Fundamentals of Computing I | Comp Sciences Dept

list Preamble

Course Title: Fundamentals of Computing I (cs 114)
crn: 40724 and 44417
Credits: 4
Lab fee: Yes
Days: Mondays and Wednesdays
Time: 8:05 – 9:45 am (40724); 3:35 – 5:15 pm (44417)
Room: Dana Hall 316 (40724); Dana Hall 318 (44417) map map
Dates: 28 August – 11 December 2023
Professor: Roy Vanegas (pronounced “vuh-nay-gus”) sound_detection_loud_sound
Email: vanegas at hartford dot edu
Phone: 860.768.5925
Office: Charles A Dana Hall, 310B
Office hours: I meet students via video conference on the following day (click here for details). Other times by appt.
- Tuesday: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

info Description

The first in a two-semester sequence, Fundamentals of Computing I covers the foundational ideas upon which the discipline of computer science is based, and is the introductory course for cs and cse majors. Building on the core ideas that define structural programming, students learn procedural programming, then extend the concept with object-oriented programming. The fundamentals of algorithmic problem solving, modularity, efficiency, and the design of simple, user-friendly interfaces are also covered.

list Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will understand...

How to develop optimal programming practices;
How to configure a development environment using a modern toolchain;
How to employ revision control practices that last the span of an engineer’s career;
How to strike a balance between documentation and best practices for variable/function naming;
The difference between strongly- and loosely-typed languages;
Which questions to ask when learning any subsequent programming language;
Articulate some basic ethical issues confronting computing professionals;
The building blocks of object-oriented programming; and,
How to apply the concepts of structural programming to most other programming languages.

file_download Software Requirements

All the software required for this course is free and listed below. For Mac users, the entire installation process is automated using this script. Windows and Linux users, however, will need to install the software manually.

Java jdk

This is the software needed to build and run your programs. The latest Java Standard Edition Development Kit, or sdk, is Java 19. Download the macOS version from https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/downloads/#jdk19-mac; download the Windows version from https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/downloads/#jdk19-windows.

Javafx sdk

The examples from our textbook that involve graphics use the Javafx library. Thus, to work with those examples, you’ll need to download and configure the library. Download the macOS and Windows versions from https://gluonhq.com/products/javafx/#javafx-builds.

Processing

Processing is a free Java library and integrated development environment, or ide, that is designed for artists and designers to learn computer programming. It’s visual in nature, and we’ll use it — along with Javafx — to work with computer graphics in this course. Download Processing from https://processing.org/download.

GitHub Desktop

Git is the industry standard for revision controlling code. GitHub is a ui for Git and is the most popular graphical client for Git. Download the Linux, Windows, or macOS version from https://desktop.github.com/.

Package Manager

Package managers provide an easy way to install software via your cli from a single registry. Install Homebrew for macOS via The Terminal from https://brew.sh/; install Chocolatey for Windows via PowerShell from https://chocolatey.org/install.

Text Editor

The code you write will require a text editor. Although there are many on the market, such as Sublime Text (nagware), for example, vs Code (open source) is the only editor supported in class. Download the Linux, Windows, or macOS version from https://code.visualstudio.com/.

EditorConfig

EditorConfig is a tool that enforces consistent coding styles for everyone who works on a codebase. In our case, that codebase consists of all the examples in class and all the assignments you’ll submit throughout the semester. EditorConfig consists of a configuration file (.editorconfig) that goes in your home — or project — folder, and an extension. Some editors and ides have EditorConfig built in. vs Code, unfortunately, is not one of them.

You’ll install the extension in the following section. In the meantime, download this .editorconfig file and place it in your home folder. Ensure the file name is exactly .editorconfig, starting with a dot and without an extension.

VS Code Extensions

Linters, or static code analysis tools, are used by all professional software engineers. Start using one now. Install the following linter extensions for vs Code.

Extension Pack for Java, extension id vscjava.vscode-java-pack
IntelliCode, extension id VisualStudioExptTeam.vscodeintellicode
Language Support for Java, extension id redhat.java
EditorConfig for vs Code, extension id EditorConfig.EditorConfig
Makefile Tools, extension id ms-vscode.makefile-tools
Processing language support for vs Code, extension id Tobiah.language-pde

Make

The make cli utility acts like a script and automatically determines which files of a multi-object program need to be recompiled, then issues commands to recompile them. The official documentation is available from gnu, while a more accessible tutorial is available from Makefile Tutorial.

If you’re using Windows, simply run choco install make from your cli, assuming you’ve already installed Chocolately in a previous step. Linux and macOS users already have make installed.

Fonts (Optional)

You will need to set your text editor to a monospace/fixed-width font family in your editor’s settings, because code requires vertical alignment that only this family of fonts can provide. The options provided by your os are limited. Thus, in addition to the stock issue fonts included with your computer, here are a few more options to explore:

menu_book Textbook

The textbook listed below is the only book used for this course. Ensure all the details match before making your purchase.

Textbook-related Info
Book Cover
Title	Java Software Solutions: Foundations of Program Design
Edition	9
Authors	John Lewis and William Loftus
isbn-10	0-13-446202-5
isbn-13	978-0-13-446202-8
Publisher	Pearson

calendar_month Schedule

In the schedule below, lectures take place on Mondays and labs on Wednesdays, starting in week three. Any changes to this schedule will be announced the week before.

Important Notes

You should get accustomed to using your own laptop for computer science courses. Thus, you will need to bring your own laptops to class. We will use a considerable portion of the first week of classes to install the software you need on your personal machines.

Notable Dates

⟫ First day of classes (Week 1): Monday, 28 August 2023

⟫ Labor Day — No class (Week 2): Monday, 4 September 2023

⟫ Midterm exam (Week 8): Wednesday, 18 October 2023

⟫ Last day to withdraw with a grade of “W” (Week 10): Friday, 3 November 2023

⟫ Thanksgiving recess — No class (Week 13): Monday, 20 November, and Wednesday, 22 November 2023

⟫ Final exam (Week 16): Monday, 11 December 2023

⟫ Last day of classes (Week 16): Monday, 11 December 2023

The weekly schedule for the semester, complete with topics and readings.
Week	Topics	Homework
One Aug 28 – 30	Thorough syllabus breakdown Software installfest (1.1) Software categories (1.2) Binary numbers; conversions to decimal and back (1.4) Working with comments (1.4) Formatting programs: white space and text alignment (1.6) Object-oriented software principles Git and GitHub fundamentals Git cloning Git committing	Carefully re-read the syllabus. Open a GitHub account Watch all the videos found at Adding and cloning repositories Watch all the videos found at Making changes in a branch Read (22 pages): 1.1: Computer Processing, pages 2 – 10 1.2: Hardware Concepts, pages 10 – 18 1.3: Networks, pages 19 – 25
Two Sep 4	Git pushing and pulling Git branching Git merging Git forking Git pull requests Difference between forking and cloning Intro to the GitHub Desktop ui Clone the in-class examples repo for the semester	Read (27 pages): 1.4: The Java Programming Language, pages 26 – 35 1.5: Program Development, pages 35 – 42 1.6: Object-Oriented Programming, pages 43 – 48 2.1: Character Strings, pages 55 – 61 Lab 1
Three Sep 11 – 13	(2.1) Working with strings (2.2) Declaring and working with variables and constants (2.3) Java’s eight primitives, or fundamental, types (2.4) Operators and operands (2.4) Arithmetic expressions (2.4) Operator precedence, or stickiness (pemdas, as it appears from left to right) (2.4) Pre- and post-fix increment/decrement operators (2.4) Assignment and compound operations (2.5) Data conversions/casting Strongly-typed vs loosely- or weakly-typed languages	Read (22 pages): 2.2: Variables and Assignment, pages 63 – 68 2.3: Primitive Data Types, pages 69 – 72 2.4: Expressions, pages 73 – 80 2.5: Data Conversion, pages 81 – 84 2.6: Interactive Programs, pages 85 – 89 Lab 2
Four Sep 18 – 20	(3.1) Introduction to objects and classes (3.3) Working with packages and `import`-ing them (3.2, 3.4, 3.5) Working with the `String`, `Math`, and `Random` classes (3.6) The `printf` method, ported from C (3.7) Enumerations Programming assignment 1 due	Read (22 pages): 3.1: Creating Objects, pages 100 – 104 3.2: The `String` Class, pages 104 – 107 3.3: Packages, pages 108 – 111 3.4: The `Random` Class, pages 112 – 114 3.5: The `Math` Class, pages 115 – 118 3.6: Formatting Output, pages 118 – 123 3.7: Enumerated Types, pages 124 – 126 Lab 3
Five Sep 25 – 27	(3.8) Wrappers and the primitives they wrap (4.1) Authoring more complex classes (4.3) Encapsulation (4.4) Methods (4.5) Constructors (5.1) Booleans (5.1) Equality and relational operators	Read (22 pages): 3.8: Wrapper Classes, pages 127 – 129 3.9: Introduction to Javafx, pages 129 – 133 3.10: Basic Shapes, pages 133 – 139 4.1: Classes and Objects Revisited, pages 148 – 149 4.2: Anatomy of a Class, pages 150 – 156 4.3: Encapsulation, pages 157 – 160 Lab 4
Six Oct 2 – 4	(5.1) The not (`!`) operator (5.1) Truth tables (5.2) The `if` statement (5.2) `if...else` statements (5.2) Using braces in your code using block statements An introduction to the seven common structures of computer programming	Read (25 pages): 4.4: Anatomy of a Method, pages 160 – 168 4.5: Constructors Revisited, pages 169 – 170 5.1: Boolean Expressions, pages 192 – 196 5.2: The `if` Statement, pages 197 – 209 Lab 5
Seven Oct 9 – 11	(5.4) The `while` statement (6.1) The `switch` statement (6.2) The ternary, or conditional, operator (6.3, 6.4) More on loops: `for` and `do...while` Programming assignment 2 due	Read (29 pages): 5.3: Comparing Data, pages 210 – 213 5.4: The `while` Statement, pages 214 – 223 5.5: Iterators, pages 225 – 228 5.6: The `ArrayList` Class, pages 229 – 231 6.1: The `Switch` Statement, pages 256 – 259 6.2: The Conditional Operator, pages 260 – 261 6.3: The `do` Statement, pages 261 – 264 6.4: The `for` Statement, pages 265 – 270 Lab 6
Eight Oct 16 – 18	Review for midterm (Monday) Midterm exam (Wednesday)	Read (26 pages): 7.1: Software Development Activities, pages 290 – 291 7.2: Identifying Classes and Objects, pages 291 – 293 7.3: Static Class Members, pages 293 – 297 7.4: Class Relationships, pages 298 – 310 7.5: Interfaces, pages 310 – 317 Lab 7
Nine Oct 23 – 25	(7.2) Revisiting classes (7.3) `static` variables and `static` methods (7.6) More on enumerations (7.8) Overloading methods When learning new languages, ask these questions about any new language	Read (29 pages): 7.6: Enumerated Types Revisited, pages 317 – 320 7.7: Method Design, pages 320 – 330 7.8: Method Overloading, pages 331 – 333 7.9: Testing, pages 333 – 336 8.1: Array Elements, pages 356 – 357 8.2: Declaring and Using Arrays, pages 357 – 367 Lab 8
Ten Oct 30 – 1 Nov	(8.1) Working with arrays (8.3) Arrays of objects (8.6) Multi-dimensional arrays	Read (20 pages): 8.3: Arrays of Objects, pages 368 – 378 8.4: Command-Line Arguments, pages 378 – 379 8.5: Variable Length Parameter Lists, pages 380 – 383 8.6: Two-Dimensional Arrays, pages 384 – 389 Lab 9
Eleven Nov 6 – 8	Graphics in Java with JavaFX and Processing (3.9) Introduction to Javafx (3.10) Basic shapes (3.11) Working with color (rgb) (4.6) Working with arcs (4.7) Working with images (4.8) Working with graphical user interfaces, or guis (4.9) Working with text boxes/fields Programming assignment 3 due	Read (31 pages): 3.9: Introduction to Javafx, pages 129 – 133 3.10: Basic Shapes, pages 133 – 139 3.11: Representing Colors, pages 140 – 141 4.6: Arcs, pages 170 – 173 4.7: Images, pages 173 – 176 4.8: Graphical User Interfaces, pages 176 – 180 4.9: Text Fields, pages 180 – 183 5.7: Determining Event Sources, pages 232 – 234 5.8: Managing Fonts, pages 234 – 237 Lab 10
Twelve Nov 13 – 15	(5.7) Working with event handlers (5.8) Working with typefaces (5.9, 5.10) Working with check boxes and radio buttons (6.5) Working with graphics using loops and conditionals (6.6) Working with transformations Intro to Processing	Read (30 pages): 5.9: Check Boxes, pages 237 – 241 5.10: Radio Buttons, pages 241 – 245 6.5: Using Loops and Conditionals with Graphics, pages 271 – 275 6.6: Graphic Transformations, pages 276 – 282 7.10: gui Design, pages 337 – 338 7.11: Mouse Events, pages 338 – 343 7.12: Key Events, pages 343 – 346
Thirteen Nov 20 – 22	Thanksgiving recess	None
Fourteen Nov 27 – 29	(7.10) Designing guis (7.12) Working with keyboard events (8.7) Working with polygons and polylines (8.8) Working with color objects using arrays (8.9) Working with choice boxes Lines, arcs, ellipses, and strokes in Processing	Read (10 pages): 8.7: Polygons and Polylines, pages 389 – 392 8.8: An Array of Color Objects, pages 392 – 395 8.9: Choice Boxes, pages 395 – 399 Study for final exam
Fifteen Dec 4 – 6	More Processing (Monday) Review for final exam (Wednesday) Evaluations (Wednesday) Programming assignment 4 due	Study for final exam
Sixteen Dec 11	Final exam	None

assignment Assignments

The workload for this course involves four programming assignments. (See the Grading section to learn what percentage of your final grade each is worth.) As noted in the instructions for each assignment, No late work is accepted.

countertops Labs

There are 10 labs designed to reinforce the material covered in the lectures. A link to each is provided in the Schedule section of this syllabus. You don’t submit them; None is graded. Labs take place during class time on Wednesdays in the same classroom in which the Monday lectures take place. Lab solutions will be shared — lecture-style — in class the following Monday. Doing well on the labs correlates with how well you’ll do on the assignments and exams. Thus, you’re strongly advised to do each one before Monday’s lecture so you can compare and learn.

info Grading

Grading Formula

Your grade for this course is computed as follows:

Programming assignments (60%)
- Assignment 1 — 15%
- Assignment 2 — 15%
- Assignment 3 — 15%
- Assignment 4 — 15%
Midterm exam (20%)
Final exam (20%)

To calculate your final grade, convert the percentages listed above and your grades to decimal. For example, if you got an 80 on the first programming assignment, a 93 on the second, a 60 on the third, a 50 on the fourth, a 95 on your midterm, and, finally, a 100 on the final exam, then you’d calculate your final grade as follows:

(.80 × .15) + (.93 × .15) + (.60 × .15) + (.50 × .15) + (.95 × .20) + (1 × .20) = 80%

You can convert your percentage grade to a letter grade at http://vanegas.cs.hartford.edu/grading/.

I do not give grades; students earn them. The grade you earn is based strictly on the outlined formula clearly listed in this section.

This grading formula is unbending and will be adhered to strictly.

Important Note

Please do not try to negotiate a grade with me. By asking me to treat you favorably, you’re requesting that I put you above your classmates. Manage your time well; I do not accept late work.

balance Class Policies

Masks. I don’t require students to wear masks in class, per university policy dictated in spring 2022: Effective immediately, masks are now optional in most University facilities and settings. They [masks] will continue to be required in the classroom or personal office spaces, unless otherwise specified by faculty members or staff. And, of course, you’re welcome to wear a mask in class, should you feel more comfortable doing so. You may read more about the policy regarding face coverings here.
Consuming food in class. There is no eating inside our classroom, either during class or while on break. Eat before or after class. Drinks in covered containers, however, are allowed.
Digital devices. Silence your mobile devices before class starts.

warning Academic Honesty

Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated in this course; make certain that all the work you submit is your own. Refresh your understanding of the college’s policy on academic honesty.

accessible Students with Disabilities

If you have a documented disability for which you are requesting accommodation, you are encouraged to contact Access-Ability Services as soon as possible by calling 860.768.4312, emailing tlopez@hartford.edu, or by stopping by the Access-Ability Services office in Auerbach Hall, Room 209. If your request for accommodations is approved, an accommodation letter will be emailed to your instructor(s) upon your request. Please discuss your accommodations with the instructor as soon as possible to make appropriate arrangements. Note: Student requests for accommodations must be filed each semester. Visit https://www.hartford.edu/academics/academic-support/accessibility-services/ and click the “Registering” link for more info and a link to a video to walk you through the process.

help_center Tutoring

Tutoring is available from the Centralized Tutoring Center. Students can make one-on-one peer tutoring appointments by visiting, emailing, or calling the Center. Students can also book appointments directly in Compass.

Location	Harrison Libraries, Room L102 of lower level
Hours	Monday – Thursday, 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM; Fridays, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM; and, Sundays, 12:00 – 9:00 PM
Phone	860.768.4131
Email	ctctutor@hartford.edu

balance Title IX and Sexual Assault

Sexual violence and other forms of sexual misconduct and harassment, including stalking and intimate partner violence, are prohibited under Title ix, federal and state law, and University of Hartford policy. Information on the University’s policies against sexual violence can be found at https://www.hartford.edu/about/policies/title-ix/. Resources regarding sexual violence can be found at https://www.hartford.edu/about/policies/title-ix/on-off-campus-resources.aspx

Note: University of Hartford faculty, staff, and ras are required to report incidents of sexual misconduct to the Title ix Office (title9@hartford.edu). For further information on The University’s policies and resources, please contact Jason Martinez (860.768.5255; jamartine@hartford.edu) or Justin Bell (860.768.4880; jbell@hartford.edu).

psychology Mental Health and Well-Being

Mental Health is an important aspect of students’ well-being and integral to positive academic experiences and success. If, during the semester, you experience difficulties and would like support, consider contacting the University of Hartford’s caps, or Counseling and Psychological Services, which offers a range of short-term counseling services available to full-time undergraduate students at no additional cost, and to part-time undergraduate and graduate students for a small fee. caps is located in Gengras Student Union, Room 313 map, and can be reached by calling 860.768.4482 or emailing Liz Inkel at inkel@hartford.edu. Office hours are Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM.

info Advice on Succeeding in Class

Read over the following to understand procedures for maximizing your chance of succeeding in class.

Advice for Succeeding in Class (in Markdown)
Advice for Succeeding in Class (in pdf)

door_front Office Hours

Office: Charles A Dana Hall, 310B
Hours: I meet students via video conference on the following day (click here for details). Other times by appt.
- Tuesday: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

contact_mail Contact

Nowadays, I only use email for emergency situations, such as pet emergencies, personal tragedies, etc. For matters related to our course, you’re advised to see me before or after class, during my office hours, or by appointment. My contact info is listed in the Preamble.