This course acquaints students with the logical structure of a computer, the algorithmic formulation of problems, and a modern high-level programming language. Extensive programming experience is included in the course. Proficiency equivalent to Intermediate Algebra (MATH01.121) is expected for this course.

Tuesday & Thursday 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Or by appointment. 

Section 2:
T 1215 1330 ROBSON 312 (Lab)
R 1215 1330 ROBSON 324 (Lecture)

David I. Schneider, An Introduction to Programming Using Visual Basic 6.0 updated edition (4th edition)
Please bring your book to class. You'll need it on Tuesdays for the labs and quizzes, and on Thursdays we will often do problems from the book together as a group in lecture, so you'll need it then too!

In my class (and all of your other classes) class time is very important. Missing class means missing out on new material, quizzes, labs, etc. In general, there is no specific penalty for missed classes. However, by missing a class you may miss a quiz or a deadline, for which you may be penalized.

If you need to miss a class for religious or other reasons and you know in advance, please talk to me as early as you can. I may be able to arrange to make other accomodations for you.

If you do not let me know in advance of an absense, I will always require some sort of documentation to make up missed quizzes etc. Get a note from student health or your doctor, or show me a receipt from the tow truck.

If you have to miss an exam (and I hope you will not) re-tests will be given only in cases of extreme hardship as defined by the rules of Rowan University, and I always require documentation of your reason for your absence.

You will still be responsible for any material taught during missed classes. You should get the names and email addresses and/or phone numbers of some other students in the class so that you can get notes, etc. if you miss a class. Missing a class will put you behind in the material and you will need to work hard to catch up.

I will periodically send email messages to the class rather than use the class web site. I will send this email to your Rowan University Web Email account. You are required to read this email daily (If you are unable to read your email from home, please let me know immediately and we'll work something out). The Rowan Web Email system will allow you to forward your email to another account and if you read your mail somewhere else more frequently, I encourage you to forward your Rowan email there. Early in the semester you will receive an assignment via email that WILL NOT BE ANNOUNCED IN CLASS to ensure that you are reading your email.

To read your Rowan email, go to http://cp.rowan.edu and you can log in to NetMail using your Rowan userid and password. After you log in you can also forward your email to your home account if you prefer. (To learn more about forwarding your Rowan email to another address, and other Rowan technology help topics, visit http://www.rowan.edu/toolbox/ )

Web-Based Multiple Choice Quizzes:    10%
In Class Quizzes (on computer and on paper) (your lowest quiz grade will be dropped) and "Assignments for Points":     40%
Lab Exam (at the end of the semester):     20%
Final Exam:     30%

A large percentage of your grade is based on your performance on quizzes in class and on the web. There will be regular quizzes and web-based multiple choice quizzes. Regular quizzes may or may not be announced ahead of time. Most web-based quizzes have a deadline. Web-based quizzes completed after the deadline but before the last day of classes (i.e. BEFORE exam week) will get some credit.

At the beginning of the semester we will probably have a quiz every Tuesday. Generally I will not allow you to make up a quiz that you've missed unless you have made arrangements with me ahead of time. However, I will drop the lowest of your in-class quiz grades, so if you do miss one quiz, that grade (of zero) will be the one that I drop.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Some quizzes will be open book and some will be closed book. Some open book quizzes will allow you to use any material you've brought with you. For this reason it is a good idea to always bring your textbook to lab on Tuesdays. It is also a good idea to save all of your labs on your H drive (with a backup on a flash drive that you bring to class) so that you can access them easily and quickly should you need them.

While there will be a significant amount of homework in this class (mostly in the form of labs to do on the computer) I will NOT collect NOR grade most of that homework. The purpose of that work is to prepare you for the quizzes, which, together with the occasional assignment I do require, make up 50% of your grade in my class.

It is essential that you not only finish each lab, but that you really understand it. How do you know if you understand the material in a given lab? The best way to be certain that you understand it is to try and do it again, from scratch, without peeking at your old solution. If you can do it relatively easily and quickly, you're in good shape. If it takes you more time and thinking, then once you finish it the second time, try and do it again from scratch. If you're still having trouble after rewriting the code again, make sure you come and see me!

I encourage you to work together with other students in the class on the labs and assignments. Often, you find you don't understand something as well as you think when you try to explain it to the person next to you. Unless I tell you otherwise, you may work on any of the labs and assignments in a group. Remember that you must understand the material though, to prepare for the quizzes and exams. Quizzes and exams you must complete on your own.

This is a 3 s.h. class, which means that you should expect to be spending 6-9 hours a week outside of class on homework assignments, readings, etc. If you find that you are genuinely spending more than 9 hours outside of class on your work, please let me know.

The tutoring center is paid for by your tuition, and you should feel free to use their services (after all, you paid for it). There is no additional charge to Rowan students for using the tutoring center. For more information see http://www.rowan.edu/open/depts/learningcenter/tutoring_center/ 

Most of the homework that you will be assigned in this class is not graded, and I won't be checking in any given week whether you've done all of the labs or not. However, because the quizzes virtually always depend on the material assigned as homework, it's extremely important for you to keep on top of the material.

Most professors are reasonable people. If, for some reason, you believe you will not be able to turn in a "required" homework on time, or if you have special circumstances that leave you unprepared for a quiz, let me know ahead of time and I may give you an extension. If an emergency means that you can not complete your homework on time, again, let me know, and I may allow you to take a quiz late without penalty.

Any question that you may want to ask during class is most likely shared by someone else, so ask it!  The only ‘dumb question’ is the one that is not asked.  Ask the question!!

In order to show proper respect for the instructor and for your fellow students, please observe the following:

Special Notes: 
Be sure that you are aware and read the following policies: attendance, student behavior, academic integrity, and disabilities. All policies are located in the provost web site (www.rowan.edu/provost/policies) as well as in the Student Handbook.