Computer Science CS 33011-001 Speed Programming Techniques
Call Number 19533
SYLLABUS
Fall, 2009

Time and Place:

Monday, 5:30 - 8:35, in lab 162.

This course is different from many other courses: to begin with, it only meets once a week, it will also only meet until the end of October, the date of the field trip to the ACM Programming Contest (unless we win the contest; if we win the contest, we can decide what we can do about further training sessions for the finals, next year. One possibility would be a special elective at the 40000 level for the Spring that would work similarly to this course).

The field trip will take place on October 30th, we will leave in the afternoon, for either Ann Arbor or Youngstown (to be determined, you have a say on this), we will return on either October 31 or November 1, depending on distance and energy level (the contest isn't usually over until 6:30 or so).

Since I am shortchanging you on the contact hours by cutting the course short on November 1, I will hold longer sessions during October, eventually as long as 10:30, to simulate the 5 hours of a real contest. To alleviate hunger pangs, pizza will be made available during these longer class periods.

Instructor:

Michael Rothstein, 268 MSB, phone 330-672-9065.

Email address:

rothstei@cs.kent.edu
Although I also receive email at my mrothste@kent.edu address, I do so less frequently

Web address:

http://www.cs.kent.edu/~rothstei

Office Hours:

Monday: 12:30 to 2:00 and 3:45-5:00 Wednesday: 1:30 to 2:00; I will also be around 12:30-1:30 and 3:45-5:00 when not pre-empted by departmental meetings. Also, you can always send email with questions and/or to set up an appointment. Usual turnaround will be a few hours during the day. Email use is to be preferred over voicemail, which will not be checked as often.

Textbook:

Skiena, Steven S. and Revilla, Miguel A. Programming Challenges, The Programming Contest Training Manual Springer, 2003, ISBN 0-387-00163-8

Computer Science Departmental Office:

241 MSB (after you exit the elevator, turn right, walk to the corridor, turn right again, the CS office entrance is at the end of the corridor.)
Phone 330-672-9980

Course Goals:

The goal of this course is to train for the ACM Programming Contest of November 1 and participate in it: participants will get the trip paid, an Attendance Certificate, a one year student membership in ACM, and, of course, a T-shirt.

Course Description:

The idea of this course is preparation for the programming contest which will happen this year on October 31; the textbook is designed to be read independently; in this course, I expect you to read the textbook and ask me questions; class time will be devoted to solving exercises similar to the ones in the book, corresponding to the chapters read.

Prerequisite:

Though the main prerequisite for this course is CS 33001, Data Structures, we will use material from other courses; if you already have that material, you will be better off.

Attendance policy

By initiative of the Provost of the University, I have been charged with keeping full attendance records, at least for the first ten weeks of the semester. As far as this course is concerned, that is the whole course period; attendance and effort will be a major component of the final grade.

This syllabus may be changed during the semester if necesary: changes will be announced in class; they will also show up on the instructor's website.

Class disruptions

Disruptions should be kept to a minimum; these include (in increasing order of seriousness):

1. Early departure (if announced and done discreetly: please sit near the door so that as few people as possible notice.)
2. Late arrival
3. Use of electronic devices or other devices which may interfere with your or other student's participation. Laptops are acceptable for taking notes, however, please sit in the last row of the room so that your screen does not distract/block other students.
4. Conversation among students.
5. Aiding and/or abetting these or any other student's disruptive behaviors.

Guidelines pertaining to class disruptions are outlined in the University Rules and Regulations, available through:
http://www.kent.edu/policyreg/chap4/4-02-2.cfm

Grading:

Your grade in this course will depend both on effort and on results; since there will be very little homework after the first few weeks, attendance will be an integral part of the grade; so is class participation; if you do not come to class, you will get an ``F''; coming to class and doing a bare minimum of work will get you a ``D'' or a ``C'' depending on attitude; a sustained effort will either get a ``B'' or an ``A'' depending on the degree of success.

Special accommodations for Students with Disabilities:

University policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through Student Disability Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit:
http://www.kent.edu/sas for more information on registration procedures).

Registration Requirement:

The official registration deadline for this course is 08-31-2009 or 09-05-2009 . University policy requires all students to be officially registered in each class they are attending. Students who are not officially registered for a course by published deadlines should not be attending classes and will not receive credit or a grade for the course. Each student must confirm enrollment by checking his/her class schedule (using Student Tools in FlashFast) prior to the deadline indicated. Registration errors must be corrected prior to the deadline.

The last day to withdraw is 10-03-2009.

On cheating, plagiarism and other unethical behavior

You are encouraged to discuss class problems with other students but required to work independently of anybody else except the instructors and/or tutor, unless otherwise indicated. Copying other people's work, allowing your work to be copied (even inadvertently!) and plagiarizing work will not be tolerated and will be dealt with according to University regulations, as described in the University Policies and Procedures, a condensed version of which is attached.

Notes:

1. By default, the penalty for cheating in this course is an ``F'' in the course.
2. University regulations require me to notify Student Conduct in case of violations.
3. Cooperation is just as bad as the deed itself: so, deciding which of two is the original is a non-issue: both are equally guilty.