CS101I. Programming Fundamentals

Prerequisites: No programming or computer science experience is required. Students should have sufficient facility with high-school mathematics to solve simple linear equations and to appreciate the use of mathematical notation and formalism.

Syllabus:

• Computing applications: Word processing; spreadsheets; editors; files and directories
• Fundamental programming constructs: Syntax and semantics of a higher-level language; variables, types, expressions, and assignment; simple I/O; conditional and iterative control structures; functions and parameter passing; structured decomposition
• Algorithms and problem-solving: Problem-solving strategies; the role of algorithms in the problem-solving process; implementation strategies for algorithms; debugging strategies; the concept and properties of algorithms
• Fundamental data structures: Primitive types; arrays; records; strings and string processing
• Machine level representation of data: Bits, bytes, and words; numeric data representation and number bases; representation of character data
• Overview of operating systems: The role and purpose of operating systems; simple file management
• Introduction to net-centric computing: Background and history of networking and the Internet; demonstration and use of networking software including e-mail, telnet, and FTP
• Human-computer interaction: Introduction to design issues
• Software development methodology: Fundamental design concepts and principles; structured design; testing and debugging strategies; test-case design; programming environments; testing and debugging tools
• Social context of computing: History of computing and computers; evolution of ideas and machines; social impact of computers and the Internet; professionalism, codes of ethics, and responsible conduct; copyrights, intellectual property, and software piracy.

Units covered:

PF1	Fundamental programming constructs	10	hours (9 core + 1)
PF2	Algorithms and problem-solving	3	core hours (of 6)
PF3	Fundamental data structures	2	core hours (of 14)
AR2	Machine level representation of data	1	core hour (of 3)
AR3	Assembly level machine organization	2	core hours (of 9)
OS1	Overview of operating systems	1	core hour (of 2)
NC1	Introduction to net-centric computing	1	core hour (of 2)
PL3	Introduction to language translation	1	core hour (of 2)
PL4	Declarations and types	3	core hours
PL5	Abstraction mechanisms	3	core hours
HC1	Foundations of human-computer interaction	1	core hour (of 6)
GV1	Fundamental techniques in graphics	1	core hour (of 2)
SP1	History of computing	1	core hour
SP2	Social context of computing	1	core hour (of 3)
SP4	Professional and ethical responsibilities	1	core hour (of 3)
SP6	Intellectual property	1	core hour (of 3)
SE1	Software design	3	core hours (of 8)
SE3	Software tools and environments	2	core hours (of 3)
SE4	Software processes	1	core hour (of 2)
	Elective topics	1	hour

Notes:
This course is part of an alternative implementation of the imperative-first introductory track that covers the fundamental programming concepts in three semesters rather than two. In terms of the curriculum, students should be able to move on to more advanced courses after taking either the sequence CS101I-102I-103I or the two-semester sequence sequence CS111I-112I, which covers the same material in a more concentrated fashion. Although covering programming fundamentals in two semesters has long been standard in computer science education, more and more programming topics can legitimately be identified as fundamental, making it more difficult to provide a complete introduction to this material in a single year. The CC2001 Task Force anticipates that three-semester introductory sequences will become increasingly common over the next decade and encourages departments and individual faculty to experiment with models along these lines.

Online resources for CS101I