Course web page: Introduction to problem solving with applications James Tam Return to the course web page

CPSC 231: Tutorial Teaching Schedule

Location of tutorial examples: /home/231/tutorials [Shortcut link]

Week Topics covered
Sept 11 - 17 No tutorials this week
Sept 18 - 24 First tutorial (Monday, Tuesday):
  • Introduction to the CPSC network
  • Lab tours (your TA will be the tour guide for today!)
  • Text editor on UNIX: Emacs
  • Overview of the file system

Second tutorial (Wednesday, Thursday):

  • Exercise: using UNIX commands and 'script' program
Sept 25 - Oct 1 Assignments

Programming examples:

  • Formatting output: format specifiers
  • Variables and constants
  • Naming conventions
  • Mathematical operators, order of operation
  • Common errors
  • Python 'types', conversion functions
  • Getting user input
    •

    Student exercises:

    • Code trace: format specifiers
    • Code writing: applying format specifiers

     
    Oct 2 - 8 Assignments
    • TAs go over A2b
    • TAs go over A2
    First tutorial (MT)
    • Documentation
    • Backing up your work and versioning your programs
    • Syntax, runtime and logic errors

    Second tutorial (WR)

    • IF
    • IF, ELSE
    • Logic and branching
    • Branching logical errors
    • Generating random numbers
     
    Oct 9 - 15

    Monday Oct 10: Thanksgiving day holiday

    		 First tutorial (MT)
    • No tutorials due to Thanksgiving day holiday
    • CT: they are cancelled Monday, they will run as scheduled Tuesday.

    Second tutorial (WR)
    Oct 16 - 22 First tutorial (MT) Debugging tips
    • TAs will show specific and practical techniques that can be used to find the errors in your programs (syntax and logic)

    Second tutorial (WR) Using functions in your programs

    • Defining and calling functions that take no arguments
    • Passing parameters to functions
    • Local variables
    • Defining functions with multiple arguments
    Oct 23 - 29 Functions
    • TAs go over the requirements for mini-A3b
    • Pass by value: parameter passing produces a local copy
    • Function return values
    • Global vs. local scopes
    Oct 30 - Nov 5

     

    		 First tutorial (MT)
    • Student exercises: examples of solving some problems by defining a function

    Second tutorial (WR)

    • Strings: string operators and some string functions
    Nov 6 - 12

    Reading Days Nov 10 - 13 (No classes on Thursday)

    		 First tutorial (MT)
    • 1D and 2D lists
    • Passing lists as parameters
    • Exercises with lists

    Second tutorial (WR)

    • Reading days: Thursday and Friday (no lectures, tutorials or CT on these days)
    • No tutorial will be held on Wednesday
    Nov 13 - 19 First tutorial (MT)

    Second tutorial (WR)

    • Open tutorial: no new material will be taught but you can go to any tutorial run by any Teaching Assistant for help during tutorial time. Or you can just work on your assignments in the lab.
    Nov 20 - 26 First tutorial (MT)
    • Implementing a simple GUI (button) using TkInter
    • Drawing graphical primitives using TkInter
    • TAs go over the requirements for mini-A4b
    • TAs go over the requirements for A4

    Second tutorial (WR)

    • Data processing in Python using lists, file input and output
    • (Additional time reserved to allow TAs to answer questions about the 4th assignment)
    Nov 27 - Dec 3
    • TAs go over the requirements for A5
    • Defining a class with attributes and methods
    • Splitting class definitions into separate module files
    • Objects referencing other objects
    Dec 4 - 10 First tutorial (MT)
    • Recursive examples: recursive programs (and some iterative solutions for contrast).

    Second tutorial (WR)

    • Open tutorial: no new material will be taught but you can go to any tutorial run by any Teaching Assistant for help during tutorial time. Or you can just work on your assignments in the lab.