichman

Other learning resources: COS101 tutoring is available in the Learning Center, room LB224 on the
second floor of the library on the West Windsor Campus.
Course goals: The student will be able to:

1. Develop solutions to problems using a formal programming language.

2. Decompose problems logically and communicate complex ideas simply.
3. Analyze the fundamental structures and concepts of a formal programming language.
4. Solve problems central to the various fields of study within computer science.

Course-specific General Education goals and objectives.

Critical thinking, problem solving and information literacy: Students will use critical thinking and
problem solving skills in analyzing information gathered through different media and from a variety
of sources.
Students will identify a problem and analyze it in terms of its significant parts and the
information needed to solve it.
Students will use computers to access, analyze or present information, solve problems, and
communicate with others.
Students will formulate and evaluate possible solutions to problems, and select and
defend the chosen solutions.
Students will recognize weaknesses in arguments, such as the use of false or
disputable premises, suppression of contrary evidence, faulty reasoning, and emotional loading.

Units of study in detail:

TOPIC 1: Overview of the Alice 3-D Animation Programming Language

Upon completing this topic a successful student will be able to

- Describe the basic structures of the Alice programming language.

- Define an Object and explain how it is used in programming.
- Describe interactivity in the context of a computer program.

TOPIC 2: An Overview of Program Design and 3-D Animation

Upon completing this topic a successful student will be able to

- Define a computer animation problem.

- Create an initial scene.
- Build a storyboard that outlines the solution to a desired animation problem.
- Translate the storyboard into an animation program.
- Edit the code to refine the animation.

TOPIC 3: An Introduction to Object Oriented Programming

Upon completing this topic a successful student will be able to

- Distinguish between objects and classes.

- Define and write a world-level method.
- Pass parameters to methods.
TOPIC 4: Class Level Methods and Inheritance

Upon completing this topic a successful student will be able to:

- Build a variety of class level methods.

- Define data encapsulation.
- Build their own classes that encapsulate data and methods.
- Demonstrate the use of class hierarchy and inheritance.

TOPIC 5: Object Visibility and Event Handlers

Upon completing this topic a successful student will be able to:

- Pass parameters to event handlers.

- Demonstrate the use of the “isShowing” and “Opacity” methods.

- Rotate an object around an invisible object.
- Use an invisible target.
- Create a billboard.

TOPIC 6: Functions

Upon completing this topic a successful student will be able to:

- Use built-in functions.

- Create their own functions.
- Pass parameters to functions.
- Distinguish between functions and methods.

TOPIC 7: Execution Control Using if/else and Boolean Functions

Upon completing this topic a successful student will be able to:

- Determine the appropriate time to use an if/else statement

- Describe the logical control that is exhibited by an if/else statement
- Create a Boolean function, a function that returns “true” or “false”
- Use a Boolean function to determine the appropriate method to call
- Create Boolean expressions with multiple conditions
- Create a function with nested if/else statements

TOPIC 8: Execution Control Using Loops

Upon completing this topic a successful student will be able to:

- Use a counter controlled loop to repeat a call to a method

- Use nested loops to create repeated action within some repeated action
- Implement an event controlled loop
- Implement a while loop that uses a “Begin-During-End” block
TOPIC 9: Lists, Variables and Arrays

Upon completing this topic a successful student will be able to:

- Create a list of objects

- Iterate sequentially through a list of objects
- Iterate simultaneously through a list of objects
- Create and use a class level variable
- Create an array of objects
- Distinguish between an array and a list
- Access an individual element in an array
- Access a random element in an array
- Swap elements in an array

TOPIC 10: Computer Memory and the CPU

Upon completing this topic a successful student will be able to:

- Describe generally how a computer accomplishes execution of a program.

- Describe the Stored program concept.
- Convert a binary number to a decimal number.
- Convert a decimal number to a binary number.
- Convert from octal to decimal and conversely.
- Convert from hexadecimal to decimal and conversely.
- Describe how the CPU works.
- Describe the relationship between main memory and the CPU.

TOPIC 11: Operating Systems

Upon completing this topic a successful student will be able to:

- Describe the various operating system modules.

- Describe the terms multiprogramming and multiprocessing.
- Describe how an operating system manages multiprogramming.
- Describe how time sharing works in a client-server system.

TOPIC 12: Algorithms and Algorithm Efficiency

Upon completing this topic a successful student will be able to:

- Define an algorithm
- Describe how computer science categorizes the running time of algorithms.
- Explain the Order of a variety of algorithms.
- Describe the characteristics of an algorithm.
- Distinguish between sequential and binary searches.

TOPIC 13: Programming Languages

Upon Completing this topic a successful student will be able to:

- Distinguish between an assembler and a compiler.

 - Distinguish between an interpreter and a compiler.

- Describe the early high-level programming languages (HLL).

- Describe the role of C in the development of HLL.

- Describe the general principles of Object Oriented Languages (OOL).

- Explain why JAVA was created and distinguish it from C++.

Evaluation of student learning:

Specific methods for evaluating a students progress through the course is up to the
discretion of the instructor. Below is a suggested format which balances the lab and lecture
components.

Exams: Four one-hour exams = 60% of the grade and One comprehensive final exam = 20% of the
grade. The exams will ask the student to use the structures of the Alice programming language to create
and animate scenes. Students will also describe the outcome from segments of Alice code. The last one-
hour exam will ask the student to solve problems and analyze topics from a variety of computer science
topics.

Labs: Students will design, implement and test programs using the Alice
Programming Language. Their projects will ask them to storyboard an
animation, and then create the code to implement the animation. They
will do seven projects of increasing complexity throughout the semester.
The average of seven lab projects = 20% of the grade

Academic Integrity Statement: Mercer County Community College is committed to Academic Integrity—the
honest, fair and continuing pursuit of knowledge, free from fraud or deception. This implies that students
are expected to be responsible for their own work and that faculty and academic support services staff
members will take reasonable precautions to prevent the opportunity for academic dishonesty.

See http://www.mccc.edu/admissions_policies_integrity.shtml for a complete explanation of policies and

procedures regarding academic integrity and academic integrity violations.