Lecture notes for the Introduction to computers by James Tam Return to the course web page

CPSC 203: Fall 2008

Index

(This web page is for Lecture 02 & L03, for information specific to Lecture 01, 05 login to the courses taught by Jalal Kawash in Blackboard, for information specific to Lecture 04 go to the wiki of Mishtu Banerjee.

 

Lecture Information

Day/Time

MW 16:00 - 17:15 (Lecture 02), TR 15:30 - 16:45 (Lecture 03)

Location 

ICT 102 (MW: Lecture 02)

ENE 243 (TR: Lecture 03)

Contact Information

James Tam

Office: ICT 707

Office hours: M 17:15 - 18:00, T 16:45 - 17:30 If I'm not in my office I may still be in the lecture room (ICT 102: Monday, ENE 243: Tuesday).

Email: tamj@cpsc.ucalgary.ca

  My schedule
   
General information Administrative information (computation of your term grade, the course information sheet etc.)

 

Tutorial and lab Information (tutorials begin during the second week of lectures)

Tutorials:

Tutorials For L02

Date/Time

Location

Tutorial instructor

Email

T08 MW 12:00 MS 237 Mahmudul Hasan mhasan@ucalgary.ca
T09 MW 18:00 MS 237 Ali Abedi abedia@ucalgary.ca
T10 TR 9:00 MS 237 Abhinav Akshay aakshay@ucalgary.ca
T11 TR 10:00 MS 237 Tanvire Elahi telahi@cpsc.ucalgary.ca
T12 TR 16:00 MS 237 Mostafa Dehghan Shirehpaz mdehghan@ucalgary.ca
T13 TR 12:00 MS 236 Fatemeh Arbab farbab@ucalgary.ca
T14 TR 13:00 MS 237 Jeyaprakash Chelladurai jchellad@ucalgary.ca

Tutorials For L03

Date/Time

Location

Tutorial instructor

Email

T15 TR 11:00 MS 237 Wadhah Saeed Almansoori wsalmans@ucalgary.ca
T16 MW 16:00 MS 237 Ali Dabirmoghaddam adabirmo@ucalgary.ca
T17 TR 14:00 MS 237 Ibrahim Mohammad Ismail imismail@ucalgary.ca
T18 MW 11:00 MS 236 Shang Gao shangao@ucalgary.ca
T19 MW 12:00 MS 236 Mohammad Jafari jafarm@ucalgary.ca
T20 MW 13:00 MS 236 Xin Liu liuxin@ucalgary.ca
T21 MW 14:00 MS 236 Mohammed Sadi Alshalalfa msalshal@ucalgary.ca

Labs:

 

Course topics and notes for lectures


Tentative schedule (some changes may occur in order to accommodate the scheduling of assignments but the changes will be announced beforehand).

Week

Dates

Main topics to be covered

1

Sept 8 - 12
Course administration and overview, Introduction to Computer Science

2

Sept 15 - 19 Introduction to computers

3

Sept 22 - 26 Introduction to computers (continued)

4

Sept 29 - Oct 3 Introduction to computers (continued), Data analysis through spreadsheets

5

Oct 6 - 10 Data analysis through spreadsheets, Logic

6

Oct 13 - 17 (Thanksgiving holiday, no lecture on  Monday Oct 13 and Tuesday Oct 14)
Second lecture for the week: Logic (continued), Data storage and retrieval with databases

7

Oct 20 - 24 First lecture of the week (Monday or Tuesday): Data storage and retrieval with databases (continued)

Second lecture of the week (Wednesday or Thursday): Review

 

8

Oct 27 - Oct 31
Data storage and retrieval with databases (continued), Introduction to computer programming
9 Nov 3 - 7
Introduction to computer programming (continued)
10 Nov 10 - 14 (Reading days Nov 8 - 11, no lecture on Monday Nov 10 and Tuesday Nov 11)
Second lecture for the week: Software, History of computers (if there is time)
11 Nov 17 - 21
Computer networks, The Internet, computer security
12 Nov 24 - 28
End of term presentations
Lecture 02: MW schedule
Lecture 03: TR schedule
13 Dec 1 - 5
End of term presentations
Lecture 02: MW schedule
Lecture 03: TR schedule

 

Assignments (weights and tentative due dates will be added during the term) and exams

Requirements for submitting assignments

Take home assignment 1: Spreadsheet

 

  • Take home assignment one: Spreadsheet due Monday October 27 at 10 PM, worth 8%

  • An example of how to start your analysis of spreadsheet data: [Link] You're free to use this approach in order to get started with your own assignment but: 1) Make sure that you cite the source 2) Keep in mind that you won't do so well for originality if you only employ the approaches shown in the example.

  • Practice assignment (to help practice your analysis skills).

 

Take home assignment 2: Database

 

 

Take home assignment 3: Group research project

 

 

 

In-tutorial timed assignments

 

 
  • Practice programming problems (they are from CPSC 217 but the earlier problems should allow you to get some additional practice in writing programs)

 
 
  • Practice exercises for timed assignment 4:
   
   
   

Examinations

 
   

 

  • Final exam: The final exam will be scheduled by the Registrar's Office and will occur sometime between Dec. 8 - 17.

  • Click here for additional information about the final exam.