Comprehensive Course Syllabus. Computer Science Inquiry (CSI)

Transcription

1 Computer Science Inquiry (CSI) Course Description: We will explore fundamentals of computer science that are essential for students in the 21st century. The principles of computer science are taught with two concurrent themes. Creativity Theme topics: Computing as a creative activity, processing of data creates knowledge, abstraction, levels of abstraction, managing complexity, computational thinking, problem solving, programming (in Python) and debugging. Principles Theme topics: Data and information, algorithms, basic ideas behind technologies including computers, hardware, software and networks, Internet and search engines, and multimedia, social uses and abuses of information, and the foundations of privacy. Instructors: Ms. Namrata Pandya Dr. Pat Patankar Dr. Omar Aldawud npandya@imsa.edu ppatankar@imsa.edu oaldawud@imsa.edu Phone: Office hours: 1. Drop in the CS office and see if we are available 2. 11:00am 12:00pm or by appointment (Ms. Pandya) 3. 12:00pm 1:00pm or by appointment (Dr. Pat) 4. 2:15pm 3:15pm or by appointment (Dr. Aldawud) Meeting Days, Time and Rooms: Ms. Pandya: Dr. Pat: 2:20 4:00pm B/D days Room A133 8:10 9:50am B/D days Room A133 2:20 4:00pm A/C days Room A133 Dr. Aldawud: 10:00 11:40am B/D days Room A156 12:30 2:10pm A/C days Room A156 Text(s)/Material: There is no required text for this course. A number of online resources will be used extensively and handouts will be provided for reading material. Teaching and Learning Methodology and Philosophy: The teaching and learning philosophy in this course is to expose students to a variety of concepts, ideas and problem-solving strategies, which are developed and extended through reading, class discussion and interactive exploration. The course is intended to prepare students to work independently as well as collaborate with peers on group activities. Much of the learning

2 is expected to take place through class exercises and discussions, students creating and delivering artifacts using programs and/or Arduino programming. Since IMSA has not adopted Computer Science standards yet, we will follow the guidelines of National Educational Technology (NET) standards for students (see r_students_2007.htm) : Creativity and Innovation Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students: a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes. b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression. c. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues. d. identify trends and forecast possibilities. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students: a. identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation. b. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project. c. collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions. d. use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions. Digital Citizenship Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students: a. advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology. b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity. c. demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning. d. exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.

3 Technology Operations and Concepts Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations. Students: a. understand and use technology systems. b. select and use applications effectively and productively. c. troubleshoot systems and applications. d. transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies. SSLs and Outcomes: I. Developing the Tools of Thought IA, IB, IC, ID II. Thinking about Thinking IIB III. Extending and Integrating Thought IIIA, IIIB V. Thinking and Acting with others VA, VB Student Expectations: All students are expected to be involved in class discussions and explorations. keep up with the reading material and check moodle regularly for handouts, assignments and submissions. complete all assignments and exercises in a timely manner. take responsibility for learning certain basic skills and relationships. take responsibility for seeking additional help as it is needed. have a working computer with them during each class. Course components: Exercises: Projects: Labs: Must be completed on a timely basis. Will be checked regularly during class/lab time. Projects will be assigned throughout the semester. Ample time is allowed for each project in and out of class time. Labs are designed to be completed in class. As such the labs are due by the end of the class the day they are assigned. The labs are meant to help students exercise specific concepts covered in (or out of) the class. Quizzes/Exams: Pencil and paper tests/quizzes will be given periodically to test students understanding of the material. All the tests/quizzes are comprehensive

4 and will include all the material taught in class as well as some material that students are responsible for learning from their projects/assignments and/or online resources. Late homework/projects will be severely penalized: by end of the day: -20% by beginning of the next class: -50% All the assignments are to be submitted by the beginning of the class on a due date. Academic Honesty: All programs/assignments must be your own work. Copies of another s work will be considered plagiarism and treated accordingly. IMSA s plagiarism policy will be strictly enforced. Class Rules: No food or drinks will be allowed in the class. No gaming in the class (unless it is an assignment). No head phones allowed during class. Every student will stay on task during the class time and will not leave the class till dismissed or he/she risks being marked absent. Quarterly grades will be averaged using the following weighting: Projects 30% Quizzes/Tests 30% Exercises 20% Labs 15% Participation/Organization 5% Semester grades will be averaged using the following weighting: Cumulative semester work 90% Semester Final Project 10% Sequence of Topics and Activities: Week 1-2: History of Computing and computers, computer science, hardware and software, computer number systems. Handouts, classroom activities, students present their solutions on board as well as two-minute oral presentation of a topic Week 3-4: Boolean Logic and Boolean algebra, computer networks and the Internet, and Computer security. Handouts, online security games, classroom activities, lab and a quiz, Performance Task Week 5-6: Cryptography, Introduction to HTML and W3 consortium. Web Design principles. Online tutorials, Encrypting and Decrypting activities, classroom activities using notepad editor, quiz

5 Week 7-8: Inserting tables, links, images, forms, audio and video on a web page. Using Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) to style a web page. Classroom activities, small presentation of a web page, online tutorials, Web site project. Week 9-10: CSS continued. Borders, Menus, Backgrounds etc. Animation, transformation and scaling. Classroom activities, online tutorials, Publishing web site on IMSA server, lab and a quiz Week 11-12: Introduction to programming using Python. Programming constructs and Logical thinking. Writing algorithms. Variables, assignment and conditional statements, Loops and Lists. Python IDE, online tutorials, classroom activities. Week 13-14: Programming continued. Lists, dictionary, functions. More classroom activities. Students create a simple game using Python, quiz Week 15-16: Arduino Projects. Students get hands-on experience working with Arduino kits. They write simple programs and experiment with Arduino. Presentation, handouts, Final project