Course Outline

Term: 2023 Fall Semester Course No: CSCI 120 Course Credits: 3
Instructor: William Cheng Course Section No: 12 Total Hours: Total Weeks:
5 per week 13
Instructor Office: Course Title: Class Room No.
Room 546 Introduction to Computing Room 420
Science and Programming
Instructor Email: 1
wcheng@columbiacollege.ca
Class Meeting Days/Time:
MR 12:00PM – 1:55PM
W 12:00PM – 12:55PM

Instructor Office Hours: Course Format:

MR 10:00AM – 11:55AM 4 Hours of lecture and 1 hour of lab per week
W 1:00PM – 1:55PM in room 546
If the time doesn’t work for you, please send email to
William, an online meeting will be set up accordingly.

Course Prerequisites Course Co-requisites

None ENGL 097, Precalculus 12 or MATH 100 or
MATH 110
Transferability to: Please search in BCTransferGuide

Course Description:

This course is an introduction to computing science and program design, suitable for students with little or no
programming background. Students will learn fundamental concepts and terminology of computing science,
acquire introductory skills for programming in a high-level language, and be introduced to the diverse fields
and applications of computing science.

Online Course Materials

All course materials, resources, assignments, and communication such as announcements, course messages
will be shared through Columbia Moodle. Unless it is specifically mentioned, all assignments should be
submitted through Moodle. It is the students’ responsibility to check the announcements regularly.

Required Texts/Readings/Learning Resources:

• Python for Everyone, Cay Horstmann, 3rd edition ISBN: 978-1-119-49853-7 (Required)
• http://www.openbookproject.net/thinkcs/python/english3e/
• http://greenteapress.com/thinkpython/html/
• CMPT 120 Study Guide, Greg Baker, SFU, 2010: http://www.cs.sfu.ca/CC/120/ggbaker/guide/guide

Course Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course the student will be able to:

1. To learn fundamental concepts and terminology of computing science, acquire elementary skills for

programming in a high-level language and be exposed to diverse fields within, and applications of
computing science

2. To recognize compile-time and run time-errors

3. To describe an algorithm with pseudocode

4. To understand how information is represented in computer

5. To understand how to convert integers to binary and vice versa

6. To define and use variables and constants

7. To appreciate the importance of comments and good code layout

8. To write arithmetic expressions and assignment statements

9. To create programs that read and process inputs, and display the results

10. To learn how to use and process Python strings

11. To implement decisions using if statements

12. To develop strategies for testing your programs

13. To validate user input

14. To implement while and for loops

15. To understand nested loops

16. To be able to implement functions

17. To become familiar with the concepts of parameter passing

18. To develop strategies for decomposing complex tasks into simpler ones

19. To be able to determine the scope of a variable

20. To create simple graphics programs

21. To collect elements using lists and tuples

22. To use the for loop for traversing lists, tuples, and strings

23. To use lists, tuples, and strings with functions

24. To work with a dictionary container

25. To work with a dictionary for table lookups

26. To build and use a set container

27. To learn common set operations for processing data

28. To read and write text files

29. To raise and handle exceptions

30. To learn how to think recursively

31. To understand the relationship between recursion and iteration

32. To analyze programs that are much easier to solve by recursion than by iteration
33. To study several soring and searching algorithms

34. To understand big-Oh notation

35. To estimate and compare the performance of algorithms

36. To understand the concepts of classes, object, and encapsulation

37. To implement instance variables, methods, and constructors

38. To be able to design, implement, and test your own classes

39. To understand the behavior of object references

Course Content/Schedule*

Week Topic(s) List All Assessments:

1 Introduction to Hardware, Software, and Algorithm development
2 Programming with numbers and strings Assignment 1 & Lab1
3 Decisions Lab 2
4 Loops Assignment 2 & Lab 3
5 Functions Midterm1 & Lab 4
6 Lists/Tuples Assignment 3 & Lab 5
7 Files and Exceptions Lab 6
8 Sets and Dictionaries Assignment 4 & Lab 7
9 Objects and Classes Midterm2 & Lab 8
10 Inheritance Assignment 5 & Lab 9
11 Recursion Assignment 6 & Lab
10
12 Sorting and Searching Lab 11
13 Review
*Schedules subject to change

Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation Methods ** % Comments

Summarize the list in the Course
Content/Schedule (column 4 above)
Assignments, Labs & Participation 40
Midterms (2) 30
Final Exam 30

Total 100%

Classroom Code of Conduct:

Students at Columbia College are expected to show respect for the rights of other students, in particular the
right to study and learn. Any behaviour in a classroom that interferes with the instructor’s ability to conduct
the class will be treated as disruptive. The penalties for disruptive behaviour include suspension and even
expulsion from the College. In general, students are expected to be attentive and courteous during class and
lab time, to complete assigned work on time, and to take responsibility for their own achievement. In
particular:
 1) Regular attendance is expected of students in all classes, lectures, and laboratories. Missing a
substantial number of classes in any course during the semester may be considered disruptive to the
orderly functioning of the class, and such students’ cases may be referred to the Academic Board for
disciplinary action.

2) Students should arrive at all classes early so as to be ready when the class begins; this means taking a
seat and getting out paper, pens, necessary texts, and so on before the class starts.

3) Students will not expect to leave the class before the instructor has finished. On those rare occasions
when a student must leave a class early, they should seek the permission of the instructor before the
class starts. If a student must excuse themselves during a class, the student should request permission
and leave as quietly as possible.

4) Cellphones and other potentially disruptive electronic devices should be turned off during classes and
not simply switched to “vibrate” mode. They may be used during a class only when specifically
authorized by the instructor.

5) Students should speak respectfully when asking a question or answering a question posed by the
instructor or another student.

6) Students may not eat or drink during classes unless the instructor indicates that this is acceptable in
their class.

7) Students should communicate respectfully in discussion groups, during office hours, and in any type of
electronic communication.

8) Students should respond to emails/messages from instructors and classmates in a timely manner.

Cheating and Plagiarism Policy:

Columbia College expects all students to uphold the principle of academic honesty. Cheating and plagiarism
(presenting another person’s words or ideas as one’s own) are not acceptable behaviour at any educational
institution. Depending on the severity of the offense such acts can result in a grade of zero on the test or
assignment, a failing grade (F) in the course, or expulsion from the college. In all cases, the circumstances and
the penalty are recorded in the student’s file.

Academic Misconduct Policy

Academic misconduct not covered in the College's Cheating and Plagiarism Policy, is covered under Academic
Policy 2.6 Academic Misconduct. It can be found at the following link:
https://www.columbiacollege.ca/about/college-policies/ . You are expected to familiarize yourself with this
policy, as it covers serious issues including uploading copyright material, submission of falsified records and
other strategies to gain unfair academic advantage. If you are unclear on the contents, please ask for
clarification.

College Policies:

Please see the Here for more information and a complete list of academic policies.

Class Policies:
The assessments mentioned below include all the categories listed in the evaluation criteria.

1. Students are expected to submit their own work on all assessments.

2. All the assessments will be given a due date. The student should submit the assessments before the
deadline shown on the Moodle.
3. Students should not share work with other students or copy from other students; all the students
involved will be treated as cheating. The instructor reserves the right to use tools to determine the
similarity index between students’ works, works with high similarities or same meta-data will be
treated as cheating.
4. The instructor has the right to conduct a meta-analysis on all the submitted works. Any discrepancy
between the authors, time stamp of the file, or origin of files will be considered evidence for cheating
and the work will not be graded.
5. Students are expected to use computers with their data stamp on them, which means they must ensure
that they have their login account with their name on the computer they are using.
6. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that he or she is submitting the correct file. Wrong
submission of files is not a valid excuse for resubmission or an appeal.

Policies regarding deadlines:

1. Work-related issues are not valid excuses for missing deadlines.

2. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that he or she has a valid and stable internet connection and
functional devices. Internet instability or nonfunctioning computers are not a valid excuse for failure
to submit deliverables.
3. It is the student's responsibility to study for his or her exam. Lack of knowledge is not a valid excuse
for failure to take the exam or asking for a makeup exam.
4. Students are expected to check their Moodle regularly and their email for announcements and
important information. Failure to read and understand an important announcement or information is
not a valid excuse for missing a deadline or asking for a makeup exam.
5. You need to inform William if you are sick or experiencing an extreme situation, proof will be
needed.
6. Any late submission allowed will be subject to a 20% late deduction per day.

Grading System

Grade Percentage Grade Points Rating

A+ 90-100 4.3 Excellent
A 85-89 4.0
A - 80-84 3.7 Very Good
B+ 76-79 3.3
B 72-75 3.0
B - 68-71 2.7 Good
 C+ 64-67 2.3
C 60-63 2.0 Satisfactory
C- 55-59 1.7
D 50-54 1.0 Marginal Pass
F 0-49 0.0 Fail
N Below 50 0.0 Failure for non-completion or
non-attendance

Please see the college calendar for more information about grading and related policies.