CS 2304 Python for Java Programmers

Course Website:

http://courses.cs.vt.edu/cs2304/spring2014

Instructor: Henry Monti

Email: hmonti@vt.edu

Office: 122 McBryde Hall

Office Hours: TBA, Check course website

Purpose

This is a one-hour course in the programming language Python for students who are already proficient in an object-oriented language such as Java or C++.

The text for this course:

Programming in Python 3 (Second Edition). Mark Summerfield. Addison-Wesley, 2010. ISBN: 978-0-321-68056-3.

Grading is based on programming assignments

Statute of Limitations: Any concerns about grading must be raised within 2 weeks of when that grade becomes available

Activity Percentage

Programming assignments 100% Program 1 10% Program 2 30% Program 3 30% Program 4 30%

Project Late Policy

Each project has a due date. This is the date by which you have to submit your project or risk losing points. Late programming projects are allowed, but there is a -10 point penalty per day late. After three late days, no project will be accepted. The late penalty deduction will be taken from the score you obtain.

The Virginia Tech Honor Code will be strictly enforced

All other work is considered individual work

Your work can only be discussed with this course’s instructors or TAs, or ACM or UPE tutors

Working with another student to solve a problem in any way is a violation (so is copying anyone else’s source code)

We use automated plagiarism detection software!

Web Discussion Board Policy

Be aware that a message posted to the CS 1124 Web Discussion Boards are readable by everyone in the class. The board should be used for class questions, help requests, course/assignment discussions and related messages. Source code must NOT be posted to the list. (Students posting source code to the list will face Honor Court Violations.)

The discussion board is unmoderated. Anyone may post any message they wish to the list. The list will remain unmoderated as long as no one abuses their privileges. If abuse does occur then all messages posted to the list by the offending party will be deleted.

Compiler error messages and the ONE line of source code to which they reference may be posted, but no other source code is to be posted.

Flame Wars, (i.e. arguments), will NOT be tolerated. All students engaging in a flame war will be removed from the discussion board!

Attachments of any type are NOT to be posted.

Student’s using off-campus email accounts & forwarding their VT email may be automatically deleted.

Instructors reserve the right, at their sole discretion, to remove students from the discussion board for inappropriate behavior.

Backup Policy

Students are responsible for making backup copies of all their work in this course. Loss of work due to hard drive failure is NOT an acceptable excuse. Backup copies of files on the same hard drive are not backup copies. Backup copies of files on second hard drives are also risky. Backup copies should be maintained on two separate distinct storage mediums, (e.g., hard drives and floppies).

Backup copies should be maintained until after the end of the term and students have received their course grade. (The Army lives by triplicate for a reason.)

Remember: Computer systems are mechanical devices. Systems fail. Plan for it. It is inevitable!

Software Problems / Network Problems

Students are responsible for maintaining their operating system and other software in a correctly functioning state. Loss of work (or failure to submit work) due to software problems does not constitute NOT an acceptable excuse.

Waiting until the night before an assignment is due is perilous. Network access may be disrupted at any time. Loss of network access is NOT a valid excuse for submitting assignments late. Network response can become maddeningly slow at almost any moment. Plan accordingly.

Email attachments are NOT a substitute for on-line submissions. All program submissions in CS 1124 must be made to moodle.

Attachments are not to be sent to the instructor or TAs unless they are specifically requested. Unrequested attachments will be deleted, regardless of the reason!

Course Objectives

Students will be able to read, understand, modify, and assemble from pieces programs that achieve useful tasks in python.

Getting Started . . .

Website: http://courses.cs.vt.edu/cs2304/spring2014

•  Announcements (You are responsible for these! Check daily!!)

•  Syllabus

•  Homeworks

•  Discussion forums

•  Slides

•  Office hours for you to come and get help

•  codingbat.com

How to succeed in this course . . .

Come to class.

I’ll demonstrate a lot of what you need to do.

You will see me make mistakes.

You will also see how to fix them

You will learn from each other.

Programming is an activity. You learn by watching, doing and experimenting.

Class attendance is expected and required.

If you miss class, you are still responsible for everything that was covered.

Do the lecture & textbook examples!

Try them out for yourself. Replicate them. Alter them, see what happens. Understand them!

For every class, type in at least 2 of the examples from class

Try to figure out why each line is there.

Questions?

See the course web site

If you need to force add this course, fill out a CS Dept. force-add request form now!

Questions?