Course Description:

This  course  covers  the  hardware  and  software   concepts  required  for the development  of computer based information systems and with the emphasis on general principles applicable to most computer systems.  In short, it is an introduction to computer science. 

Some of the topics discussed in the course include the following: 

• algorithm design and efficiency

• binary numbers, Boolean logic, logic circuits and gates,

• computer systems organization (the architecture of systems),

• virtual machines, assembly language and assemblers, operating systems,

• high-level languages, procedural languages, object-oriented programming,

• compiling, 

• computation models,

• computer networks,

• artificial intelligence, and 

• social and legal issues.

Textbook:

The following textbook is required for the course:

            An Invitation to Computer Science, 

            Second Edition

                  by G. Michael Schneider and Judith L. Gersting,  Brooks/Cole 1999

Required References:

The online edition of the New York Times has excellent coverage of technology news, much of it  computer and information system related.  The service requires a subscription but it is free.  Please visit the New York Times Web page at  www.nytimes.com and subscribe.  
 

There are many other excellent computer technology news sources and a compiled list will be presented in class.

Objectives:

        After successful completion of the course, a student should be able to:

• explain what computer science is,
• understand the basics of algorithms,
• understand the importance of algorithmic problem solving,
• understand the significance of the virtual machine,
• represent the fundamental control structures in programming using pseudocode,
• understand the basics of algorithm efficiency and how to measure it,
• understand the basics of binary numbers, Boolean logic, and logic gates,
• understand the basics of logic circuits,
• appreciate the historical development of computer systems,
• describe the basics of systems software,
• understand the fundamentals of assembly language programming,
• appreciate the advantages of high-level programming languages,
• understand  the basic language statements of the C++ language,
• list the steps of traditional software development life cycle,
• recognize and discuss the various high-level languages discussed in the text,
• understand how compiling works,
• appreciate the meaning of a computing agent and Turing machines,
• understand the basics of computer networks,
• discuss the fundamental ideas in Artificial Intelligence, and
• discuss the various social and legal issues concerned with the use of computers today.

Grades:

        Grades for this course will be based on:
 

        and will be assigned as follows:
 

Study Groups:

Each student will be assigned to a study group consisting of two to four students.  The group assignments will be made by the instructor.  Each student is expected to participate in joint group projects.

Projects:

A number of projects will be assigned. Some are intended for group work and some will be individual efforts. Some project assignments will come from the Practice Problems found throughout the chapters and some selected Exercises at the end of the chapters.

Homework:

Short, weekly homework assignments will be given.  These assignments will include the following:  quizzes,  lab exercises found in the Lab Manual that came with your book, and Internet readings and exercises.

Term Paper:

Each student will conduct  research on an assigned topic and a short (four to five pages) report will be submitted as one of our writing assignments.

Exams:

Two exams are scheduled:  a midterm and a final. The midterm exam will cover the material that we cover in the first half of the term and the final exam will cover the material since the midterm.

The midterm exam and final exam will consist of a variety of questions:  multiple choice, matching, definition, acronyms, brief explanations, compare and distinguish, thought-provoking and problem-solving type questions, and so on.  Essays and case studies are possible on the exam, as well.  

The midterm exam and the final exam will be conducted online and will be  "open-book, take-home" exams.  The exams will be posted online and you will have 48 hours to complete them.

Participation:

WebTycho participation involves responding to conference topics and postings by other students in a timely fashion.  How often should you post?  It can vary.  Each conference topic requires a well-thought-out or well-researched posting (your response).  You should also make at least one thoughtful response each week to another student's posting.  Don't go overboard with postings.  That would be equivalent to dominating a discussion in a traditional classroom.  

Tentative Schedule:
 
 

Week	Topic	Reading Assignment
1 November 4 - 10	Introductions Data Representation	Module 1
2 November 11 - 17	Intro to Computer Science Algorithm Discovery and Design	Chapter 1 Chapter 2
3 November 18 - 24	Efficiency of Algorithms	Chapter 3
4 November 25 - December 1	Binary Numbers, Boolean Logic, and Gates   Digital Logic	Chapter 4     Module 2
5 December 2 - 8	Computer Systems Organization & Historical Overview of Computer Systems Development   A Simple CPU and Memory   Input/Output and Advanced Systems Concepts	Chapter 5       Module 3 Module 4
6 December 9 - 15	System Software and Virtual Machines Operating Systems (Section 1)	Chapter 6 Module 6
7 December 16 - 20	Midterm Exam  (take-home online)
Break December 21 - January 19
8  January 20 - 26	High-Level Language Programming	Chapter 7
9 January 27 - February 2	Procedural, Object-Oriented, and Functional Programming	Chapter 8
10 February 3 - 9	Compilers and Language Translation Programming Tools (Section 2)	Chapter 9 Module 6
11 February 10 - 16	Models of Computation	Chapter 10
12 February 17 - 23	Computer Networks Communications	Chapter 12 Module 5
13 February 24 - March 2	Artificial Intelligence	Chapter 13
14 March 3 - 7	Social and Legal Issues Final Exam  (take-home online)	Chapter 14

Biography of Instructor:

Kerry Painter earned his BA degree in Chinese-Vietnamese Language Studies from the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. Before attending the University of Hawaii, he studied electrical engineering at Clemson University, attended the 47-week North Vietnamese language course at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, and worked as a linguist for the Army Security Agency in both Vietnam and Korea.

For six years after college graduation he worked in radio news as a reporter, writer, announcer, news director, and manager in Hawaii, Texas, and Delaware.  He earned an MS degree in Technical and Science Communication and an MS in Computer Science from Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Kerry did doctoral studies at Drexel and has taught a variety of computer science and mathematics courses at Drexel University, Penn State University,  Elizabethtown College, and Swarthmore College, all in Pennsylvania.  He joined The University of Maryland European Division in January 1989 and has taught  at SHAPE in Belgium, Soesterberg Air Base and AFCENT in Holland, Aviano Air Base in Italy, and at several German locations:  Augsburg, Bad Kreuznach,  Bamberg, Baumholder,  Berlin,  Geilenkirchen, Giebelstadt, Hahn, Hanau, Heidelberg, Kapaun (Vogelweh - Kaiserslautern), Kitzingen, Mannheim, Ramstein, Schweinfurt, Spangdahlem,  Wiesbaden, and Wuerzburg.
 
 

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