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CMPSCI 220
Programming Methodology
Fall 2009
Java logo

Course Administrative Information

Instructor

Prof. Jack C. Wileden
Office: Computer Science 206
Phone: (413) 545-0289
Email: wileden at cs.umass.edu

Teaching Assistant

Hala Mostafa
Office: Computer Science 324
Email: hmostafa at mas.cs.umass.edu

Course Overview

Development of individual skills necessary for designing, implementing, testing and modifying larger programs, including: design strategies and patterns, advanced uses of integrated design environments, testing, working with large code bases and libraries, code refactoring, and use of debuggers and tools for version control.

Prerequisites

CMPSCI 187 is the prerequisite for CMPSCI 220. We expect facility, not just familiarity, in programming with Java and using the Java collection libraries. If you are uncertain about whether you have satisfied the prerequisites, please check with the instructor.

Course Structure

Class meetings will consist of lectures, discussions, demonstrations, and related computing activities. Students are encouraged to ask any pertinent questions and participate actively in discussions.

There will be significant programming assignments, which build somewhat sequentially, some smaller written assignments, and a mid-term and final examination.

Computing Resources

The workstations in the Education Lab in the Lederle Graduate Research Tower 223 and 225 will be available for use by students in completing course assignments. Students will also be able to use the computers in the classroom (Morrill 3-212) during class and will have access to the same computing environment on other OIT computing systems throughout the semester. Students may use other computing systems instead of using the EdLab or OIT computers, but access to a Java programming environment and other software available on the OIT computers (notably the Eclipse development environment) will be necessary for completing the programming exercises and projects.

Assignments

Assignments are due at the beginning of class on the specified due date. No credit will be given for homeworks submitted late, since solutions may be handed out or discussed in class. If you are experiencing difficulty, it is best to contact us before an assignment is due!

Grading

Your final grade will be computed as follows:
  1. 60% based on the programming and other homework assignments
  2. 40% based on the exams

Textbooks and Reserved Readings

The required texts for CMPSCI 220 are listed here. In addition some readings may be assigned from other sources, primarily materials available on the WWW. Copies of any assigned readings not available on line will be provided by the instructor.

Policies

Attendance

Students are expected to attend each class. Attendance will not be officially recorded, but will be noted, and class participation is part of the basis for grading. The official means of communication for this course will be in-class announcements. Missing class is not an excuse for failure to act as required by these announcements.

Submitting Assignments

Assignments done with pencil and paper (or equivalent) must be submitted directly to the instructor or the TA unless other arrangements are made. Programs must be submitted electronically as directed. Other assignments done using computers may be handed in electronically or submitted by hand.

The work submitted for grading must be your own. Submission of work that is not your own is considered to be cheating. We encourage students to assist one another in learning and overcoming difficulties with the material, but discussing or sharing answers to specific homework questions or programming assignments, except in cases of explicit group assignments or projects, is considered dishonest. If you have questions as to what we consider honest, please ask! Computer Science department policy specifies that the penalty for cheating is 1) a final course grade of `F', and 2) possible referral to the Academic Dishonesty Committee. See the University's Academic Regulations and Academic Honesty Policy and Appeal Procedure for details.

Intellectual Property

You may be using copyright-protected software in this course. Federal law and license agreements between the University and various software producers prohibit copying this software for any purpose. Such activity will be regarded as a form of cheating (see above).

Many of the materials created for this course are the intellectual property of the instructor. This includes, but is not limited to, the syllabus, lectures, course notes, and programming project code. Except to the extent not protected by copyright law, any use, distribution or sale of such materials requires the permission of the instructor. Please be aware that it is a violation of university policy to reproduce, for distribution or sale, class lectures or class notes, unless copyright has been explicity waived by the faculty member.

Other materials used in this course are the intellectual property of other individuals. This includes, but is not limited to, the textbooks and other books, papers, notes, etc. Except to the extent not protected by copyright law, any use, distribution or sale of such materials requires the permission of their creator or owner.

Incompletes

An incomplete will be given only when documented, exceptional circumstances beyond your control have made it impossible to complete the assigned work before the end of the semester. It is your responsibility to contact the instructor regarding any such problems well before the end of the semester. Note that the University's Academic Regulations allow an incomplete only if most of the work has been completed satisfactorily before the end of the semester so that the incomplete can be finished by the end of the immediately following semester. They further state that if a substantial amount of work remains undone then a retroactive drop should be obtained and the entire course repeated.

Contacting Us

The TA and the instructor will normally be available in our respective offices during our posted office hours. Outside of those hours, or times arranged on an appointment basis, neither of us can be assumed to be available for Computer Science 220 matters, even if we happen to be in our offices. Particularly if you have substantial questions, it is best to come see us during our office hours or make an appointment if those times are not convenient. If you cannot reach us in our offices, you may send us email or leave a message with any of the staff in the Computer Science office, Computer Science 100.

Bulletin Board, Email and the Web

Many announcements will be made electronically. In particular, identification of files you will need to access, changes to due dates, and other such information about assignments will be posted regularly. These announcements will be posted in the bulletin board section of the course homepage on the World Wide Web and, if particularly urgent, will also be sent by email to all students registered for this course. It is your responsibility to check these announcements regularly. Emails will be sent to your student.umass.edu address recorded with OIT; it is up to you to see that they are forwarded to wherever you normally read your mail.
Return to the 220 main page

E-mail the instructor (Jack Wileden)
E-mail TA Hala Mostafa

Last modified: Monday Sept 7 15:45 EST 2009