Meet your instructor and TAs (teaching assistants) and find their contact information here.

Other information about the course, including the class discussion board, labs, projects, and so on

Submit a final project report by Friday, December 2, at 18:00.
The PROJECT information is available here.

Labs:

• L1A - Mondays, 12:00-15:00, in ICCS X050, with Junhao and Mareija
• L1B - Tuesdays, 18:00-21:00, in ICCS X050, with Shu and Michelle
• L1C - Wednesdays, 11:00-14:00, in ICCS X050, with Mareija
• L1D - Thursdays, 9:00-12:00, in ICCS X050, with Scott and Stephanie
• L1E - Fridays, 15:00-18:00, in ICCS X050, with Scott and Shu

Minimum Lab Attendance Standards: Labs start promptly at the scheduled time -- don't be late or risk not getting marks. The first two hours of each lab is a required attendance period for students. Your TAs may occasionally dismiss you early at their discretion, but you must be prepared to attend at least the first two hours of each lab. TAs are required to attend for the full three hours and students may use the entire scheduled lab time for course-related work.

(For official course scheduling information, see the CPSC 101 calendar entry.)

Please note that there will be extra TA office hrs since Dec 5, the schedual is as below:
• Dec 5 - Scott (2-3)
• Dec 6 - Stephanie (3-4)
• Dec 7 - Shu (2-3)
• Dec 8 - Vivianne (12-1)
• Dec 9 - Junhao (2-3)
  
• Dec 12 - Michelle (3-5)
• Dec 13 - Rose (12-2), Marieja (2-4)
• Dec 14 - Scott (2-4), Junhao (2-4), Vivianne (12-2)
• Dec 15 - Rose (2-4), Marieja (12-2), Junhao (2-4), Scott (12-2)
• Dec 16 - Mareija (2-4), Rose (2-4), Shu (4-6), Stephanie (4-6), Michelle (5-6)

Students in CPSC 101 have diverse backgrounds and learning needs. A variety of resources are available to help you explore topics of interest in depth. Most CPSC 101 students find that just attending lectures and labs is not enough, and you are strongly advised to use the resources at your disposal.

The Demco Learning Centre is a resource provided by the Computer Science Department for students. You may use this space to hold study and project group meetings. The centre is staffed by TAs with whom you may discuss computer science topics. For more information and a schedule, see the Demco Learning Centre Page.

TAs and the instructor have regularly scheduled office hours. (See staff page for details.) If you require an appointment at a different time, contact us with as much advance notice as possible. TAs are also available during scheduled lab times. Note that the TAs must prioritize helping students with the scheduled lab assignment.

Your classmates are an excellent resource for discussion and peer support. In addition to opportunities to chat before and after class, the WebCT Discussion Board is also available.

A note about e-mail support: many course-related questions require two-way discussion, so e-mail is sometimes not the most efficient way to get help. Office hours, the discussion board, and the Demco Learning Centre should be your first resort for rapid assistance, but feel free to e-mail the course staff if necessary.

The required course textbook is Fluency with Information Technology: Skills, Concepts, & Capabilities (4th or 3rd Edition) by Lawrence Snyder. Note: using the first or second edition is not recommended, since you are still responsible for knowing the content of the required readings from the 3rd or 4th edition.

An i>Clicker is required for this course. You will receive marks for participation in lectures using your clicker, starting Monday, 12 September. To receive credit, you must purchase and register your clicker on WebCT prior to this lecture. If your clicker ID number has worn off, you can retrieve it at the Chapman Learning Commons: see the "Tips" tab on the Clicker page for more information.

Your grade in this course will be calculated as follows:

• ... active class participation (5%)
• ... reading questions (5%)
• ... laboratory assignments (10%)
• ... the course project (20%)
• ... an in-class midterm exam (20%)
• ... and a final exam (40%).

Active class participation consists of preparation before class, attendance and constructive effort to participate in in-class activities. Records will be taken in the form of clicker responses, completed in-class exercises, discussion board postings, and TA and instructor evaluations of individual students' participation. Students that have not completed the preparation work assigned for a given class are expected to excuse themselves from this class, since they will not be able to participate in in-class exercises and discussion.

Reading Questions (RQs) are brief question(s) that you generate while you are reading the assigned material in preparation for class. They are due by 8:00am on the day of the lecture. They will be marked as follows:

• 0 marks: for not participating or submitting a frivolous question
• 1 mark: for any question(s) that shows real thought and effort
• 2 marks: for an exemplary question(s) (all questions selected for discussion in class earn 2 marks)

Note: The following section has been updated to reflect the fact that we did more than 10 RQs.

There will be 15-18 calls for reading questions due throughout the term. The marks will be summed up and counted out of n * 1.2, where n is the final number of reading questions. A score of n * 1.2 or above earns full credit on the reading question portion of your grade. For example, if there are 15 RQs, a score of 18 or higher earns full credit. If there are 18 RQs, a score of 22 or higher earns full credit.

Details about the Midterm and Final Exam, and the Course Project will be announced in class.

Minimum Passing Criteria: To pass this course, you must obtain at least a 50% overall mark, and, in addition:

• Achieve a score of 80% or greater on recorded marks for active class participation*, AND
• Achieve a passing grade on the course project, AND
• Achieve a passing grade on the final examination.

* I will not accept students coming to me at the end of semester with excuses for why they were unable to participate during the term! If you're having problems, come talk to me!

Students who fail to meet these requirements will be assigned, as final grade in the course, the lesser of 45% and the grade computed using the above formula.

Please note that the instructor reserves the right to modify the assessment scheme at any time.

Course Development and Surveys: This term's offering of CPSC 101 is being audited for the purpose of improving future offerings of the course. From time to time you will be asked to complete some assessments of your own learning and of the course in general, and observers may be present in the classroom.

University policy and departmental guidelines on academic conduct will be followed strictly. For this course, all work on the quizzes and exams must be strictly your own, with no discussion or aide from anyone else. In labs, you are free to ask questions of and to work with other students, but you should ensure that you are capable of accomplishing each task in the lab on your own (and you may be required to demonstrate your ability to the TA). We will include a collaboration guideline for the project with the project description itself.

Lateness and Make-Up Policies: Assignment deadlines will be strictly and automatically observed by WebCT. In other words, if an assignment is due at 8:00(am), you are advised to submit it the night before, and confirm that it has been received. The plea of technical difficulties or clock sync issues will not result in mark adjustments. Submit early or risk getting zero credit. Note that the scoring schemes for quizzes and RQs have been designed so that it is possible to achieve a full aggregate score even if something unexpected happens.

Original (not photocopied) documentation must be provided in all cases of unplanned absences (e.g., medical). However, note that participation marks will not generally be awarded in lieu of attendance in class, regardless of the reason for absence. Like RQs and quizzes, participation marks will be calculated with a reasonable allowance for exceptional circumstances; as a guideline, you can miss up to two classes and still be eligible for a passing participation mark. (Of course, it goes without saying that if you miss a class, you are still responsible for all of the material covered in class.)

General Advice

• If you don't understand something covered in class, ask about it right away. The only silly question is the one which is not asked. This class is about exploring your area of interest in computer science, so don't be shy.
• If you get a mark you do not understand on a quiz or the midterm, find out why right away. Don't wait a month before asking!
• The lectures and labs are just the beginning -- you are responsible for directing your own exploration of the topics in sufficient depth both to satisfy your curiosity and to be prepared for exams that will require you to extend, not just repeat, what you have learned in class. Curious about something? Did you try Google or Wikipedia? The course staff can introduce you to resources and people -- ask!
• If you decide to use a laptop or smartphone in class, resist the temptation to use them for non-course-related activities, such as Facebook, e-mail, MSN, etc. You can do these things before or after class. If you remain focused during class time, not only will you earn participation marks, but you will also use your own time more efficiently by not having to go back and learn material you missed while distracted. Additionally, if a TA or the instructor observes you being involved in non-course related activities in class, your participation marks for that day may be cancelled without warning. If you use a laptop for note-taking, you may find it helpful to turn off the wireless networking function during class time until needed.