ITFN 1301 Fundamentals of Programming – Visual Basic

Jon A. Preston

E-mail: jonpreston@mail.clayton.edu

Phone: 770 960 4354

Office: IT109

Office hours: “Open door policy” and by appointment

Course Description

An introductory programming course using Visual Basic. The course contains a "practicum" and a "best practices" didactic. The practicum focuses on the hands-on business of writing code, knowledge of basic control structures and language syntax. The best practices didactic focuses on the craft of software engineering, good programming practices, performance and portability issues, and advanced syntax and data structures.

Prerequisites

ITFN 1101; Math (see the DUCK for more info)

Meeting Times

Lecture 8:00 am – 10:05 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays (T112) - or -

6:00 pm – 8:05 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays (T116)

Lab On your own time

Required Textbooks

Mastering Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Fundamentals, MS Press

Introduction to Computing and Algorithms, Russell Shackelford

Assessment

You will have numerous opportunities to practice and demonstrate mastery of the materials covered in this course. It is up to you to keep current on all readings and assignments (including in-class announcements). If you fall behind, you will most assuredly fail this course!

Grading will be based upon the following scale:

A >= 90%

B 80% - 90%

C 70% - 80%

D 60% - 70%

F < 60%

Assignment Portion of Grade

Final 30%

Tests (2) 30% (15% each)

Programs 40%

Random, in-class pop quizzes may be given if it appears that you are not keeping up with the material and aren’t doing your part. These will be counted in borderline cases (akin to extra credit).

Programs that don’t compile cleanly (no warnings or errors) or halt/crash will receive no credit; the programming assignments will be graded on a progressive scale, so it’s almost always possible to get most credit if you follow good programming practices, building your solution piecewise with verification testing.

Please be advised that no credit will be given for late assignments.

Words of Wisdom (TAKE THIS PART SERIOUSLY!)

I expect your active participation in class. Class attendance is expected because it’s much easier to learn if you’re coming to class and asking questions in lecture about things that confuse you. Remember – if you knew all of this, you’d be teaching and I’d be hiking in the mountains! J

Start assignments early. This way, you can ask questions and clarify things that are confusing. Often, I’ll make assignments intentionally “open” so that you can come up with creative solutions, but this also means it’s often easy to misread what I’m looking for in the correct solution. Better to ask and learn than to get a low grade!

Your grade in this course is determined completely on performance, not on effort.

I know this syllabus seems harsh and mean, but I’m really a nice guy, and we’ll have fun learning this semester. I just have to say all this stuff so you don’t slack off! J

To obtain this document in an alternative format and request accommodations, please contact: Gina Phillips, Disability Services Coordinator, (770) 961-3719, ginaphillips@mail.clayton.edu