Course: EECS1012 3.00 Introduction to Computing: a Net-centric Approach
Term: Winter 2021
Sections: M
Course Webpage: eclass.yorku.ca
and www.eecs.yorku.ca/course/1012
This document communicates course information and defines expectations and responsibilities. In the case of petitions, it is used in the adjudication process as the definitive source of information about a course. This document expands on the course outline, which is also provided to students at the beginning of the academic year.
This is an introductory programming course in computer science and engineering. It introduces skills and concepts such as computational thinking, procedural programming, variables/control-flow constructs, event-handling, and test-driven development within a net-centric context (using HTML, CSS and JavaScript).
|
Section |
Location (time) |
Instructor |
Email |
Office |
Office hours |
M
|
Zoom (MW 10:30-11:30) |
Amir H Chinaei |
ahchinaei@cse.yorku.ca |
Zoom |
W 11:30–13:30 |
Lab sessions: depending on your enrollment is one of the following five sessions:
Sec M, Labs 01,02, 03 R 13:00–16:00
Sec M, Labs 04,05 F 14:00–17:00
Zoom addresses are sent to the YorkU email address of students who are enrolled in the course.
As the course runs totally online, we expect all students to have arranged for a dependable internet connection and reliable computer, microphone, and camera for all lectures, labs, and assessment items. We accommodate each student who misses UP TO ONE major assessment (i.e. tests, lab tests, and the final exam) due to technical problems or any reasons beyond control—by transferring the weight of the missed assessment to their remaining assessments based on the polices stated in the Missed Assessment section below. Regardless, students should also mitigate risks by having back up plans and leaving an adequate time buffer for each coursework and assessment.
Students who are not officially enrolled in the course (and plan to enroll) are expected to attend the lectures and labs from the beginning of the term and complete all required works within the deadlines. Please contact the course instructor for details on how to obtain temporary access to the course materials while your enrolment status is being decided.
There are two hours of lectures and three hours of experiential labs weekly. Lectures introduce the concepts mainly using a problem-based approach; Students implement such concepts in labs. Labs are supervised, in that students will do the lab in a specific location at a specific time. Labs will be posted the week before they are due. Importantly, students should work on the lab exercises prior to their lab session. There will be teaching assistants in each lab to provide limited hints. Students are highly encouraged to discuss concepts of the lectures and exercises of the labs with their peers. This should be done mostly outside lecture and lab sessions--while complying with policies on academic honesty and integrity. We take matters related to academic dishonesty seriously and will use various technological means to ensure academic integrity. Make sure you learn the concepts – do not just copy to finish the lab. Overall, the labs are primarily to prepare you for individual tests where you must work independently.
This course is demanding in terms of time and should not be added to an already heavy load: Slides and many other resources are available online; yet, not actively engaging in lectures, lab work, office hours, and exercises could severely impact your grade. Average students are recommended to spend ~10 to 13 hours per week on this course. If you do not have programming experience, you may find yourself to spend more hours per week to see good results. It’s important to make your study time fun and spend those hours in an appropriate way. Also study this course every day consistently as opposed to once or twice a week. Talk to the course instructor in the first week for more tips.
1.
Use a set of computing skills such as reasoning about
algorithms, tracing programs, test-driven development, and diagnosing faults.
2.
Explain and apply fundamental constructs in event-driven
programs, including variables and expressions, control structures
(conditionals/loops), and API usage.
3.
Write simple programs using a given software infrastructure.
4.
Gain exposure to net-centric computing, client-server
applications.
5.
Become familiar with the notion of syntax, both for programs
and web documents, and the principle of separation of concerns.
Lecture notes, labs and other resources will be made available on the course’s eClass page. In addition, online quizzes and subject matter tests, as well as lab submissions will be conducted using eClass. You are responsible for any and all information posted on eClass.
· Computer Science: A First Course, by Alexandra I Forsythe
o this is a great resource for many computational thinking examples and exercises, with the flowchart symbols we use in EECS1012.
o This is a link if you like to purchase it: https://www.amazon.ca/Computer-Science-Alexandra-I-Forsythe/dp/0471266817
· JavaScript for Kids, by Nick Morgan
o this is a great book for those of you new to programming. Ignore the title of this book as many topics in this book are well advanced. A digital copy of this book is available in the eClass page of the course. The major weak point of this book is that it does not teach computational thinking.
· Eloquent JavaScript, 3rd Edition, by Marijn Haverbeken
o this is a great book to start programming with and continue to excel it. A must-read for anyone who wants to gain a great knowledge of JavaScript. A digital copy of this book is available in the eClass page of the course. The major weak point of this book is that it does not teach computational thinking.
·
Web Design with HTML, CSS, JavaScript and jQuery Set, by Jon Duckett
o these are a set of two great books for those who want to start programming and become a great front-end developer. This is a link if you like to purchase it: https://www.amazon.ca/Web-Design-HTML-JavaScript-jQuery/dp/1118907442 again this is not a good resource for learning computational thinking.
Your final grade in the course will be based on the assessment items below, using the weights indicated. No "extra credit" assignments or assessments will be provided. In order to be fair and consistent with regards to the entire class, individual grades are not negotiable. Furthermore, marks will not be "rounded" or "bell-curved".
|
Assessment
Item |
Time |
Weight,
% |
|
10 weekly labs |
starting the week of January 11 the first 5 weeks are worth 1.2% each the last 5 weeks are worth 1.6% each |
14 |
|
Optional CTC activities |
weekly from January 18 to April 10 |
0 or 5 |
|
Tests and lab tests |
1. Test
1 (12%)
Wed Feb 24 at 10:30 2. Lab
Test 1 (16%) Thursday
Feb 25 if enrolled in Labs 01, 02, 03 Friday
Feb 26 if enrolled in Labs 04, 05 3. Test
2 (12%)
Wed April 07 at 10:30 4. Lab
Test 2 (16%) Thursday
April 08 if enrolled in Labs 01, 02, 03 Friday
April 09 if enrolled in Labs 04, 05 |
56 or 53 |
|
5 subject matter quizzes (SMQ) |
1. Sun Jan
17, 15 minutes from 13:00 to 23:00 2. Sun Feb
07, 15 minutes from 13:00 to 23:00 3. Sun Feb
28, 15 minutes from 13:00 to 23:00 4. Sun Mar
21, 15 minutes from 13:00 to 23:00 5. Sun Apr
11, 15 minutes from 13:00 to 23:00 |
6 |
|
Final Exam |
Between April 14 and 28, will be scheduled by the
university. The final exam is sequential that means navigation among
questions is not allowed; however, we will provide you with 50% extra time to
compensate for its sequential structure. That means if the allotted time
normally is 60 minutes, you will have 90 minutes to write it. |
24 or 22 |
|
Bonus
points |
Throughout
the term for an active and steady participation in the discussion forum in eClass as well as in online lectures |
0
or 2 |
Students repeating this course are expected to redo all lab exercises from scratch. Reusing work from a previous offering of the course (even if it is your own work) or any other source is a violation of the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty.
Overall, there are 10 labs, 2 tests, 2 lab tests, 5 SMQs, and a final exam. For labs and SMQs, we will automatically omit your one worst grade from the final calculation of your points, to mitigate for a bad day that you may have due to internet disconnection or other incidents.
As the course runs totally online, we expect all students to have arranged for a dependable internet connection and reliable devices for all assessment items stated above. Regardless, students should also mitigate risks by having back up plans and leaving an adequate time buffer for each coursework and assessment.
Labs. Details for each lab will be posted approximately five days before they are due. Each lab will have a PDF that you are expected to have read prior to the lab. TAs are available via Zoom to help you. Of course, you are strongly encouraged to attempt your labs before the lab sessions. Your work can be marked by a TA before the lab session time ends. Thus, it is important that you sign-in to your officially enrolled lab. The labs files must be submitted to eClass not later than 160 minutes after your lab sessions’ start time. Also, note that part of your grade in each lab is a mini quiz that is due 10 minutes after your lab sessions’ start time. That quiz is meant to test if you have read and understood the description of the lab tasks and whether you reviewed the relevant course topics. Students are expected to have their camera on during the Zoom sessions and set a virtual background for their privacy.
Tests. These tests consist of two parts: Design and Concepts. In the design part, you provide a solution for a computational problem typically using the flowchart language. In the conceptual part, there are several multiple-choice or similar (like short answer, filing blank, etc.). As with the other tests, any direct or indirect communication is not allowed. Students are responsible to make sure they have a secure internet connection and reliable computer before starting each lab test. Students are also required to be in the Zoom session while their camera is on for the entire tests so that proctors can check the IDs.
Lab tests. These are two labs that are to be completed individually. You will still have access to reference resources on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. However, as with the other tests, any direct or indirect communication with anyone is prohibited. The structure of lab tests consists of a Design part and a Development part. In the design part, you provide a solution for a computational problem typically using the flowchart language. In the development part, you provide a programming solution mainly using the JavaScript language while you may need to develop some HTML and/or CSS parts too. Students are responsible to make sure they have a secure internet connection and reliable computer before starting each lab test. Students are also required to be in the Zoom session while their camera is on for the entire lab-tests so that proctors can check the IDs.
Both types of the tests described above must be completed during the scheduled lectures and lab sections you are officially enrolled in. That also means that these tests are not asynchronous, and you are expected to be available to do finish them during the specific hours within your scheduled lecture or lab.
Subject-Matter Quizzes.
The 5 SMQs tend to
test your knowledge on recently addressed materials. For instance, in SMQ1, we
may ask you questions to verify if you have read this document (the course
syllabus/outline) thoroughly, among other questions. SMQs are asynchronous. In
particular, you can write them any time between 13:00 and 23:00 on the test
day; however, note that once you open each quiz, you have up to 15
minutes to answer it. Again, you are responsible to make sure you have
a secure internet connection and reliable computer before starting each quiz.
Students who do not have any programming background or students who perform very well in the course are highly encouraged to conduct some special tasks which are worth 5 %. One type of special tasks is to effectively participate in the CTC for 7 weeks from Jan 18 to March 7; CTC has been designed mostly for students who do not have any programming background; but, everyone can participate. Another type of special task is to participate in some other projects (to be defined towards end of the term). Everyone has the option of conducting these tasks or having their weight included in their tests and exam (3% and 2% respectively).
Bonus points: students who actively participate in the discussion forum in eClass as well as in lectures and online surveys will receive up to 2% points towards their final grade.
Missed labs (and SMQs). If you miss up to one
lab (and up to one SMQs) due to illness or technical problems such as internet disruption—or
any other reason beyond your control—you will not lose any marks;
instead, the weight of your missed assessment will automatically be transferred
to your final exam. No paperwork is required as this will be done automatically
for all students before we omit their one worst grade in each of these
categories for calculating their final grade. In other words, conducting one single
bad lab or SMQ is treated the same way as missing it completely; hence, you
should always try to conduct it as you will not lose any point.
Missed tests or lab-tests: If you miss Test 1 or Lab-Test 1 due to illness or technical problems such as internet disruption—or any other reason beyond your control—you will not lose any marks; instead, the weight of such a missed test will automatically be transferred to your Test 2 or Lab-Test 2, respectively. No paperwork is required. If you write Test 1 but miss Test 2, its weight will be transferred to your final exam. If you miss Lab-Test 2 or the final exam, you should request for a Deferred Standing Agreement.
The following table illustrates the resolution when a student missed one or more assessments.
|
Missed
Assessment(s) |
Resolution |
|
One lab |
No problem; it does not affect the final grade |
|
One SMQ |
No problem; it does not affect the final grade |
|
Two labs |
The weight is transferred to the final exam |
|
Two SMQs |
The weight is transferred to the final exam |
|
Three or more labs |
Receives 0 out of 1.2 or 1.8 for each |
|
Three or more SMQs |
Receives 0 out of 1.5 for each |
|
Test 1 |
The weight is transferred to Test 2 |
|
Lab Test 1 |
The weight is transferred to Lab Test 2 |
|
Test 2 |
The weight is transferred to the final exam |
|
Lab Test 2 |
Student should request a Deferred Standing |
|
Both Test 1 and Test 2 |
Receives 0 out of 12 in Test 1; the weight of Test 2 is transferred to the final exam |
|
Both Lab Test 1 and Lab Test 2 |
Receives 0 out of 16 in Lab Test 1; Student should request a Deferred Standing for missed Lab Test 2 |
|
Final Exam |
Student should request a Deferred Standing |
Remarking requests: If you believe that a test was graded incorrectly, you may request a reappraisal of the work. A reappraisal request must be properly uploaded in the eClass page before the deadline (which is up to one week of receiving the original grade). It is essential that you explain clearly why you think the work should be re-marked; otherwise, the grade will remain unchanged. Note that the test will be re-graded in its entirety and that re-grading can result in the grade being raised, confirmed, or lowered. Also note that remark requests will be processed within four weeks after the deadline.
Grading: The final grade for the course is obtained by combining the scores of the assessments and mapping this total to a letter grade according to the following mapping table. Final course grades may be adjusted to conform to Department or Faculty grades distribution profiles.
|
≥ 90 |
≥ 80 |
≥ 75 |
≥ 70 |
≥ 65 |
≥ 60 |
≥ 55 |
≥ 50 |
≥ 40 |
< 40 |
|
A+ |
A |
B+ |
B |
C+ |
C |
D+ |
D |
E |
F |
· We
highly encourage you to ask questions during lectures or office hours, and use
the eClass discussion forum, before emailing
the course instructor. You should use eClass to
upload any paperwork within the designated deadlines. Email should be used only
for special circumstances that are not facilitated in eClass.
·
To save yourself time, do not ask a question whose answer is
in the Course Outline and Syllabus or in the forum. Search this document and
the course forum first.
·
Only use your York email account.
·
Please include “EECS1012”, a brief indication of
the topic in the subject line, and your formal name (the one used within YorkU systems), Passport York username, and student number at
the end of your message. These are necessary to access your course records and
materials. Also include any additional information that is pertinent to the
topic of your email.
·
Use grammatical English. Do not use SMS-style talk (e.g.,
“r u gonna return the tests tmr?”)
or other shorthand or slang. For guides on writing professional emails, read
this.
·
Email messages not complying
with these guidelines may not be answered in a timely manner.
·
We generally respond to emails within 24 hours (usually much sooner).
However, we reserve the right to not respond to any emails on weekends or
during holidays, as well as the emails that pose questions that have been
already answered in this document or in the discussion forum.
Course announcements will be posted on eClass in the "Course Announcements" section. By default, all enrolled students should receive an email notifying them of a new announcement. Regardless, it is the responsibility of each student to be aware of all course announcements that are made, so check the discussion forum in eClass regularly.
Also, all lecture notes, link to other resources, lab instructions, deadlines, and important dates are on eClass. Students will be required to submit their lab work on eClass within the designated deadlines.
In order to be fair and
consistent with regards to the entire class, we do not make exceptions for
individual students.
The learning objectives of this course emphasize on computational thinking, in particular algorithm design. EECS1012 students are very highly encouraged to join the club to improve their algorithm design skills as early as the first week of classes. The club runs mainly during the first 7 weeks of classes. Sessions are held via Zoom on:
·
TBA TBA
·
TBA TBA
Students who actively attend at least one session per week from Jan18 to March 14 and, for each session, bring questions to solve may obtain some bonus points for special tasks.
The peer instructions activity is twofold: you enhance your learning by studying some topics of your choice with your peers and if you do it based on the guidelines we will provide you with, you improve both your learning and your grades in upcoming test/exam; you also might obtain some bonus points to boost your grade even further. The guidelines and details of how to engage in peer instructions will be posted on eClass in week 7 of classes.
Images and materials presented in lectures are subject to Canadian copyright law. Lectures are the intellectual property of the professor. Course materials are the intellectual property of the associated author(s). You may not and may not allow others to reproduce or distribute lecture notes, test questions and other course materials publicly for commercial and non-commercial purposes without an express written permission from the professor or author. If it can be shown that these terms were violated by you, your course grade may be changed to an F even after the course is completed.
Students are expected to do their own work and to act with integrity. Accessing someone else's work during a test, communicating with other persons during a test, using unauthorized aids during a test, plagiarism, not reporting cheating by someone else, and impersonation are all examples of academically dishonest behaviour. Students repeating this course are expected to redo all lab exercises from scratch. Reusing work from a previous offering of the course (even if it is your own work) or any other source is a violation of the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty.
We take matters related to academic dishonesty seriously and we take measures to detect irregularities during all assessments. For example, network traffic may be logged, video surveillance may be considered, and multiple versions of the questions may be used. The work you submit may also be checked for signs of cheating using automated tools, sometimes not immediately.
Students are expected to read and understand the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty, with additional comments and explanations here: http://lassonde.yorku.ca/academic-integrity. If you have any questions about the policy or would like to report a violation, please speak with your instructor.
Other Resources There is an academic integrity
website with comprehensive information about academic honesty and how to find
resources at York to help improve students' research and writing skills, and
cope with University life. Students are strongly encouraged to review the
materials on this SPARK
Academic Integrity website.
·
Students are encouraged to participate in the online eClass forums to ask or comment on questions relating to
course concepts.
·
Check to see if your question has already been posted. You
are expected to search the forums, but you do not have to read each post. If
your question has not already been asked, create a new post.
·
Use a clear, informative subject line ("Please
Help!" is not informative). Try to be as specific as
possible.
·
Post comments appropriate to the particular discussion.
Off-topic posts may be deleted.
·
Post only material relevant to the course. Other posts may
be deleted.
·
Be respectful. Posts containing personal insults, attacks,
intimidation, or profanity may be deleted. Remember, TAs and instructors read
forum posts too.
·
Any post that appears to violate this code of conduct may be
edited, moved, or deleted at the discretion of the moderators. If a post also
gives indication of violating the Senate Policy on Academic
Honesty
or the York University Student Code
of Conduct,
further action may be taken. It is specifically forbidden to
post or solicit solutions for quizzes, tests, or labs through the discussion
forum (or elsewhere, for that matter; we monitor various online venues).
·
We might consider some bonus points based on your activities
in the forum.
Students and instructors are expected to maintain a professional relationship characterized by courtesy and mutual respect. Moreover, it is the responsibility of the instructor to maintain an appropriate academic atmosphere in the classroom and other academic settings, and the responsibility of the student to cooperate in that endeavour. Further, the instructor is the best person to decide, in the first instance, whether such an atmosphere is present in the class. The policy and procedures governing disruptive and/or harassing behaviour by students in academic situations is available online. See also:
· Student Rights and Responsibilities - http://oscr.students.uit.yorku.ca/student-conduct
· York University Racism Policy and Procedures - http://secretariat-policies.info.yorku.ca/policies/racism-policy-and-procedures/
· York University’s Policies on Sexual Violence - http://secretariat-policies.info.yorku.ca/policies/sexual-violence-policy-on/
· York University’s Policies on Gender/LGBTQ*/Positive Space - http://rights.info.yorku.ca/lgbtq/
Several platforms will be used in this course (e.g., eClass, Zoom, etc.) through which students will interact with the course materials, the course director / TA, as well as with one another. Please review the syllabus to determine how the class meets (in whole or in part), and how office hours and presentations will be conducted.
Students shall note the following:
· Zoom is hosted on servers in the U.S. This includes recordings done through Zoom.
· If you have privacy concerns about your data, provide only your first name or a nickname when you join a session.
Technology requirements and FAQs for eClass (aka Moodle) can be found here:
https://lthelp.yorku.ca/95440-student-faq
Access/Disability: York University is committed to principles of respect, inclusion and equality of all persons with disabilities across campus. The University provides services for students with disabilities (including physical, medical, learning and psychiatric disabilities) needing accommodation related to teaching and evaluation methods/materials. These services are made available to students in all Faculties and programs at York University.
Students in need of these services are asked to register with disability services as early as possible to ensure that appropriate academic accommodation can be provided with advance notice. You are encouraged to schedule a time early in the term to meet with each professor to discuss your accommodation needs. Please note that registering with disabilities services and discussing your needs with your professors is necessary to avoid any impediment to receiving the necessary academic accommodations to meet your needs.
Additional information is available at the following websites:
·
Student Accessibility Services
Religious Observance Accommodation: York University is committed to respecting the religious beliefs and practices of all members of the community, and providing reasonable accommodations for observances of special significance to adherents. Should any of the dates specified in this syllabus for an in-class test or examination pose such a conflict for you, contact the course coordinator within the first three weeks of class. Similarly, should an assignment to be completed in a lab, practicum placement, workshop, etc., scheduled later in the term pose such a conflict, contact the course coordinator immediately. Please note that to arrange an alternative date or time for an examination scheduled in the formal examination periods, students must complete an Examination Accommodation Form, which can be obtained from Student Client Services, Student Services Centre or online.
· Religious Observance - https://w2prod.sis.yorku.ca/Apps/WebObjects/cdm.woa/wa/regobs