CS 133 -- Syllabus (spring2017)
| Section 1 | |
| Professor: | Renzhi Cao |
| Office: | MCLT 248 |
| Email: | caora@plu.edu |
| Phone: | 253-535-7409 |
| Office hours: | Online Schedule |
Textbook
Data Science from Scratch: First Principles With Python. First Edition. Joel Grus
R Programming for Data Science. Roger Peng. 2016
Class Meeting Times
Section 1: Tuesday, Thursday 09:55-11:40, Morken #203 (Dr. Cao)
Course Goals
Learning Objectives
- Learn to understand data programming with the use of computational thinking.
- Learn to write programs in the Python programming language.
- Understand Computer Science as a discipline and its application to other areas of knowledge.
- Learn to write programs in the statistical package R.
- Expose students to interdisciplinary projects.
- Promote cooperation between students from varied areas of knowledge towards a common goal.
- Create deterministic and stochastic computational models.
- Learn different methods to display and manipulate real datasets.
Prerequisites
Previous computer programming experience is NOT a prerequisite for this course!
The official prerequisite for this course is four years of high school math or MATH 140 or equivalent.
Note that this course is a great opportunity for students to explore the possibility of majoring or minoring in computer science, and also useful for other majors.
Even if you never write a computer program again, the skills and experience you gain in this course may well be of benefit to you regardless of your chosen major. However, you should realize that the course is both challenging and fairly time consuming. You may need to spend time for reading, homework, quizzes, exams, and class.
Softwares
We will be making use of the following programs as key parts of the coursework:
- Python — https://www.python.org/
- R — https://www.r-project.org/
Each of these programs is available on our classroom computers. You may download/use them on your personal computer as well (versions are available for both PC and Mac). Instructions on how to install them will be provided in class.
Attendance
You are expected to attend all lectures. There will be quizzes, group exercises, assignments given regularly. You are responsible for all material covered during the class. If you must miss a class, you will want to contact someone in your section for his or her notes. Expect that missing classes may result in a lower grade, directly or indirectly.
Communication Outside of Class
The handouts, assignments and other helpful information is available from the class home page (https://www.cs.plu.edu/~caora/cs133/) and occasionally I will make announcements on the class Sakai site. I strongly recommend you check the home page and Sakai regularly. I may also contact you via email (using your PLU email address) with important class information, so you should check your email regularly as well. Please feel free to email me with any questions you might have or to set up an appointment if you need to meet with me outside of office hours.
Computer Access
The department operates several laboratories in the Morken Center. Morken 210 serves as a closed lab for CS 270, CS 144, and CS 131, as well as for other classes on occasion. It serves as an open lab all other times during the week and in the evenings and you are welcome to use it during those times. The lab opens with a card-swipe lock so be sure to bring your PLU ID in order to be admitted. The lock will only work for IDs of students on the "admit list". Please let me know right away if you if your ID card does not work. If the 210 lab is full or being used by another class you may use the machines in Morken 227.
Conduct
As members of the PLU community, it is all of our responsibility to provide a safe, inclusive classroom environment that is considerate of others, encourages exploration of ideas and allows opportunities for everyone to fully engage in classroom discussions, activities, lectures, etc. To accomplish this, I ask that each of us refrain from conduct that is disrespectful and/or distracting to others in the classroom. It is amazing how playing Internet games, checking out facebook/blogs or holding private conversations during class can distract the most focused of students (or instructors!).
Examples of classroom misconduct includes:
- Coming to class late (on a regular basis)
- Failure to turn off electronic devices including cell phones, ipods/mp3 players and similar devices.
- Printing files or documents during class (unless specifically requested as part of an in-class activity).
- Private conversations during lectures, presentations etc. (via voice or electronic means)
- Playing Internet games, surfing the web, reading email/blogs, working on homework assignments or other activities inappropriate with what is happening in the class.
- Aggressive, threatening or demeaning behavior towards other students or the instructor.
Grading
Your grade will be based on the following:
| Component | Weight | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Exams | 15% | There will be one mid-term exam, counting 15% of your final grade. Students will only be allowed to take a make-up exam in the event of an emergency, illness, or absence due to a university sanctioned activity such as a sporting event or music performance. If you must miss an exam you should make every effort to notify me, as soon as possible, via e-mail or voice mail, in order to schedule an alternate test time. |
| Quizzes and homeworks | 40% | There will be about 5-8 scheduled quizzes or homeworks throughout the semester. Make-up will not be given. You may drop your lowest quiz grade. |
| Projects | 20% | There will be around two small projects throughout the semester. Each assignment will clearly indicate the submission deadline. Late assignments will be docked 25% per day (every 24 hours). |
| Final Project | 15% | There will be a final project. The project will consist of a report, a program and a presentation. You can choose to present any projects during the semester, such as the innovation project. Late assignments will not be accepted unless you have a good reason. |
| Innovation project and class participation | 10% | The innovation project is a project that you or your group proposed and implemented using the knowledge learned from this class. It can be used to analyze data in any field, and it's your responsibility to submit the final report before the deadline. |
Your final grade will be based on your weighted average using some approximation of the following table:
| Overall Score | Grade |
| 100% -- 90% | A / A- |
| 90% -- 80% | B+ / B / B- |
| 80% -- 70% | C+ / C / C- |
| 70% -- 60% | D+ / D / D- |
| 60% -- 0% | E |
The grading scale is a general guideline only. I may adjust your grade depending on various factors including class participation, attitude, and timeliness (turning in assignments, attendance etc.).
Getting Help
Our mission is to challenge you to learn and to provide resources to help you succeed. If you are struggling with your coursework, there are a wide variety of ways for you to seek help.- Your instructor is your primary resource. You can contact your instructor by email or phone. Your instructor will have regular office hours, and you are encouraged to use them. If the office hours don't fit with your schedule, please feel free to contact your instructor to schedule an appointment.
- The academic assistance center is also a valuable resource. At the AAC, you can get individual help from peer tutors who have taken the class in the past. They also have a variety of other resources available. For details go to http://www.plu.edu/aac/, or call (x7518).
Academic Integrity
We strictly adhere to the Academic integrity policy as stated in the student handbook http://www.plu.edu/srr/code-of-conduct/academic-integrity/. Academic dishonesty is treated very seriously and can result in the earning of a zero on an assignment/exam, the failure of the course, or expulsion from the university.In computer science courses, we recognize that interactions with classmates and others can help facilitate the learning process. However, there is a line between enlisting the help of another and submitting the work of another. The following is intended to help clarify that line as it applies to this class. If in doubt, ask your instructor before receiving or giving the assistance.
All work that you submit must be your own. The following lists include examples that indicate the kinds of collaboration that are acceptable and unacceptable in this course. These lists are not exhaustive. If you are unsure about a behavior, ask your instructor.
Acceptable
- Discussing the assignment in general terms with another student, including a discussion of how to approach the problem.
- Helping a classmate to find a bug by viewing their code on their screen, but not on your computer.
- Using the web for instruction, reference and solutions to technical problems, but not for outright solutions to the assignment.
- Whiteboarding solutions to assignments with others using diagrams or pseudocode, but not actual code.
Unacceptable
- Working as a partner (splitting the workload) with another student on an assignment.
- Showing another student your solution to an assignment.
- Viewing another student’s solution to an assignment.
- Providing or making available solutions to individuals who might take this course in the future.
- Decompiling the instructor's solutions that were provided as an example.
- Having another person (current student, former student, tutor, friend, anyone), "walk you through," how to solve an assignment.
- Discussing programming assignments in any public forum other than the class message board.
- Examining or using solutions to class assignments that you might find on the web.
Be carful when providing help to your fellow students. Refer other students to class resources (lecture examples, the text- book, the web site, or emailing an instructor). You must not share your solution with others. You must also ensure that your work is not copied by others by not leaving it in public places, emailing it others, posting it on the web, etc.
Group or pair programming
For some assignments the above policy is relaxed to allow working with a partner or groups. However, the following rules must be strictly adhered to:- All work for that assignment must be done with every one in the group involved, and a clear description of each student's contribution should be included in the report.
- Pairs or group will submit a single copy of your code or report. However, you should each keep a copy of your final submission.
- If students begin working on a project as partners and cannot complete it together, at least one student must contact the instructor to request a partnership dissolution.
Weather Related Closures
Make sure to call ahead to confirm whether class is meeting if you have any concerns about snow accumulations or icy roads that would make travel to campus unsafe. You can call the University's hotline after 6 a.m. (535-7100) or access the PLU website to see if school has been cancelled. If the university is open, but this class needs to be cancelled, that information can either be found on Sakai or will be emailed to you. Students are urged to use caution and personal discretion and avoid undue risk and personal danger when making travel decisions during extreme weather conditions.
Special Needs and Circumstances
Students with medically recognized and documented disabilities and who are in need of special accommodation have an obligation to notify the University of their needs. Students in need of accommodation should contact the Office of Disability Support Services (http://www.plu.edu/dss/, x7206). If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with your instructor as soon as possible.
Students are also reminded that they are responsible for notifying instructors of any conditions that may impair their academic performance. Without advance warning, such difficulties cannot be used later as a basis for requesting make-up exams or reconsideration of grades.
Registrar's Deadlines
- Last day to add a class without a fee: Feb. 14th
- Last day to drop a class without a fee: Feb. 22th
- Last day to withdraw: May 5th
- Pass/fail submittal deadline: Jun. 2nd