Course ePortfolio

Programming Concepts and Methodology I

This collection contains the California Open Educational Resources Council (CA OER) list of peer-reviewed textbooks for Programming Concepts and Methodology I (common course-id COMP 122), one of the top 50 college courses identified for inclusion in the California Open Online Library for Education (COOLforEd).

CID Number: COMP 122

General Course Description: COMP 122

Introduces the discipline of computer science using a high-level language utilizing programming and practical hands-on problem solving.

Minimum Units: 3.0

Any rationale or comment: First course in a sequence of courses that is compliant with the standards of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

Date Added to MERLOT:: March 16, 2016
Created by:: California Open Education Resource Council CA OER
License:

Prerequisites

Prerequisites: None

Corequisites: None

Advisories/Recommendations: COMP 112 (CS0) or Comparable Experience

Pedagogical Approach & Learning Outcomes

Pedagogical Approach

None

Learning Outcomes

I. Programming Fundamentals (PF)
PF1. Fundamental programming constructs

Analyze and explain the behavior of simple programs involving the fundamental programming constructs covered by this unit;
Modify and expand short programs that use standard conditional and iterative control structures and functions;
Design, implement, test, and debug a program that uses each of the following fundamental programming constructs: basic computation, simple I/O, standard conditional and iterative structures, and the definition of functions;
Choose appropriate conditional and iteration constructs for a given programming task;
Apply the techniques of structured (functional) decomposition to break a program into smaller pieces; and
Describe the mechanics of parameter passing.

PF2. Algorithms and problem-solving

Discuss the importance of algorithms in the problem-solving process;
Identify the necessary properties of good algorithms;
Create algorithms for solving simple problems;
Use pseudocode or a programming language to implement, test, and debug algorithms for solving simple problems; and
Describe strategies that are useful in debugging.

II. Programming Languages (PL)
PL1. Overview of programming languages

Summarize the evolution of programming languages illustrating how this history has led to the paradigms available today; and
Identify at least one distinguishing characteristic for each of the programming paradigms covered in this unit.

PL4. Declarations and types

Explain the value of declaration models, especially with respect to programming-in-the-large;
Identify and describe the properties of a variable such as its associated address, value, scope, persistence, and size;
Discuss type incompatibility;
Demonstrate different forms of binding, visibility, scoping, and lifetime management; and
Defend the importance of types and type-checking in providing abstraction and safety.

Topics fulfilling these tasks and outcomes could include OOPS and other programming elements. This course is recommended to contain hands-on programming and problem-solving tasks.

At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

Design, implement, test, and debug a program that uses each of the following fundamental programming constructs: basic computation, simple I/O, standard conditional and iterative structures, and the definition of functions;
Use pseudocode or a programming language to implement, test, and debug algorithms for solving simple problems
Summarize the evolution of programming languages illustrating how this history has led to the paradigms available today
Demonstrate different forms of binding, visibility, scoping, and lifetime management

Assessment & Other Information

Assessment

May include any or all of:

Exams
Quizzes
Programming Projects
Discussions
Class Presentations

Other Information

None

Course Resources

How To Think Like A Computer Scientist: Learning with Python 3 (Open (Access) Textbook)

The goal of this book is to teach you to think like a computer scientist. I like the way computer scientists think... More

The goal of this book is to teach you to think like a computer scientist. I like the way computer scientists think because they combine some of the best features of Mathematics, Engineering, and Natural Science. Like mathematicians, computer scientists use formal languages to denote ideas (specifically computations). Like engineers, they design things, assembling components into systems and evaluating tradeoffs among alternatives. Like scientists, they observe the behavior of complex systems, form hypotheses, and test predictions. The single most important skill for a computer scientist is problem-solving. By that I mean the ability to formulate problems, think creatively about solutions, and express a solution clearly and accurately. As it turns out, the process of learning to program is an excellent opportunity to practice problem-solving skills. That is why this chapter is called The way of the program. On one level, you will be learning to program, which is a useful skill by itself. On another level you will use programming as a means to an end. As we go along, that end will become clearer.
Introduction to Computer Science (Open (Access) Textbook)

This is a free, online textbook offered by Wikiversity. The book covers the same materials as an introductory class for... More

This is a free, online textbook offered by Wikiversity. The book covers the same materials as an introductory class for undergraduate computer science majors. Its curriculum, which includes software, hardware and algorithms, resembles that of a one- or two-semester first-year college course or the high school Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science. It does not require a formal computer science background.
Programming Languages: Application and Interpretation (Open (Access) Textbook)

This book unites two approaches to teaching programming languages, one based on a survey of languages and the other on... More

This book unites two approaches to teaching programming languages, one based on a survey of languages and the other on writing definitional interpreters. It has been used as a textbook at over fifteen institutions worldwide and is referenced by non-academic users on the Web. The book is updated approximately every year. Unlike some other textbooks, this one does not follow a top-down narrative. Rather it has the flow of a conversation, with backtracking. We will often build up programs incrementally, just as a pair of programmers would. We will include mistakes, not because I don’t know the answer, but because this is the best way for you to learn. Including mistakes makes it impossible for you to read passively: you must instead engage with the material, because you can never be sure of the veracity of what you’re reading.
Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (Open (Access) Textbook)

Our design of this introductory computer-science subject reflects two major concerns. First, we want to establish the... More

Our design of this introductory computer-science subject reflects two major concerns. First, we want to establish the idea that a computer language is not just a way of getting a computer to perform operations but rather that it is a novel formal medium for expressing ideas about methodology. Thus, programs must be written for people to read, and only incidentally for machines to execute. Second, we believe that the essential material to be addressed by a subject at this level is not the syntax of particular programming-language constructs, nor clever algorithms for computing particular functions efficiently, nor even the mathematical analysis of algorithms and the foundations of computing, but rather the techniques used to control the intellectual complexity of large software systems.