Syllabus

Course Overview

15-121 is a continuation of the process of program design and analysis for students with prior programming experience (functions, loops, and arrays, not necessarily in Java). The course reinforces object-oriented programming techniques in Java and covers data aggregates, data structures (e.g., linked lists, stacks, queues, trees, and graphs), and an introduction to the analysis of algorithms that operate on those data structures.

Learning Objectives

Upon the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Previous Iterations of the Course

Here are links to the course webpages for previous iterations of this course. You may find them helpful for sample quizzes and exams. However, please keep in mind that the course will change and evolve from semester to semester.

Topic Outline

This course will cover the following topics:

Prerequisites

15-112, Fundamentals of Programming and Computer Science

Textbook

There is no textbook for this course.

Grading

I will use standard grade percentages as follows:

The total points possible are allocated as follows:

Dropped Quiz Policy

In order to reward improvement, I will replace one quiz score that is immediately followed by two higher scores. So, if you have a quiz that goes very badly, but your next two quizzes are each better than that bad quiz, I will replace that low quiz with the higher of the two scores immediately following it. If you have multiple “bad” quizzes that meet the criteria, I will replace the one that maximizes your point gain.

Regrade Requests

We occasionally make mistakes while grading (we’re only human!). If you find a mistake which you would like corrected:

In both cases, include all relevant details for your regrade request.

Regrades must be requested within two weeks of the time when the contested grade was released.

Note: Regrade requests will result in the entire problem being regraded, not just the incorrectly graded part.

Late Submission Policy

In an ideal world, I would be able to support varying submission schedules so that all students could work at their own pace. Unfortunately, this is impossible. I need you to submit assignments on time so that I can promptly give feedback to all students, to support the learning process.

However, I understand that life can sometimes get in the way. Therefore, I provide 3 grace days for homework assignments. These can be used to submit homeworks up to 24 hours late with no penalty. You may only use one grace day per homework. I strongly urge you not to use these grace days immediately; try to save them for unforeseen events.

Once you run out of grace days, late submissions will receive a score of 0.

Ethics and Cheating

Refer to the course academic honesty policy.

Electronics

Research has shown that devices can greatly detract from student learning. Therefore, students may only use electronic devices in lecture during learning activities which involve those devices.

Outside of these events, students should only use electronic devices with explicit permission from the instructors. Notes may still be taken, of course, but should be done with pen and paper. This policy is meant to help all students focus, as electronic device as distracting not only for the user, but also for the students surrounding them.

Recording

Students may not record audio or video of lectures or recitations without explicit permission in writing from the instructor. Violations will result in your failing the course. Exceptions will be granted in accordance with university guidelines for accessibility concerns, but even then such recordings may not be shared publicly or privately and must be deleted at the end of the semester.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Carnegie Mellon University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities. To access accommodation services you are expected to initiate the request and submit a Voluntary Disclosure of Disability Form to the office of Health & Wellness or CaPS-Q. In order to receive services/accommodations, verification of a disability is required as recommended in writing by a doctor, licensed psychologist or psycho-educational specialist. The office of Health & Wellness, CaPS-Q and Office of Disability Resources in Pittsburgh will review the information you provide. All information will be considered confidential and only released to appropriate persons on a need to know basis.

Once the accommodations have been approved, you will be issued a Summary of Accommodations Memorandum documenting the disability and describing the accommodation. You are responsible for providing the Memorandum to your professors at the beginning of each semester.

For more information on policies and procedures, please visit https://scotty.qatar.cmu.edu/qword/student-affairs/office-of-health-and-wellness/assistance-for-individuals-with-disabilities/.

If you have a disability and require accommodations, please contact Amie Rollins, Director of Health and Wellness at amier@andrew.cmu.edu or Dr. Salaha Khan, Psychologist Counseling and Psychological Services at salahak@qatar.cmu.edu. If you have an accommodations letter from the Disability Resources office, you are encouraged to discuss your accommodations and needs with Catherine Getchell getchell@cmu.edu, as early in the semester as possible. She will work with you to ensure that accommodations are provided as appropriate.

Take Care of Yourself

Take care of yourself. Do your best to maintain a healthy lifestyle this semester by eating well, exercising, avoiding drugs and alcohol, getting enough sleep and taking some time to relax. This will help you achieve your goals and cope with stress.

All of us benefit from support during times of struggle. You are not alone. There are many helpful resources available on campus and an important part of the college experience is learning how to ask for help. Asking for support sooner rather than later is often helpful.

If you or anyone you know experiences any academic stress, difficult life events, or feelings like anxiety or depression, I strongly encourage you to seek support. Student Affairs staff are here to help: call 4454 8526 or send Renee Camerlengo an email at reneec@andrew.cmu.edu. Consider reaching out to a friend, faculty, staff or family member you trust for help.

If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal or in danger of self-harm, call someone immediately, day or night at 5554-7913.

If the situation is life threatening, call 999.

Student Wellness

It is important for undergraduates to recognize that university life presents different pressures and stressors, including personal, social, emotional, physical, financial, mental and/or academic. As a student, you may experience a range of challenges that can interfere with your learning such as sleep deprivation, anxiety, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or a lack of motivation. I urge you to make health and wellness your priority during your time as a student at CMU-Q. When you take care of yourself via sleep, nutrition, physical activity and stress management, research shows your focus improves and your ability to retain information increases. Contact Student Affairs to learn more about wellbeing initiatives: