Module 00: Introduction to CSCI 360
Welcome to your first module for CSCI 360, Programming Languages! In this course we will be taking a somewhat experimental approach. Although there will be some traditional lecturing, much of your time in class will be spent working in teams to complete modules like this one. Each module will guide you through a learning process on a particular topic. However, although the modules themselves will form the primary framework for your learning, there will also be ample opportunity to interact with me and with your classmates.
Please read and follow the instructions below, and fill in answers and information as requested. The completed module should be turned in electronically through Moodle before the beginning of the next class meeting. Each team should turn in only one completed module for the whole team.
Questions or instructions that require some sort of action or response are preceded by an asterisk * (or a bullet, if you are reading the HTML version). This file is written using Markdown syntax. You can read about Markdown here. pandoc can be used to convert Markdown to HTML.
Get to know your team
The person who is typing is the “driver” (for now). The driver’s responsibility is to operate the computer, being careful to listen to input from their teammates.
- Write the name of your driver below:
Note that the role of driver, and the other roles described below, are not fixed: they will vary from class to class and even within the same class.
The other team member(s) are “navigators”. Their responsibility is to give input to help guide the driver, and to carefully check any code the driver writes. Navigators may also use another computer or device to look up reference information, but the team should only be working on one copy of the module.
- Write the name of your navigator(s) here:
If there is only one navigator, they also play the role of “reporter”. If there are multiple navigators, for today you can decide amongst yourselves who should play the role of reporter. The reporter’s responsibility is to be ready to share the ideas, answers, and conclusions of your team with other teams and with the whole class.
The driver should ask the navigator (if your team has more than one navigator, pick one) the following questions, and record their answers below. If necessary, everyone can pause for a few minutes to think through their answers to the questions.
- What programming language are you most familiar with?
- Name one thing you like and one thing you dislike about that language.
Now let someone else be the driver, and repeat the above process.
- What programming language are you most familiar with?
- Name one thing you like and one thing you dislike about that language.
If you have three people on your team, repeat the process again for the last driver.
- What programming language are you most familiar with?
- Name one thing you like and one thing you dislike about that language.
At this point everyone should have had a chance to type, and you should have recorded everyone’s responses to the questions. The original driver can now resume their original role.
Get to know the syllabus
Find the syllabus for CSCI 360 on the course webpage.
Where is Dr. Yorgey’s office?
Schedule a time for your team to meet with Dr. Yorgey sometime within the next week.
What percent of your final grade will be based on projects?
Can you work on projects as a group?
Is it a violation of the academic integrity policy to look at the code written by another group, assuming you do not copy it?
Is it a violation of the academic integrity policy to discuss an assignment with another group?
You found a few lines of code on Stack Overflow that were helpful, but in the process of trying to understand them you ended up completely rewriting them from scratch, and then later you actually deleted them since you didn’t need them after all. Do you need to cite the Stack Overflow page? Why or why not?
When you reach this point, stop and let Dr. Yorgey know.