INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAMMING QUESTIONNAIRE

You may answer these questions on separate sheets of paper and turn them in at the time of your office visit. Or you may print out this questionnaire and answer the questions on it, using the back if needed. An exception is the last question, whose parts must be answered on a separate sheet of paper.

Name (please print clearly):
Preferred phone number:
Preferred e-mail address:
Year (first-year, etc.), major:
Find or have a friend take a digital photograph of yourself (a good head shot will do) and put it in the public.www folder of your Rowan H: drive. Make sure the photograph is in a file named exactly picture.jpg (all lower case, .jpg extension, no blanks, no numbers, no punctuation except the period). This must be done by the day and time of your office visit and will help me learn your name more quickly. In order to complete this step, you need your Rowan network login name and password to work. If you don't have them, go to the Help Desk in Memorial Hall.
Do you have your own Rowan Web page http://users.rowan.edu/~username (where username is replaced with your Rowan user name)? If so, what is the URL (your Rowan user name)?
What other courses are you currently taking?
Characterize your usage of and experience with computers, for example, use for Web surfing and word processing, guru, regularly hack into the Pentagon, took one apart to install bigger disk or more RAM or faster CPU, built one from parts obtained at flea market or garage sale, etc.
What is computer science, that is, how would you define this term to one of your friends? What is computer programming? If you are not sure (that's why you're taking the course!), then what do you think they are?
Why are you majoring in your chosen major? Be honest!
Briefly describe your most recent summer job, part-time job, or intern experience.
What on-campus activities, clubs, organizations are you involved in?
Briefly describe your hobbies and outside interests.
Look through the syllabus. What is an ``office visit'' and how long (by what date) do you have to do it?
Look through the syllabus. Are make-up exams given? Are late assignments accepted?
If people often mispronounce your name, describe how to pronounce your name correctly using rhymes or a phonetic spelling. If you have a preferred nickname, please give it.
Please make up a code name or number that will be used for posting your grades on the Web. To protect your privacy, choose something that people who know you would not easily guess.
Other than perhaps being required, why are you taking this course? What are your goals and expectations? What do you want out of this class? Give a list of several specific things that you hope to learn in the course.
Have you taken this course at Rowan before? If so, when? Why are you retaking it?
Read the transcript or view the video of Randy Pausch's ``Last Lecture'' (links in the Announcements Web page) and answer the following questions on a separate sheet of paper. There are no right or wrong answers, of course, just thoughtful ones.
1. What is the ``parent lottery''? (This exact phrase is not in the ``Last Lecture'' transcript but see if you can figure it out, perhaps using google.com or some other search engine to help.) How did you do in the ``parent lottery''? Did you win or lose? Why?
2. Suppose you were diagnosed with a terminal disease and had three to six months to live. What three things would you be sure to do? Why?
3. Why do you think his ``last lecture'' struck a chord with so many people?
4. What are your childhood dreams? How might you achieve them?
5. Who are mentors and role models you can turn to? What lessons have they taught you?
6. What wisdom would you choose to impart to the world if it was your ``last lecture,'' your last chance? What are the lessons of your own life?