| DAY |
BEFORE CLASS |
IN-CLASS TOPICS/ACTIVITIES |
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Week 1
Monday
(M1)
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Before Class:
- Buy the textbook.
- Join the CS Collaboration Center in
Microsoft Teams (code whllu3o).
Turn on notifications for the General channel.
- Download VS Code for editing reflections and
activity write-ups.
(See Before Classes Start: Getting Set Up.)
- Create a class folder for your work in this class (e.g.,
comp101.
(See Before Classes Start: Getting Set Up.)
- Skim this page and/or the
assignment summary
to get a sense of the pace of assignments in this course.
Add students to Kit in time for them to submit
Reflection 1 by Friday.
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Introduction
What is Kit and the value of reading your feedback?
Talk about value of reading
feedback in Kit!
What is Computer Science?
Make sure everyone joins the Collaboration Center team and
turns on notifications for the General channel!
Assignment Due Before
Next Class (Using Markdown):
Reflection 1: Right-click or control-click to download the
reflection (Markdown file), then edit with your answers using VS Code, and submit to
Kit.)
SIDE NOTE: Don't know Markdown? Intro to Markdown in
plain text
or
Markdown
format (you can edit a Markdown file in any tool that
can handle plain text files, such as VS Code)
SIDE NOTE:
"Markup" languages include extra
formatting information ( meta-information).
"Markdown" (which you will use for reflections
and homework assignments) is a way to format
documents with minimal markup.
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Friday
(F1) |
Due on Kit Before Class:
Check: Does Microsoft Forms still have a bug with
pull-down selections? If so, include the following:
[Note: Microsoft Forms may still have a bug with
pull-down selections. When you view the quiz
results it might give you 0 points when you give
the correct answer, so just check that your choice
is the one with the check mark. When I check the
results, I will see the correct point total.]
How Do Computers Represent Numbers?
OR
- Read: In Kernighan's Understanding the Digital World,
read Section 2.3 through 2.3.3 [pp. 32-36]
How Do Computers Represent Other
Data?
- Read: In Kernighan's
Understanding the Digital World,
Chapter 2: 2.2.4 "Digitizing Text" [pp. 31-32] and
Chapter 2: 2.4 Summary [p. 38] • [You may be interested in reading the rest of
Chap. 2, especially Sections 2.2.1-2.2.3 on
digitizing images, sound, and movies]
Optional Additional Resources:
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Activity:
Take the online
Quiz on Binary Numbers
to test your understanding of binary numbers.
Activity: Binary Representation
ASCII to Binary
Reference Material: ASCII Table
Very Important Number
Representation Question:
Why do computer scientists confuse Halloween and
Christmas?
Assignment Due Before Next Class:
CS History I: Concepts to Implementation: Read "Intro to Part I Hardware" [pp. 7-16], "Inside the Processor" [p. 39], and "Other Kinds of Computers" (and "Summary" section) [pp. 49-52]
in Kernighan's Understanding the Digital World
REFLECT: Complete a reflective response
on this reading assignment using the
Reading Reflective Response
Markdown template. Then, Submit to Kit.
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| DAY |
BEFORE CLASS |
IN-CLASS TOPICS/ACTIVITIES |
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Week 2 M2
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Due on Kit Before Class:
CS History I: Concepts to Implementation
What is a Computer?
- Read (refreshing): Chapter 1 through Section 1.1.2 [pp. 11-16]
- Read (refreshing): Intro to Chapter 3 [p. 39]
- Read (refreshing): Sections 3.4 and 3.5 in Chap. 3 [pp. 49-52]
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Activity: CPU Simulator Exercise 1
In two side-by-side browser windows, bring up:
Submit Write-up to Kit
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| F2 |
How Do Computers Represent and Run
Programs?
- Read: Sections 5.1 and 5.2 through Figure 5.1 in
Chapter 5 [pp. 74-76]
- [Optional] Chapter 5: examples in 6 High-Level languages on pp. 77-81 (Figure 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6, and 5.7)
- Read: Chapter 7, Section 7.11 "Summary" [pp. 130-131]
- [Optional] Video:
Watch the first 2 minutes of
How a CPU Works in 100 Seconds.
[ Skip the following 10.5 min comparing the Apple M1 to
Intel, which is not in the scope for this class.]
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Activity: CPU Simulator
Exercise 2
In two side-by-side browser windows, bring up:
Start by talking the students through the table at the
top of the instructions. Many skip that and dive
straight to the questions.
Submit Write-up to Kit
Assignment Due Before Next Class:
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| DAY |
BEFORE CLASS |
IN-CLASS TOPICS/ACTIVITIES |
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Week 3
M3
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Boolean Logic, Boolean Expressions,
and Truth Tables
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| F3 |
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Activity: From Boolean Expressions to Circuit Diagrams
Assignment Due Before
Next Class:
CS History II: Evolution to Personal
Computers: Read Sections 1.2 -
1.4 in Kernighan's Understanding the Digital
World [pp. 18-24]
REFLECT: Complete a
reflective response using the
Reading
Reflective Response Markdown template. Then, submit to Kit
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| DAY |
BEFORE CLASS |
IN-CLASS TOPICS/ACTIVITIES |
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Week 4 M4
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Due on Kit Before Class:
CS History II: Evolution to Personal Computers
Logic Gates → Arithmetic:
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Activity: Circuit Diagrams
Add Reflection on the relationship between binary values in
Boolean mathematics (true/false), the binary nature of
switches (on/off), and binary numbers.
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| F4 |
Intro to Algorithms and
Algorithm Analysis
- Video:
Example: Linear and Binary
Search [3:44 - 9:25] — Careful! We got
right and left backwards a couple of times between
6:30 and 7:00. (Oops!)
- Read: from
Kernighan's Understanding the Digital World:
Chapter 4: Intro, Section 4.1, 4.2 [pp. 59-63] and
Chapter 4 "Sorting" Section 4.3 [pp. 63 - 67]
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Activity: Searching and Sorting Algorithms
Hands-on Exercises
on Searching and Sorting Algorithms
Markdown template for these
exercises.
Reference Material Sorting Visualizations:
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| DAY |
BEFORE CLASS |
IN-CLASS TOPICS/ACTIVITIES |
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Week 5 M5
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Time Complexity and Computational Problems:
Hard Problems and Complexity
-Read: from Kernighan's Understanding the Digital World: Chapter 4: Section 4.4, 4.5 [pp. 67-71]
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Continue with
Hands-on Exercises
from Searching and Sorting Algorithms
Start thinking about
possible presentation topics for the Final Presentation
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| F5 |
Read
possible presentation topics for the Final Presentation, and select a topic of your (or your group's) choice.
Are Algorithm Analysis videos still useful now that we have
readings from Kernighan?
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S23: I created groups of 3-5 based on similar
presentation topics. They talked about
similarities/differences in topics, either pairing up
or deciding how to focus on different things. Some got
started on research.
Catch-up day!
Fill out the
Presentation Topic Choice form with a 1st choice presentation topic and a backup choice.
Complete a reflective response on this week's reading
assignments, videos, and lecture about Algorithm Analysis
using the
Reading
Reflective Response Markdown template
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| DAY |
BEFORE CLASS |
IN-CLASS TOPICS/ACTIVITIES |
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Week 6 M6
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Due Before Class:
Algorithm Analysis reflective response
Searching and Sorting
Hands-on Exercises
(submit on Kit)
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Work on Final Presentation
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| F6 |
Catch-Up Day!
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Week 7 M7
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Computational Models
Video:
Finite State Automata and Turing
Machines
(12.5 min)
( PowerPoint slides)
[Note: This video refers to finite state
diagrams drawn for a Virtual Pet project. That
project used to be in COMP 105, and is now in
COMP 102.]
Re-read the last paragraph on p. 50 from Section 3.4
in Kernighan's Understanding the Digital World.
|
Send around a sign-up sheet for first-years (or anyone) who
wants to be on CS mailing list.
FSA's and Regular Expressions: Interesting for both
theoretical and practical reasons
Do either videos or Kernighan introduce FSMs and reg exprs
this way?
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| DAY |
BEFORE CLASS |
IN-CLASS TOPICS/ACTIVITIES |
| F7 |
Halting Problem: Example of a
Non-Computable Problem
Alternative Video:
Excellent YouTube video by Computerphile:
Turing & The Halting Problem
(6 min)
Alternative Video:
Lighter, less formal YouTube video by udiprod:
Proof That Computers Can't Do
Everything (The Halting Problem)
(8 min)
Very Important "Handout":
|
Quick intro to unary numbers
Submit Activity to Kit
Need a reflection on Automata and
Computability? Or how about on some of the Big Questions
from Syllabus?
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| DAY |
BEFORE CLASS |
IN-CLASS TOPICS/ACTIVITIES |
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Week 8 M8
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What is the Internet? Reading
assignments from Kernighan's Understanding the Digital
World:
Chap. 8: Intro (pp. 141-142)
Chap. 9: Intro and 9.1 (pp. 157-160)
You may be interested in reading more in Chapters 8
and 9, especially section 9.6, which is part of the
reading assignment for next week.
What is the Web?
Chap. 10: Intro, 10.1, and 10.2 (pp. 181-185)
(Repeated from COMP 102)
More Information about the
Internet (Optional)
External Video:
What
is the Internet? (4 min; Khan Academy & Code.org)
External Video:
Packets,
routers, and reliability (6.5 min; Khan Academy &
Code.org)
Note: Web pages are just one kind of file that moves around on
the internet.
|
Work on presentation planning/research with teammates in
class.
( Presentation Guidelines)
(Or work on overdue assignments.)
Complete a
reflective response on the "What is the Internet?" readings
from Chapters 8 and 9 and the two Optional video
assignments for today using the
Reading
Reflective Response Markdown template.
(Pretend the template says "reading and videos".)
If you weren't in class, the videos are
required, not optional.
|
| F8 |
Due on Kit Before Class:
Reflective Response on the Internet
( Markdown template)
Artificial Intelligence
Read Chap. 12 on Artificial Intelligence and Machine
Learning from Brian Kernighan's Understanding
the Digital World.
Social, Ethical, and Privacy
Issues
Readings from
Kernighan's Understanding the Digital World:
Digital Copyright: Chap. 9: 9.6 (pp. 174-176)
Issues Regarding the Web: Chap. 10: 10.9 (pp. 201-202)
You may be interested in other parts of
Chap. 10.
Privacy & Anonymity:
Chap. 13: Intro (pp. 239-240) and first 4
paragraphs of 13.2 (p. 247)
You may be interested in reading the rest of
Chap. 13, especially 13.2.1-13.2.2 on
Tor and Bitcoin.
Video:
Watch any 2 of the 3 talks from
TEDxUNCCharlotte: Inclusion
Drives Innovation
Ashley Rivenbark on how inclusive thinking
ignites innovation (9:07 - 19:04)
Dr. Manuel Pérez-Quiñones on why
technology should support bilingualism
(19:04-38:40)
Dr. Diana Rowan on battling covert racism
(38:40-53:42)
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In-class Exercise:
Machine Learning.
Before Friday (9th Week):
Complete a reflective response on the AI Reading using the
Reading
Reflective Response Markdown template
Before Friday (9th Week):
Complete a reflective response
that reflects on the introductory video,
the readings from Kernighan and
the two TED talks you chose, using the
Video
Reflective Response Markdown template.
(Pretend the template says "reading and/or videos".)
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| DAY |
BEFORE CLASS |
IN-CLASS TOPICS/ACTIVITIES |
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Week 9 M9
|
Memorial Day: No Class
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Memorial Day: No Class
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| F9 |
Due on Kit Before Class:
- Reflective Response on Social, Ethical,
and Privacy Issues.
( Markdown template; pretend the
template says "reading and/or videos".)
- Reflective Response on AI Reading
( Markdown template)
Human-Computer Interaction:
User Interfaces
Interactive Reading Assignment: Read the Introduction and
sections 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3 of Chapter 4 in the
Computer Science Field Guide: Human
Computer Interaction. (Note 4.3 is considerably longer
than the others.) Read the extra notes behind the colored
bars, but the bright blue exercises are optional.
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With one or more partners, do the
User Interface Activity
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| DAY |
IN-CLASS TOPICS/ACTIVITIES |
M10
|
Student Presentations
Course Evaluations
Link
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| F10 |
Student Presentations
Due on Kit by Sunday Evening:
You need to provide reflections from three presentations, submit Reflective Responses to Kit by Sunday at midnight. Submit 3 reflections
in one assignment. Use this Markdown template.
Final reflection? What should the prompt be?
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Exam Week
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No Exam
Good idea from Pam: Read autobiographies and final
reflections together to see their growth.
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