Announcements
- CSA-led review session on Thursday 3/12, 4 - 5 in 448 Shineman. You have to at least try the problems on the practice exam in order to have solutions explained or checked! The review session will be followed by an ice cream social...
- Ex(am)perience #1 is in class on Friday 3/13, the Friday before spring break begins. Do not make plans to leave campus for spring break until after our exam! Additionally, there is a handout with information on the exam format and what to expect in the Course Documents folder. You are allowed to bring 3-5 pages of reference sheets (subject to rules...) and a completed practice exam -- these MUST be on the colored paper provided in class. You may print out as many copies as you want of the practice exam -- there's a digital version in the Course Documents folder -- but be sure to transfer your answers, etc. to the colored paper version. You will turn in both the practice exam and reference sheets at the end of the experience, but these will be returned to you once the exam paper is returned.
- PC#4 is due on Thursday, 3/26.
- Upcoming due dates:
- Tues. 3/24 -- Lab 6 should be completed and posted
- Thurs. 3/26 -- PC#4 due and last day to demo PC#3
Instructor and TA Office Hours
Instructor Office/Lab Hours: M. 12:40 - 1:35, W. 2 - 3:30, and by appointment
All instructor office hours happen in 458 Shineman. If person would like me to come to the lab, just pop down to my office and ask!
TA Office Hours: M. 4 - 5, Tu. 3:30 - 6, W. 3 - 5, and Th. 2:30 - 5
All TA office hours happen in 446 Shineman (the computer lab).
OLS Drop-In Tutoring Hours: TBA
Getting in touch with your instructor...
- Email: I actually read and respond to emails. I check email frequently during the workday but limit my email time after work hours and on weekends. Please be patient, but if I don't reply by the end of the next working day then feel free to email me again – there's always a chance your first email got buried under urgent emails (or spam ...) and I appreciate the nudge!
- Office Hours: Just stop by! You don't need an appointment to drop by my office. If you want to meet over Zoom, you will need to make and keep an appointment, because I am uncomfortable sitting on Zoom with no one there. I am also available over Discord (username in the syllabus, behind the SUNY Oswego login...). Join the CSA Discord server (link in digital syllabus) and send me a message! We can use the voice channels and the text channels to stay in contact. Just be aware that if you message me in Discord outside of office hours, I won't respond until office hours or until I'm free.
- Other times: If my office door is open then you are welcome to stop in and ask if I'm available. I may be! If I'm busy, we can make an appointment to meet up later on.
Course Policies To Bear In Mind
- Academic Integrity: When you demo an assignment, you are implicitly stating that you wrote the code independently and asserting that you understand every line of the code, can write new programs using similar instructions on your own. The Computer Science Department has a clear policy statement that describes different kinds of academic integrity violations, and also some things to do to help yourself avoid violating academic integrity -- because intention is not necessary to commit an academic integrity violation and usually the worst cases are those that are accidental. Be aware of what is and is not a violation, and take proactive steps to avoid violating academic integrity.
- Attendance: Timely attendance is required, from the first day until the last day. Attendance will be taken at the start of every class day, and will count towards your grade in the course. Arriving late to class and missing attendance means that you are late and your attendance will not count. Moreover, missing or being late to more than 6 classes results in failing the class. Being on time and present is a really important life skill, one that counts in CSC 212.
- Textbook: There is a single textbook required for CSC 212, both the lecture and the lab. You can order this lab manual (which has course notes in it) from the Textbook Store or you can print
it out at home, or you can take the pdf to a copy shop to have the lab manual printed (and bound!).
- To order from the Textbooks store, go to the Textbook Look-Up page. Then select Spring 2026, CSC - Computer Science, 212 - Principles Of Programming, 800 - Wilcox, Elizabeth. The lab manual is listed as "Reader for CSC 212 Schlegel" (that's one of the authors) for $20.29.
- To download (or just view) the current version of the lab manual, click here. There's also a link available in the Course Documents folder, linked at the top.
Course Calendar
Calendar
This Google calendar has each class day entered, with big events (like exams and deadlines) entered as "All Day" so you can see them clearly. The topics for each day will be entered into the description for each class day, too.
Useful Resources
- Required Lab Manual: Graci, C. and Schlegel, D.R. A First Course in Computer Programming: Laboratory Manual.
- Textbook Draft: A First Course in Computer Science by Daniel Schlegel. This draft of a textbook currently being written is available for our class to thanks to the author. The draft is in our Course Documents folder.
- CS1 Software and WebSite Materials
- Helpful Textbook Suggestions:
- Introduction to Computer Science Using Java by by Bradley Kjell, Central Connecticut State University. This is an online set of interactive notes, forming a beginning course in Java programming.
- Introduction to Programming Using Java, 8th Edition by David J. Eck. This is an online textbook with accompanying sample programs to illustrate the discussed concepts.
- Think Java: How to Think like a Computer Scientist, Version 6.3.1, by Allen B. Downey and Chris Mayfield. This is an online textbook covering many of the same topics, with a different perspective, that we will cover in our class.
- Helpful Websites:
- Student Wellness: There are a variety of events and concerns that affect a student's overall wellness. Learning is challenging, and life continues even while a student is learning. The college has a variety of resources available, and there are a variety of policies regarding student wellness. I've collected several of them on this Student Wellness site.