information

web page:
 http://www.sci.brooklyn.cuny.edu/~sklar/cis1.5

class meeting times and rooms:
 mondays and wednesdays 12:25PM-2:30PM, room 4428N

course description:
 This course is ultimately about control!!!
You will learn how to control computers and robots and a surprisingly large number of devices and other seemingly non-technical components that you encounter in your everyday life. Today, technology is ubiquitious, and learning how to control it (before it takes control of you!) is growing increasingly important.
(4 credits)

Not open to students who are enrolled in or have completed Computer and Information Science 1.10 or 1.20 or 2.80 or 15 or 16.

special section:
This is a special section of CIS 1.5 which takes an agent-based approach to exploring computing. A range of newly developed course materials, hardware and software will be used, including the cool and funky Scribbler robot. The development and implementation of the materials for this course are partially sponsored by a grant from the Institute for Personal Robots in Education (IPRE). As a student in this section, you will have a unique opportunity to try newly developed materials and provide feedback on them.

the following topics will be covered in 6 curricular units:

  1. displaying simple information and remembering it (output and data)
  2. reading simple information and making decisions about it (input and control structures)
  3. behaving efficiently (functions)
  4. dealing with complex information (arrays and strings)
  5. doing interesting things with all kinds of information (searching and sorting)
  6. organizing programs (simple classes)

prerequisites:
 None.

computer:
 It will be helpful if you have access to a computer and the internet for this class, though having your own computer is not required. You can use the public machines in the library or the WEB building to complete your assignments.

flash drive:
 A USB FLASH drive is REQUIRED.

textbook:
 The following textbook is optional. Lecture notes will be posted online and other newly developed written material will distributed in class.
C++ Without Fear
by Brian Overland
publisher: Prentice Hall PTR (2004)
ISBN-10: 0321246950
ISBN-13: 978-0321246950

The book is available at many places, including:
Shakespeare & Co. (14 Hillel Place, Brooklyn);
the Brooklyn College bookstore;
and Amazon.

additional course materials:
 Course lecture notes, additional readings and multi-media sources will be available on-line.

assessment:
 Your course grade will be made up of the following components, out of 100 points:

course structure: