CS100{G,W,X}
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING TOOLS
Professor Loui
loui--aat--cse.wustl.edu
TA's:
Sahil Kumar, head TA, sk14--aat--cec.wustl.edu
Daniel Harter, deh1--aat--cec.wustl.edu
Jared Lerner, jhl3--aat--cec.wustl.edu
Rebecca Miller-Webster, rjmiller--aat--artsci.wustl.edu
Justin Selgrad
Location and Time: Lopata 401 (M2-4, W7-9, Th7:30-9:30)
M2-4 Harter Miller-Webster
W7-9 Harter Kumar Lerner
Th7:30-9:30 Kumar Lerner
Required Texts: none
Course Description: see catalog
Credit: 1.0 - 3.0 units
Prerequisites: G: none. W: none, but computing familiarity is expected.
X: prior computing experience, or 100G and 100W at least concurrently.
Course in Brief
Students improve computing skills and gain familiarity with important
tools in a relaxed, self-paced, guaranteed-success, supportive atmosphere.
G is for novices, but it does venture briefly into UNIX and makes a first
attempt at programming. CS100W is a natural concurrent course.
W is for students who want to learn web-specific skills but are not
committed to web site design (CS104). CS104 is a natural subsequent course.
X is for students who want a challenge, who like computing, who like exploring
on their own, but do not want a formal course in computing. CS100G, W, and X
can all be taken at the same time, although X labs can be challenging.
1 unit per track. Students are free to mix and match tracks by signing
up for a different section (time) with a different suffix. There is some
flexibility with respect to the actual times you attend.
Usual Benefits to the Student
This course is effective because bringing students into the computer lab
and having them work with the tools is the most important part of their
skill acquisition. We do not lecture in this course, nor even demonstrate
skills. We define small steps and let the student explore how to take
each step on the student's own initiative and through the student's own
problem solving. We define the goals; you figure out how to meet them.
Usual Student Response
Seniors tend to like this course a lot more than freshmen. The course was
designed for upperclass students who enjoy exploring more than being told
things. For first semester students at Wash U, the expectation of
independence can be new.
This remains one of the higher-rated courses in the department and we want
to keep it that way. It is hard to tailor a course so that it provides
the optimal use of everyone's time. CS100 does permit us to train a large
number of students with a small amount of pain and a lot of individual
attention where it is needed.
Students tend to like the course a lot if they like their TA. If there is
a TA you particularly like, you are encouraged to arrange your schedule to
coincide with that TA's hours.
Mechanics
CS100 is an odd course.
First, the G and W tracks each have 10 lab assignments that must be
completed. The X track has 8 assignments. If you sign up for two tracks,
you should complete each track in order, though some mixing is possible.
If you sign up for two tracks, you can omit 1 lab. If you sign up for
three tracks, you can omit 2 labs. I expect most of you to finish by the
10th week of the semester, even if you are taking multiple tracks.
You may arrive any time during the lab to work on your assignment. You
may complete an assignment across two lab times. You may mix and vary
when you attend labs. Arriving in the second hour can sometimes be good
if you need more TA attention. Since we can sometimes run out of seats,
students who arrive first have priority. We can recommend that students
help each other (you may kibbitz, as in chess, or work in pairs), but each
student must complete the assignment for himself or herself.
You should have your own account (see the CEC help desk after class
today!).
You arrive, log on, point your browser to this course directory
http://www.cse.wustl.edu/~loui/100s06, and open the appropriate lab
assignment. You then make progress as you can. If you have a question
or cannot make progress, raise your hand or even ask for help from a
fellow student (but don't pester!). When you are done, you may show
your work to the TA, log out, and leave.
You must have the TA evaluate and record your completion of the lab
before you leave. The record of completed labs will be available for
anyone to see, so any errors in recording are your responsibility. This
has led to many tears during grade reporting periods. It is your
responsibility to make sure we have recorded all the labs you completed.
You must complete all labs (in your track) to pass this course. The final
grades that are typical in CS100 are A, A-, and Incomplete. We have been
giving C's to people who show no discipline in their attendance or who
barely make progress in the track.
Finally, this course is meant to be fun. You may hum songs from Disney
movies while you work ("HI-Ho, HI-Ho, It's off to work we go," is a good
one). You may bring your own CD's and headphones into the lab. You may
eat during the lab. You may laugh when things don't work and do goofy
victory dances when things do work.