Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.seas.gwu.edu/~csci41/fall05/41f05faq.html
This page may be updated during the semester as more questions
arise.
You should check this location frequently to see if the page has been
updated
since your last visit.
What is this course about?
This course is designed to provide an overview of the field of Computer
Science
(CS)
to majors, potential majors, and perhaps others interested in the
field.
It is not a programming course or computing-skills course;
while
you will undoubtedly improve some of your computing skills here, that
is
not the main purpose of the course.
Do I get to do programming in this course? If not, why not?
There may be a few very, very, small programs in the laboratories, but
if you did any programming in high school or elsewhere, this will not
resemble
anything you did there. Programming is a tool used to build software;
here
we want to emphasize the science of computer science, not the
programming
tool. Think of this course as analogous to studying the basics of
architecture;
you need to know how to use hammers and drills to build a house, but
not
to be an architect.
But I'm a CS major. When do I get to do some programming?
The first programming course here at GW is CSci 53, which many of you
are taking concurrently with this course. A main purpose of CSci 41 is
to highlight the key fact that CS is not just
programming!
In learning and doing programming, you get involved with learning
programming
languages, and getting a program running requires getting a lot of
details--syntactic,
algorithmic, and others--right. This is not effortless, and in this
course
we want you to put that effort into focusing on CS broadly and not on
the
details of programming languages. You'll have plenty of time for that
in other courses!
Is this a "filter course" designed to weed out students?
Absolutely not! Our goal in this course is that every student should succeed
here, and we are here to help you do so.
Is this a difficult course?
It's not intended to be difficult. Any course, in any subject, is
easier
for some students than for others.
Does this course have a heavy workload?
CSci 41 is not intended to be a very heavy course. On the other hand,
you
are required to do some reading every week, complete the lab
exercises
as best you can, and complete any additional homework you are given, on
time. As in most university-level courses, for every in-class hour
in this course, you should plan to spend at least 2 hours outside of
class.
Since you spend roughly 4 hours per week in class here (lecture + lab),
plan on 8 hours a week of homework. Homework must be done in the
week
it is assigned!
Do I have to go to lecture?
By university policy, attendance in class is required, not
optional.
Lecture attendance in this course counts 10% of your grade. Some days
attendance
is taken; other days it isn't. If you must miss a lecture, you are
still
responsible for all work covered, so ask a friend to take notes for
you.
That's not fair! Suppose I came to most of the lectures, but
skipped just
the ones where you took attendance?
Well, that was bad luck, wasn't it? This is not high school; I am not
going
to spend the time to take attendance every day. To get the best
attendance
grade, come to class, and skip only if you absolutely must and you are
willing to take the chance that I'll call the roll.
Do I have to go to lab?
Each week's lab session will require you to do a small assignment that
helps you learn that week's material. The objective is to go to the lab
and try to finish the assignment; if you do that, you get credit for
that
lab; if you don't, you don't. Lab work counts 20% of your grade.
What if I miss a lecture or lab, and therefore don't get a copy of
an assignment
handout?
Each handout will be distributed in class once. All handouts
are
on the class web site, http://www.seas.gwu.edu/~csci41/fall05.
If you miss a handout -- or lose one -- just visit the web site and get
a copy there.
Do you give out lecture notes or post them on the web?
Not usually. I don't read from prepared notes. I do use viewgraphs, but
I often change them at the last minute or write on them during lecture.
Why not put those viewgraphs on the web?
Sometimes it's quite hard to prepare them in a web-friendly form. But
more
important, I do not want to give the impression that you can do well in
this course just by reading stuff on the web. Classes should be
interactive
and interesting, and I want you to be here for them.
How is grading done?
Your semester grade will be calculated as follows:
- Lecture Attendance 10%
- Laboratory Assignments 20%
- Projects 20%
- Midterm Exam 20%
- Final Exam 30%
Do you grade "on a curve"?
I keep grade records strictly "by the numbers"; at the end of the
semester,
I compute a final average for each student. I then assign a grade that
represents my experienced judgement as to how much you got out of the
course.
I have no predetermined cutoff points for As, Bs, Cs, etc. If every
student
does well, every student gets a high grade.
What about these projects?
We will assign a few projects to be done outside class. These could be
continuations of the lab exercises, or brief research papers. We'll
design and assign the projects as we go,
depending
on how the labs and lectures develop.
Each project will be graded on a 0-20 point basis. An incomplete
submission
is better than none; you will get credit where credit is due. I will
accept
late projects, subject to a "late fee" of 4 points per week of
lateness.
Each project is due by the start of the class on the due date;
projects
submitted after the lecture has begun will be counted as one week late.
Can I work with a friend on the projects?
Projects must represent the results of your own work. We may do some
projects
here with teams, but then the work must be that team's work, and not
others'
work.
If you have any question about the rules, ASK Prof. Feldman or
the
lab instructor. Do not take other students’ word for it! Do not rely on
the rules of other courses!
Also read the CS
Department Policy on Academic Integrity and the GW
Code of Academic Integrity.
Getting Your Questions Answered by E-mail
We encourage you to e-mail us with any questions or concerns. Prof.
Feldman
and the lab instructors are all here to help you, and answer their
e-mail
promptly. Also, there are plenty of office hours to visit any of us.
You
are welcome to visit or e-mail any of us, not just your own lab
instructor.
I have my own computer. Can I use it in this course?
Yes, but you do not have to own a computer to succeed in the course.
All
the course materials are available online, and accessible from any
Internet-connected
computer, whether it's the University's computer, or yours, or your
friend's.
Tell me about examinations, please.
There will be a one-hour midterm and a two-hour final exam, both
strictly
timed. These will be open-book, open-notes exams. If you are coming to
class regularly, and keeping up with the reading and the projects, you
should not need to "cram" for the exams. Exams will require a mixture
of
short-answer questions, problem solving, and short "essay" questions.
Will there be unannounced "pop quizzes"?
There may be one or more unnanounced quizzes during the lecture or lab
period. If everyone is coming to class regularly, participating
actively
in the class, and keeping up with the reading, there will be little
need
for "pop quizzes". Quizzes, if any, will count a few percent, and we
will
adjust the other weighting factors accordingly.
How can I make the most effective use of e-mail?
- Set your e-mail program to send plain text, not HTML, and
definitely
not
both. Each program (GWMail, AOL, Outlook, etc.) is a
bit
different, but they all have similar options. Learn the options of your
e-mail program!
- Write the most meaningful subject line you can think of. Don't
say
"Hello",
"John Doe", or "Question". Instead, say "Question about CSci 41,
project
#1", or some such meaningful thing.
- Avoid attachments, unless you must send a graphic or other
non-text
document.
Attachments are over-used, they sometimes carry viruses, and many
people
hate them.
- Write short paragraphs, each with one thought. You learned this
in
English
courses; it works here too. Many people will try to reply to you by
interleaving
their responses with your original text. Make it easy for them to do
this
- it's courteous.
- Give your full name at the end of your message, just as you would
in a
written letter. Do not expect the recipient to guess who sent the
letter.
What should I do to get a high grade in CSci 41?
There is no magic formula for a high grade, but here are some
ways
to ensure you will probably get a low grade:
- Skip class repeatedly. Lectures do not repeat the book,
and
material
covered in class is covered on the exams. Lecture attendance counts 10%
of your grade.
- Skip lab repeatedly. This will hurt — lab is 20% of your
grade!
- Start on the projects late. In this way, you cheat
yourself
out
of asking questions in class. I will discuss project details and
trouble
spots in class, but only in response to your questions.
- Turn in late projects repeatedly. Your "lateness fee" is
4/20 points
per week late. Each project is about 4-5% of your grade, so each "fee"
is about 1%. One or two don't hurt much, but they add up fast!
- Ignore the reading until it's time to cram for the exam.
This course
is "all connected" — if you ignore the reading you are clueless in
class
and on the projects. You cannot possibly get a good exam grade by
cramming
the book.
How do I withdraw from the course?
Under University and SEAS regulations, here are the rules for
withdrawing
from courses:
- During the first four weeks: you can withdraw using a
simple Drop/Add
(Registration Transaction) form. The course disappears from your
transcript.
- After four weeks but before Preregistration begins: you
can
withdraw
using a simple Drop/Add but the grade W appears on your transcript.
This
has no effect on your grade-point average.
- After Preregistration begins but before the end of classes: this
is considered a "late withdrawal." You must complete a SEAS Late
Withdrawal
form, which requires the signatures of the instructor, your advisor,
the
EECS Department Chair, and the SEAS Associate Dean. I will always
sign a late withdrawal form, as long as classes have not ended for the
semester. I will not sign a withdrawal form after the last
class!
Do you give Incompletes?
Under University regulations, and my own policies, here are the rules
for
Incomplete grades:
- A grade of I (Incomplete) may be assigned only when the
student
has really special circumstances such that (s)he cannot finish
the
work of the course. I follow the University regulations, and do not
give
Incompletes unless the situation is truly unusual. Do not ask
for
an Incomplete just to gain more time to finish projects or raise a low
grade. I will almost always say no.
An Incomplete grade is undesirable. Under GW rules, you are required
to remove the I by completing the work of the course. Taking the course
a second time does not (NOT!) remove the original I. Under SEAS
rules, an Incomplete not removed within one year becomes an F.
