Introduction to Programming, Engr 3
Spring 2014
Lecture and Discussion Sections
Lectures: Monday and Wednesday 3:30-4:45 PM, South Hall 1431
Discussion Sections:
Tuesday 2:00-2:50: Phelps 1526 (Joseph Poverelli)
Tuesday 3:00-3:50: Phelps 1526 (Joseph Poverelli)
Wednesday 2:00-2:50, Phelps 1526 (Ben Campo)
Thursday 3:00-3:50, Phelps 1526 (Mike Nip)
Office Hours and Contact Information
Office Hours:
Professor Petzold: Mondays 1-3pm, 5107 Harold Frank Hall
Mike Nip: Mondays 10am-noon, Phelps 1526
Ben Campo: Fridays noon-2pm Phelps 1525
Joseph Poverelli: Fridays 3-5pm Phelps 1525
Guang Yang (grader): available by email: guangyang@umail.ucsb.edu
Professor Linda Petzold
office: 5107 Harold Frank Hall
phone: 893-5362
email: petzold@engineering.ucsb.edu
Ben Campo: ben.g.campo@gmail.com
Joseph Poverelli: jpoverelli@umail.ucsb.edu
Mike Nip: mdnip@umail.ucsb.edu
Guang Yang: guangyang@umail.ucsb.edu
Course Description
General philosophy of programming. Students will be introduced to a modern programming language (Matlab). Specific areas of study will include computational algorithms,
basic decision structures, arrays, matrices, and graphing.
Matlab
Matlab is available in the Instructional Computing Labs, and at other Labs around campus (see the links on the GauchoSpace site). It is very useful in this course to have
an ECI (Engineering Computing Infrastructure) account. This is because the ECI labs
are open for more hours a day than the Instructional Computing Labs, thus allowing
you more flexibility in getting your homework done. To apply for an account, go to
https://accounts.engr.ucsb.edu/. Having an ECI account also enables you to remote login (and access Matlab) from anywhere where there is wifi or ethernet! For information
on how to do this, go to
http://www.engr.ucsb.edu/eci/kb/index.php?action=artikel&cat=14&id=13&artlang=en
For even more convenient access, you can purchase a copy of the Student Version of
Matlab, so that you can have Matlab on your own computer to use at your convenience.
It is available at the UCSB bookstore or online at the Mathworks site for about $100. It
is a tremendous value, and if you remain in engineering or science you will make extensive
use of it throughout the rest of your undergraduate career and even beyond.
Organization
This course will be managed via the GauchoSpace software environment. If you are
registered for the course, you should have received an email about this, and your UCSB
login and password should work on our GauchoSpace class site. All of the course materials
will be available online, for free! Be sure to check Gauchospace frequently, for the latest
information on due dates, office hours, etc.
The course will be arranged around modules. You are expected to read the module before
the first lecture on that module. For most modules, there will be a quiz, which you will
take on GauchoSpace. The quizzes will typically - but not always - be due on Sundays
at 11:55pm. You will have 2 chances to take each quiz (but the questions are selected
randomly by GauchoSpace so each chance will be different); your highest grade will be
recorded by GauchoSpace. NO LATE QUIZZES WILL BE ACCEPTED!
For each module, there will also be a Homework which involves programming. Homeworks will be submitted via GauchoSpace, and will be graded by our Grader (Guang
Yang). If you have questions about the homework, use the Forum on Gauchospace and
your question will be answered by the Professor or one of the TAs, or perhaps even by
another student. Alternatively, come to any of the office hours listed above. If you have
questions about the grading of a homework, you should first contact our Grader (who
grades the homeworks), Guang Yang, guangyang@umail.ucsb.edu. If your question or
problem remains unresolved after discussion with Guang, then contact the Professor, petzold@engineering.ucsb.edu. Homeworks will typically - but not always - be due on Tuesday
of the week following the module relating to the homework at noon. The due date/time
will be posted on Gauchospace together with the homework. NO LATE HOMEWORKS
WILL BE ACCEPTED! The Gauchospace computer is strict and unforgiving on the due
dates and times for both homeworks and quizzes. You will learn in Discussion section
how to take quizzes and to submit homeworks.
Clickers will be used in lecture. The purpose of the clickers is to actively engage you, and
to allow the Professor to gauge your level of understanding. Clickers also take attendance,
when you answer a question. To obtain a passing grade on the attendance portion of the
grade, you must attend most of the lectures (you are allowed three absences outside of the
first week of class, when attendance will not be recorded). Bringing a classmate’s clicker
to class in order to register them as having attended is cheating, by both parties, and will
be dealt with accordingly.
There will be one midterm and a final exam.
The overall grading scheme is:
• Attendance (lecture) 5%
• Quizzes 5%
• Homeworks 25%
• Midterm Exam (Wednesday, April 23 in class) 25%
• Final Exam (Friday, June 13, noon-3:00PM) 40%
The grade scale will be curved so that the class average is approximately a B-.
You are responsible for attending the Exams. There will be no make-up exams. If you
are late for an exam, you will not be given extra time. If you miss an exam due to an
emergency, you should see the Professor, and be prepared to bring official, written proof
of a serious medical or other emergency.
Quizzes, Homeworks, Exams, and Academic Misconduct
Quizzes and homeworks are designed to help you learn the material. If you learn the
material, you should do well on the exams. With 65% of your grade depending on the
exams, there is no way to do well in this course without doing well on exams. The best
way to learn the material is by doing the quizzes and the homeworks on your own.
Having said this, it is OK to discuss homework problems with other students, but it is
not OK to copy from them. However, the work that you submit must, unless explicitly
indicated in the assignment, represent your own effort and understanding. Quizzes and
exams must be done individually.
Each week in this course builds on the material of the previous weeks, for both the
programming and the math skills. Go over the module material at the beginning of the
week, before the Monday lecture on that material. Do the quizzes and homeworks, review
the material, and ask questions whenever there is something you do not understand.
There are numerous office hours, plus a forum to ask questions via GauchoSpace. Take
advantage of these opportunities. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE NIGHT BEFORE THE
EXAMS TO TRY TO LEARN THE MATERIAL. IT WILL NOT WORK.
We will be vigilant in prosecuting cheaters. If you are caught cheating, you will receive a
0 for the homework or exam, and you may be referred to academic judiciary at the Office
of Student Life. The standard penalty the Office of Student Life issues for cheating is a
2-quarter suspension from UCSB, although it could be more severe.