» MIT OpenCourseWare » Civil and Environmental Engineering » Introduction to Computers and Engineering Problem Solving, Fall 2002

Syllabus

Instructors

Dr. Judson Harward
Prof. Steven Lerman

Lectures / Labs (Active Learning)

There are three sessions every week for 1.5 hours each. Many of the sessions will be Active Learning sessions (see lecture schedule for details). Please bring your laptop and wireless ethernet card to Active Learning sessions. We recommend that you bring your laptop to regular lectures as well.

Required Text

The textbook for the course is Big Java®, by Cay S. Horstmann (John Wiley & Sons, 2001).

Goals of Course

To learn how to use computation in efficiently solving some types of scientific, engineering and management problems.
To learn to program in an interactive, object-oriented environment, namely Java®.
To understand the basic concepts of software engineering:
• Design
• Documentation
• Debugging
• Teamwork in the implementation of software
To be introduced to the concepts and use of object-oriented software design.
To learn how to build computer programs that make effective use of the Java® class libraries.
To learn how to build interactive graphic user interfaces.
To learn to use algorithms, including:
• What is an algorithm?
• How do you describe an algorithm?
• How do you implement an algorithm from a description?
• How do you compare and choose an algorithm for a particular application?
To learn to use data structures:
• What is a data structure?
• How do you implement one?
• How do you combine algorithms and data structures?
• How do you use generic data structures and the Java® collection classes?
To learn to recognize, implement, and combine software patterns.

Laptops

If you own a laptop computer, we recommend that you use it for 1.00. Otherwise, we will provide you with a laptop for use during the term.

If you are using your own personal laptop PC, the minimum system requirements are:
Processor: 500 MHz, Pentium III
RAM: 256 Mbytes
Disk space: 150 Mbytes free
OS: Windows XP, Windows 2000

In the past, a few students have used Macintosh PowerBooks for 1.00. We do not recommend doing this unless you are an expert user and have a good grasp of the differences between Macs and PCs. Neither the 1.00 staff nor the Student Laptop Project (IS) will be able to support you if you decide to use a Macintosh.

If you use your own laptop, you must download and install Forte (Sun ONE Studio 4) from the Sun website.

Tutorials

Each student will be assigned to a tutorial section which will be held each week on either Monday or Tuesday. Sections will have 6-8 students (3-4 pairs) and will last for one hour. Attendance is mandatory. Please bring your laptop and wireless card to your tutorial section. We try to separate students into experienced and inexperienced sections.

Fill Out Online Tutorial Signup Form to Choose Your Partner

All students must fill out the online tutorial signup form. After the scheduled deadline, the online form will be removed and you will be assigned a tutorial section based on your preferences. You should choose a partner before you sign up, or we will try to match with a student in the same section. We will email you with your section assignment.

Course Requirements

10 problem sets, each worth 6 points (60% of grade)
2 in-class quizzes, each worth 8 points (16%)
Final exam during finals period, worth 18%
Weekly tutorials (10 sessions) plus weekly labs/active learning (14 sessions). Mandatory attendance; 1/4 point per session (6%)
Quizzes, exam are open book, open notes
Late problem set rules -- 20% off for 1 working day late, 100% off for anything later.

Lab TA Hours

In addition to the regular 1.00 TAs, a Lab TA will be available in the 1.00 TA office during weeks in which problem sets are due.

Extension Policy for Problem Set

Extensions on problem sets will not be granted, except under exceptional, unexpected circumstances. Only instructors approve extension requests, not TAs. Please do not ask your TA for a problem set extension.

Submitting Problem Sets Electronically

It is required that you submit problem sets in both hardcopy and electronic form. Hardcopy may be submitted at lecture on due dates. For electronic submissions, you will need to transfer your files to the 1.00 “homework locker” that has been set up for you. Details on how to submit problem sets electronically will be provided by your TA in tutorial sessions.

Registration

If you are a graduate student, please register for 1.001 instead of 1.00 to get graduate credit for this course.

Java® is a trademark or registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

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Syllabus