Develop a solid foundation in a modern programming language, concepts of programming such as variables, datatypes, functions, I/O, parameter-passing, assignment, classes, lists, arrays, conditionals, loops, and recursion. Understand techniques of analysis, design, testing, documentation, coding, and debugging.
Students will be able to design algorithms, using basic software development methodologies, and write programs in Python, catch and correct errors in their programs
Quantitative Reasoning
Quantitative Reasoning
The assignments this semester will require students to use the programming language Python, its interpreter and its interactive programming environment IDLE. This is available on computers on campus, but students in the class can download both the Python interpreter and IDLE by going to https://python.org. Click the tab marked "download."
While there will be opportunities to use class time for assigned work, this is primarily intended for lab exercises and the debugging of programming assignments and other assistance that students require. One should expect to spend 2-6 hours outside class working on programming assignments for this class.
Programming assignments will be graded with a base grade of 90%, with points added to reflected areas in which the assignment exceeded specified requirements and/or points deducted to show areas where the assignment is deficient.
Late penalties may be assessed of 2 points per class after the due date.
Lab assignments will be due no later than 11:00PM EDT on the day for which they were assigned. They will be graded on a basis of √+ (exceeds assignment specifications, counted as 10 out of 10), √ (meets assignment specifications, counted as 9 out of 10), and √- (is deficient and counted as 7 out of 10).
The final average will be weighted (based on the following ratio):
| Lab Assignments | 15% |
| Programming Assignments | 15% |
| Quizzes | 20% |
| Midterm Exam | 25% |
| Final Exam | 25% |
| Final Average | Course Grade |
|---|---|
| A | 90 - 100 |
| A- | 87.5 - 89.9 |
| B+ | 83.3 - 87.4 |
| B | 80.0 - 83.2 |
| B- | 77.5 - 79.9 |
| C+ | 73.3 - 77.4 |
| C | 70.0 - 73.2 |
| C- | 67.5 - 69.9 |
| D+ | 63.3 - 67.4 |
| D | 60.0 - 63.2 |
| F | 0.0 - 59.9 |
The following is the Adelphi University General Attendance Policy:
Only students who are registered for courses, and whose name appears on the Official Class Roster may attend courses at the University. Adelphi students make a commitment to be active participants in their educational program; class attendance is an integral part of this commitment. Attendance requirements for each course will be announced by the faculty member at the beginning of each term. Students are expected to be present promptly at the beginning of each class period, unless prevented by illness or by other compelling cause. In the event of such absence, students may request that faculty members be notified by the Office of Academic Services and Retention. Students are responsible for completing course work missed through absences. Students should wait a reasonable length of time for an instructor in the event that the instructor is delayed.
Additionally, you are also responsible for whatever work is covered in class whether or not you are there. Absence from the final exam will be excused only for a good and well-documented reason. The decision to allow a make-up exam will be made in accordance with the policies of Adelphi University.
Adelphi University welcomes diversity in its community and respects various religious observances. Students who anticipate being absent due to their religious observance are required by Adelphi University to notify their professors at the start of the semester. This will allow faculty to take these observances into consideration in light of their course exam and assignment schedules. Students absent from class, clinical experiences, practice, labs, etc. on those days, after prior notice to the professor, will not be penalized for any exam or assignment deadline missed because of those absences. Students must contact the instructor to work out suitable arrangements for make-ups or other satisfaction of academic requirements.
Adelphi’s Exam/Assignment Absence Policy can be viewed here.
NB: I will not be available on Friday, October 4; Friday, October 18 and Friday October 25. There may be no lecture and I will not hold office hours on that day. We will make up one date on Wednesday, December 11.
If the University is closed for more than two days due to an emergency, go the home page for this course site each day for instructions and assignments. Student instructions materials can be found on the course’s Moodle page and at http://home.adelphi.edu/~siegfried/cs171
| Date | Topic | Assignment due |
|---|---|---|
| August 26 | Getting Started in Python | Lab Assn 1 - Running your first Python program |
| August 28 | Getting Started in Python | Lab Assn 2 - Flowcharting and Writing Python Expressions |
| August 31 | Getting Started in Python | |
| September 4 | Boolean Expressions and Selection | Lab Assn 3 - Pseudocode and Stepwise Refinement
Programming Assn 1 - Writing a Poem |
| September 6 | Boolean Expressions and Selection (Quiz in lab) | Programming Assn 2 - Converting a Temperature in Degrees Kelvin to Degrees Celsius and Degrees Fahrenheit |
| September 8 | Boolean Expressions and Selection | Lab Assn 4 - Flowchart and Pseudocode for Decisions |
| September 11 | Counting Loops | Lab Assn 5 - Non-Binary Decisions |
| September 13 | Counting Loops | Programming Assn 3 - How Many Seats Are Left in a Classroom |
| September 16 | Counting Loops | Lab Assn 6 - Print the first n Perfect Squares Programming Assn 4 - Writing the Payroll Program for a Progressive Company |
| September 18 | Counting Loops (Quiz in lab) | Lab Assn 7 - Counting Loops Containing a Decision |
| September 20 | Conditional Loops | Programing Assn 5 - Rewriting the Payroll Program |
| September 23 | Conditional Loops | |
| September 25 | Conditional Loops | Lab Assn 8 - Working with Conditional Loops |
| September 27 | Algorithms and Programming Development | Programming Assn 6 - Finding the Batting Averages for the Starting Lineup |
| September 30 | Algorithms and Programming Development | |
| October 2 | Algorithms and Programming Development (Quiz in lab) | |
| October 4 | No Lecture Class - to be made up on Wednesday, December 13 | Programming Assn 7 - A Different Payroll Program |
| October 7 | Characters and Strings | Lab Assn 9 - Basic Work with Strings |
| October 9 | Characters and Strings | Lab Assn 10 - Working with Strings in a Program |
| October 11 | Characters and Strings | Lab Assn 11 - More Work with Strings |
| October 16 | Review for Midterm Exam | Lab Assn 12 - Still More Work with Strings |
| October 18 | Midterm Exam | Lab Assn 13 - Using Functions to Write Messages |
| October 21 | Functions | |
| October 23 | Functions | Programming Assn 8 - An Even Less Basic String Program |
| October 25 | Functions | Lab Assn 14 - Printing Numbers in Square Brackets |
| October 28 | Functions | Lab Assn 15 - Maximum and Minimum Values |
| October 30 | Files and Exceptions (Quiz in lab) | |
| November 1 | Files and Exceptions | Programming Assn 9 - Rewriting the Payroll Program Yet Again to Use Methods that Print Instructions |
| November 4 | Files and Exceptions | Lab Assn 16 - Creating a Trig Table |
| November 6 | Files and Exceptions | Lab Assn 17 - Reading Input From Text Files |
| November 8 | Lists | Lab Assn 18 - Using Functions |
| November 11 | Lists | Lab Assn 19 - Writing Output to a Text File |
| November 13 | Lists (Quiz in lab) | Lab Assn 20 - Reading from and Writing to a Text File |
| November 15 | Lists | Programming Assn 10 - One Last (Hopefully) Change to the Payroll Program |
| November 18 | Dictionaries | Lab Assn 21 - Working with Lists |
| November 20 | Dictionaries | Lab Assn 22 - Finding the Average of a List of Numbers |
| November 22 | Dictionaries | Lab Assn 23 - Finding the Average of a List of Numbers, excluding the Highest and Lowest Values |
| November 25 | Dictionaries (Quiz in lab) | |
| December 2 | Classes and Objects | Lab Assn 24 - Some Basic Dictionary Operations |
| December 4 | Classes and Objects | Lab Assn 25 - A Basic Dictionary Program |
| December 6 | Classes and Objects | Programming Assn 11 - Calculating a Diver’s Score in a Competition |
| December 9 | Review for the Final Exam | Lab Assn 26 - Creating a Dictionary Using a Text File |
| December 11 | Review for the Final Exam | Lab Assn 27 - Writing a VERY Basic Class |
| TBA | Final Exam |
If you have a disability that may significantly impact your ability to carry out assigned coursework, please contact the Student Access Office Accommodation (SAO) at (516) 877-3806 or send an email to sao@adelphi.edu. The staff will review your concerns and determine, with you, appropriate and necessary accommodations. Please allow for a reasonable time frame for requesting ASL interpreters or transcription services.
Reasonable accommodations are available in online classes for students with a documented disability. Please note that due to the nature of online courses, some accommodations approved for on campus classes may not apply. If you have a disability that may significantly impact your ability to carry out assigned coursework, please contact the SAO at (516) 877-3806 or send an email to sao@adelphi.edu. We will review your request and determine with you appropriate and necessary accommodations.
The Adelphi University Libraries provides education, information resources, services and spaces that advance teaching, learning, research and creative activity. The Libraries provide semester-long support to assist with research assignment development, skills assessment, research readiness and more. Our goal is to equip learners with the information literacy skills necessary to become effective lifelong consumers of information. For more information visit the Libraries homepage or contact us for help.
Students enrolled in this course are expected to abide by the Adelphi University Honor Code. The purpose of the Honor Code is to protect the academic integrity of the University by encouraging consistent ethical behavior in assigned coursework by students. Following is excerpted from the Student Honor Code:
The code of academic honesty prohibits behavior, which can broadly be described as lying, cheating, or stealing. Violations of the code of academic honesty will include, but are not limited to, the following:
If you are unsure about what plagiarism or another form of academic dishonesty are, please reach out to me to discuss it as soon as possible. An allegation of an academic integrity violation of this section may be referred for further review and could result in disciplinary action.
The Student Counseling Center (SCC) provides confidential and professional virtual mental health counseling services, resources, and referrals to support the academic and personal success, health, and well-being of Adelphi students without additional charge. Counselors are available to help students cope with a variety of stressors and personal issues that may interfere with their academic and personal experiences. The SCC also supports students who may be feeling suicidal or in crisis. To schedule an appointment, call (516) 877-3646 or email scc@adelphi.edu. If you need immediate assistance, walk-in services are available during the fall and spring semesters Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Additional information can also be found at scc.adelphi.edu.
Need support when the SCC is not available? For 24/7 emergency counseling, referral, or assistance, please contact:
https://www.adelphi.edu/life-at-adelphi/health-wellness-safety/infectious-disease-prevention
Phone: (516) 877-3200
Website: http://adelphi.edu/case
Email: CASE@adelphi.edu
Location: Nexus 132
The Center for Academic Support and Enrichment (CASE) offers programs and services—like individual tutoring in writing and subjects across the curriculum, small group study sessions, academic coaching and targeted workshops—that help students explore, deepen and extend their classroom learning. Support programming focuses on establishing foundational skills and techniques of studentship, like time management and note-taking. Enrichment services develop higher-order critical thinking skills and problem solving skills inherent in both abstractions and applications of curricular study.
Contact us via email, phone or via eCampus to review our full slate of real-time (in person and remote) and asynchronous services. These are included in your tuition, so you’ve already bought them! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to supercharge your college experience. Many services require reservations, especially late in the semester. Reserve a spot on our scheduling portal and/or join the self-directed virtual CASE LAB. Get on the CASE, and take your Adelphi experience to the next level.
During the last two weeks of the class, you will receive notification, via mail and eCampus, that the course evaluation is available for your input electronically. Availability will end at the start of the final examination period. Your feedback is valuable and I encourage you to respond. Please be assured that your responses are anonymous and the results will not be available to the instructor until after the end of the semester and therefore after course grades have been submitted.