CSE 15  Introduction to Computer Science Total Credits  (4)

Instructor: Glenn Blank

Current Catalog Description 
Introduction to topics in computer science and programming skills in Java and C++. Prerequisite for CSE 17. Includes multimedia laboratory. No prerequisites. For students who intend to take further courses in CSE. Not available to students who have taken CSE 12, 16, or Engr 1.

Textbook 
Glenn D. Blank, Robert F. Barnes, Edwin J. Kay, The Universal Computer: A Multimedia Introduction to Computer Science, 2003, McGraw-Hill/Primis. Glenn D. Blank, A Multimedia Introduction to C++, 2003, McGraw-Hill/Primis.

References 

Course Goals
Introduce the breadth of computer science and programming in C++ in the context of problem solving and software engineering.

Prerequisites by Topic
 Major Topics Covered in the Course 
 Turing machines, virtual machines, bits, bytes and data representation
 Problem solving
 Programming language syntax, interpreters and compilers
 Simple C++ programs
 C++ arithmetic, characters, program structure
 Objects and classes in Java
 Classes in C++ (Abstract Data Types) 
 Software life cycle and methods
 Boolean expressions and control structures
 Loops
 Peeling the onion: computer architecture
 Function control, return types & scope of variables
 Parameters and prototypes
 Operating systems
 Networks and security
 Strings and subscripts
 Arrays
 Sorting and searching, algorithms
 Implementing classes
 User interface and web design
 Social, ethical and professional issues
 Artificial intelligence
 Laboratory projects (specify number of weeks on each)
 Multimedia lab (every week)
 Pair programming (three weeks)
 Term project, analysis, design and implementation (five weeks)

Estimate CSAB Category Content 
                                                                   CORE        ADVANCED             
Data Structures                                               0.5
Computer Organization and Architecture         0.5    
Algorithms Software Design                            0.5    
Concepts of Programming Languages              1.5
 
Oral and Written Communications
Every student is required to submit at least  _*_  written reports (not including exams, tests, quizzes, or commented programs) of typically  __*___ pages and to make  _0__  oral presentations of typically  _0_  minutes duration. Include only material that is graded for grammar, spelling, style, and so forth, as well as for technical content, completeness, and accuracy.

*Many homework exercises throughout the semester entail writing short essays.

Social and Ethical Issues
One unit of the multimedia lab and one class in lecture focus on social and ethical issues. Two or three exercises on the last assignment and two or three questions the final exam address social and ethical issues.

Theoretical Content
One unit of multimedia lab and one class in lecture focus on analysis of algorithms, studying the complexity of a few different search and sort algorithms, then looking at harder problems, such as chess.

Problem Analysis
Near the beginning of the semester, one unit of multimedia lab and two classes in lecture focus on problem solving using a virtual robot world called Knobby’s World. Later, one unit of multimedia lab and two classes of lecture focus on the software development process, introducing use cases and UML.

Solution Design
Throughout the semester, six units of multimedia lab and about twelve lectures focus on implementing problem solutions in C++.