CPSC 181 Intro to Computing

1. CPSC 181Intro to Computing Dr. Jinxiang Chai

2. My Background • Education: - PhD: Carnegie Mellon University • Research: - Build animation systems that allow children & nonprogrammers to create and control animation quickly and easily • Motion capture lab (HRBB 505)

3. Today’s Class • Review of the Syllabus • Brief review of the department • Brief overview of the CS Curriculum • Brief overview of the Writing Center • Readings

4. Syllabus • Instructor: Jinxiang Chai • TAs: Jacob Smith (TTH: 1:00pm-2:00pm) • Goals • Topics/Schedule • Textbook/website • Grading

5. My Information • Office: 527D H.R. Bright Bldg • Office Hours: Tuesdays 12:50pm - 1:20pm; other times by appointment • Email: jchai@cs.tamu.edu • Office Phone: 845-3510

6. Goals • Introduction to the broad field of computing - Include presentations on how fundamental concepts are used in end products and research • Introduction to technical writing - Presentations on writing (next two lectures) - Required text on writing - Significant writing assignments

7. Topics and Schedule • Totally, we will meet 13-15 times, - Meet once a week - Introduction (1) - Technical writing & brief history of computer science (2) - Industry talks & faculty talks (10-12)

8. Textbook & Website • Required - Writing for Computer Science, Justin Zobel, second edition, Springer, 2004. - Excellent reference book • WebCT: http://elearning.tamu.edu, - Check often for: Writing assignment grades and recording of questions asked • Course website: (from my home page) - http://www.cs.tamu.edu/faculty/jchai/cpsc181

9. Assignments • Six short written assignments • Most will be a review of a lecture (classes 4 – 13) • Summarize topic, lecture information, • Give personal view • The first will be a survey of faculty in this department. • Due in 2 weeks • Pick 6 faculty, two from each level • Write one paragraph about each faculty member

10. Final Report • A 5-7 page document • Topic of your choosing • Pick by 3/5 • Outline, references, drafts at other dates • For all assignments, see the written descriptions for more details.

11. Grading • Grading is on a pass/fail basis. - To receive a satisfactory grade, you must complete all of the following satisfactorily. • Short Reports: - Complete six short written reports with a grade of 7 or higher (out of 10) • Final Report: - Complete this report with a grade of 70 or higher (out of 100) • Class Participation: - You are expected to ask questions of the speakers. - State your name before asking the question so that the teaching assistant can record the information during class. - You must ask at least two questions, in two different classes. • Attendance: - mandatory, - 2+ unexcused absences will fail the course

12. The CS Department • Faculty: • Tenured/Tenure-Track • Have both research and teaching responsibilities • Assistant Professors: Newer, not tenured • Associate Professors: Not new, usually tenured • Professors: Tenured • Teaching Faculty • Primary duties are teaching

13. The CS Department • Administrative Staff, Accounting Staff, Facilities Staff • Advising – Richardson 9th floor • Joe Hurley, Rick Furuta • Marilyn Payton • Computing Services Group – HRBB 2nd floor • Helpdesk

14. Student Organizations • Aggie Women in Computer Science (AWICS) - http://awics.cs.tamu.edu/ • Student Engineers’ Council (SEC) - http://sec.tamu.edu/ • Texas A&M Computing Society (TACS) - Student chapter of ACM and IEEE-CS - http://tacs.cs.tamu.edu/ • Texas Aggie Game Developers (TAGD) - http://tagd.cs.tamu.edu/ • Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE) Computer Science Honor Society - http://upe.cs.tamu.edu/

15. The CS Department • Look at the department website: - http://www.cs.tamu.edu - Lots of information there to help you learn about the department • Also, individual faculty, research groups have their own websites

16. The CS Curriculum • New CS curriculum • Give students more fundamental Computer Science earlier on • Most fundamental information in first 2 years • Give students more flexibility later on • Allow students to tailor degree to match interests • Intro class to give overview of Computer Science • Capstone class at the end • Developed in conjunction with industry • Have necessary background to obtain industry job after freshman year

17. Semester 1: CPSC 181: Intro Seminar CPSC 121: Intro to Programming in C++ Semester 3: CPSC 314: Programming Languages CPSC 312: Computer Organization Semester 2: CPSC 121: Data Structures and Algorithms Semester 4: CPSC 313: Programming Studio CPSC 315: Computer Systems The “Intro” Sequence of CS classes

18. Upper Level • Four “Tracks” of classes: • Algorithms/Theory • Systems • Software • Information and Intelligent Systems • Take 1 class from each track (breadth) • Take 3 classes in one track (depth) • Take 1 class in any track • Also: Upper level seminar class (481), Senior Capstone class (482)

19. University Writing Center • See www.writingcenter.tamu.edu for resources and to make appointments • Location: - 214 Evans Library - 205 West Campus Library • Mission: Provide students of TAMU with the opportunity to enhance written communication skills through the use of face-to-face, online consulting sessions, and other resources

20. UWC: Hours • Evans Library - Sunday: 5:00pm – 10:00pm - Monday – Thursday: 9:00am – 10:00pm - Friday: 9:00am – 2:00pm • West Campus Library - Sunday: 5:00pm – 10:00pm - Monday – Thursday: 12:00noon – 10:00pm - Friday: Closed

21. In-person Sessions • Sessions begin on the hour and can last up to 45 minutes. • Best to make an appointment one day in advance • Allow drop-in’s. More than 5 minutes late, results in a forfeit of the appointment. • Bring a copy of your assignment and prioritize your concerns

22. Required Readings • Read Chapters 1 and 13 of “Writing for Computer Science”