Introduction To CPSC 231

Notes for the required material 

The main purpose of this section is to get students "up and running" for this course.  Consequently the course instructor should provide information on all the details required to use the Computer Science network computers (see "Teaching Tips" below).  A "hands-on" approach that actually allows students to complete useful tasks (e.g., login in, viewing and printing files, etc) is often a good idea but this can be done in the tutorials. The final part of this section is a brief introduction into computers: the hardware (and possibly the software) behind the machine.  Since this is the first introductory course into Computer Science, it is only appropriate that students get an idea what are the basic components of a computer as well as what is going on inside of it from the programmer's perspective. For me this section includes topics such as the relationship between memory (e.g., RAM) and storage (e.g., hard drive) because that sets the theoretical foundation for later sections (e.g., a memory leak is something that should be avoided because sloppy pointer programming can lead to most of memory being wasted so that the computer has to constantly swap information from storage into memory leading to extremely slow execution).

•     These notes can be purchased in the Student Union Copy Center at cost
•     Introduction to Computers (Leestma & Nyhoff Section 1.2): [PowerPoint] [Acrobat]

Optional teaching material

• UNIX: If there is sufficient time then the instructor may wish to expand upon some of the UNIX concepts taught by the lab instructor.   This can include some of the less common (but still useful) utilities such as 'Grep' or 'Find'
• 2020, by Apple Inc. (~1992, distributed with the video set from the Apple Developer's Conference).  It exposes students some futuristic technologies and can be useful for getting a class discussion going about things that people have been envisioned but cannot be built yet.

Background / Sources of additional information

Unlike the other sections for these course notes I don't have a formal list of academic references because I built up much of the material by teaching first year students over the years.  However, I do have a few sources that the instructor (or the keen student who is reading this) can go to for more information:

• How stuff works: www.howstuffworks.com.  A great site not only for simple explanations of not only computer-related technology but most anything you can think of (from TV's to beer).  Caution: I've been told that this site is so good that it's possible to use up an entire afternoon just browsing the links :p.
• The Geekshelter: http://www.geekshelter.com  Another technology-oriented site.
• Tom's hardware: http://www.tomshardware.com  Yet another good technology-oriented site.  A little more technical than the previous site.
• Computing Fundamentals by Norton P.  A good computer book that describes the fundamentals to beginners.
• Computer Confluence: Exploring Tomorrow's Technology by Beekman G.  Another good book for beginners.
• Clipart used in the slides: http://www.fotosearch.com

Teaching Tips

Note to the course instructor: This section is meant as a guide as to how to approach each section rather than a definitive cannon for how first year Computer Science courses should be taught.  Thus it can be used both as a starting point for new instructors and to provide a bit of insight for those with more experience with a potentially fresh point of view.

The introduction sets the stage for the rest of the course.  I usually begin by covering all of the administrative issues associated with the course which typically include: 

• Evaluation methods - how much weighting will be attached to each component of the course (exams, assignments etc) as well as how to calculate the overall final grade is calculated.
• Examinations - what type of exams will be held (multiple choice, code writing, code tracing).  For first year courses I usually have multiple choice midterms and a combination of multiple choice, code traces and writing of code for the final exam.
• Study tips - since many of the students in the class may be new to post secondary and Computer Science classes in particular I provide some general study approaches for this class.  Basically it boils down to this, Computer Science is very much a "hands-on" discipline.  While students will be exposed to many important concepts in lecture it is difficult to truly understand the concepts without application, which means that they should be writing code, preferably lots of it.   This may seem obvious and self-evident to the instructor but I have found some students that thought they could get by the course by only reading the textbook with only minimal time in front of the computer.  Finally I try to be upfront with students and indicate the high workload of the typical undergraduate student during their studies here (but also how much fun it can be too!)
• Miscellaneous organization issues - this includes information that second, third and fourth year students may take for granted but is essential and used on a daily basis.  I make a checklist at the beginning of each term (and bring it to class) to make sure that I don't miss anything important.  A typical list includes topics such as: where the computer labs are located, which computers are available for their use, what are the hours of operation of the lab, how are computer accounts set up and how do students get new accounts, what printers can they use and where do they pick up their print outs, where they can go for help with different issues (course-related, tech-related, online etc), how they can work from home.

• Finally a brief introduction about how and why things work the way they do in a computer (hardware and software) is in order for the introductory section.