Course Materials for CIS 300, Spring 2009

Professor: Rod Howell

Email: rhowell@ksu.edu
Office: Nichols 227D
Office Hours: 1:30-3:00 TT or by appointment
Phone: 532-7735

TAs:

Claudia Chaudhari

Email: marincx at ksu.edu
Office: N227-J
Office Hours: 10:30-11:30 M, 3:30-4:30 MW

Aaron Chavez

Email: mchav at ksu.edu
Office: N219-G
Office Hours: 2:30-3:30 MWF

SAS Tutor: Chris Ramsey

His schedule is posted on the Scholars Assisting Scholars (SAS) web site.

I have been unable to find an appropriate data structures textbook that uses C#, which will be the programming language used in this class. For this reason, I will not be following any specific textbook. If you would like to refer to a textbook that uses Java, which is similar to C#, I can recommend the following:

Data Structures and Other Objects Using Java, Michael Main.
Data Structures and Algorithms in Java, Michael T. Goodrich and Roberto Tamassia.
Data Structures and Problem Solving Using Java, Mark Allen Weiss.

If you would like to refer to a textbook on programming in C#, I can recommend:

Programming in the Key of C#: A Primer for Aspiring Programmers, Charles Petzold.

Prerequisite

The prerequisite for this course is CIS 200 with a C or better. If you do not meet the prerequisite requirement for this course, you should see me immediately. It your responsibility to drop this course if you do not meet the prerequisite requirement. The department and the College of Engineering reserve the right to drop you from this course if you do not meet the listed prerequisites.

Goals

Students should master the following knowledge and skills:

Interfaces to (partially) define a data structure
Standard versions of classic data structures: lists, stacks, queues, trees, and hash tables
Elementary algorithms for inserting, sorting, and searching an implementation of a data structure
Recursion, including recursive definitions of data structures like lists and trees

In addition, students should become familiar with the following:

Time-complexity classes and their application to evaluating performance of data-structure implementations

Programming Environment

This course will require a significant amount of programming using Microsoft Visual C# 2008. Examples shown in class will use Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Express Edition, which is available for free from Microsoft.

Topics

Time permitting, I would like to cover the following topics (not necessarily in this order):

Using Visual C# to construct GUIs
Stacks
Queues
Lists
Trees
Binary search trees
Tries
Hashing
Sorting

Grading

Programming assignments: 50%
Exam 1, Feb. 20: 10%
Exam 2, Mar. 13: 10%
Exam 3, Apr. 22: 10%
Final Exam, Thurs., May 14, 11:50-1:40: 20%

Programming assignments will be given roughly once per week. All solutions must be submitted electronically through K-State Online by the given due date. Late submissions will be accepted with a penalty of 1 point (out of 100) per hour, or any portion of an hour, late; thus, if a submission is 1 minute late, the penalty is 1 point. If multiple solutions are submitted for the same assignment, only the last one will be graded. No submissions will be accepted after three days past the due date.

Each of the first three exams will be a 50-minute exam covering roughly 25% of the course material. The Final Exam will be comprehensive. Except under extreme circumstances (as judged by me), no make-up exams will be given.

Final grades will be assigned according to the following scale:

90%-100%: A
80%-89%: B
70%-79%: C
60%-69%: D
Below 60%: F

In addition, in order to pass the class with at least a D, you must obtain a total of at least 60% of the points on the four exams combined.

Academic honesty

Kansas State University has an Honor & Integrity System based on personal integrity, which is presumed to be sufficient assurance in academic matters that one's work is performed honestly and without unauthorized assistance. Undergraduate and graduate students, by registration, acknowledge the jurisdiction of the Honor & Integrity System. The policies and procedures of the Honor System apply to all full and part-time students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate courses on-campus, off-campus, and via distance learning.

A component vital to the Honor & Integrity System is the Honor Pledge, which applies to all assignments, examinations, or other course work undertaken by students. The Honor Pledge is implied, whether or not it is stated: "On my honor, as a student, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid on this academic work."

In this class, you may discuss programming assignments with others, and you may help each other to find errors in your code; however, you must write up your own solutions yourself, without using either complete or partial solutions from your classmates, the internet, or other sources. You must do the exams with no assistance from others. If you are in doubt about what is permissible, please ask me.

A grade of XF can result from a breach of academic honesty. The F indicates failure in the course; the X indicates the reason is an Honor Pledge violation.

For more information, visit the Honor & Integrity System home web page at: http://www.ksu.edu/honor.

K-State Online

All assignments and other course materials will be distributed via K-State Online. Grade information may be accessed there, and announcements will be posted from time to time. Important class messages will be emailed to your KSU email accounts and posted as announcements. You must be enrolled in the course to access K-State Online.

Disabilities

Any student with a disability that needs a classroom accommodation, access to technology or other assistance in this course should contact Disability Support Services (202 Holton Hall) and/or their instructor.

Copyright © 2009, Rod Howell. This syllabus, all lectures for this course, and all lecture materials are copyrighted materials. During this course, students are prohibited from selling notes to or being paid for taking notes by any person or commercial firm without the express written permission of Rod Howell.