Week 1

This is the first regular unit of material for CS160. Each unit consists of a set of different learning activities. These typically will include:

  • An algorithm of the week, which is a reading assignment from the book Nine Algorithms that Changed the Future. There will be a written assignment based on this reading that you submit to Canvas.
  • Work in the first half of the Welcome to CS book covering general computing topics.
  • Work in the second half of the Welcome to CS focusing on programming.

Welcome to CS can be accessed via the assignment links. Those links will not only take you to the book, but they will also automatically log you into the book so your work is saved and you get credit for it. Once you are logged into the book, you can book mark it and access it directly as well.

If you ever see the Login page for Runestone Academy while trying to access Welcome to CS, you are not logged in (meaning your work will not be saved). Go back to canvas and use an assignment link to log in again.

Most weeks will also include work on an Impacts of Computing discussion. We will do three of these discussions and each will take place over three weeks. During the first two weeks you will be asked to do some research and thinking on a topic that then we have a discussion about in the third week.

You are free to work on the parts in any order. If you get stuck on one section of work, move on to something else and go back to it after you have a chance to get some help (or just re-approach it with fresh eyes). The deadlines for most assignments are set for the end of the week to give you scheduling flexibility. But it is intended that you are working on the material throughout the week.

Learning objectives

Upon finishing this learning module, you should be able to:

  • Describe, compare, and contrast various professions and careers in Computing
  • Chart an educational pathway for entrance into these professions
  • Identify key developments in the evolution of computing hardware
  • Explain how computers make use of indexes to search for information
  • Make simple modifications to existing Python programs to observe the effects

Class Schedule

First Class Meeting

In class:

  • Class welcome and policies
  • What is CS?
  • Do Indexing activity and introduce Algorithm of the Week

Independent:

  • Do Algorithm of the Week reading
  • Do the background survey and class policies quiz

Second Class Meeting

In class:

  • Programming Intro
  • Computing Fields & Careers

Independent:

  • Programming - Ch 13
  • Do Computer Fields readings
  • Do History of Computing reading
  • Do written assignment

Getting Started / Class Policies

Make sure that you have read and understood the Syllabus (in elearn) and taken the class policies quiz in the Getting Started module. It is due by Wednesday of week 1.

Once that is done, you can coninue with the rest of the work for this week. Any chunk of content that refers to "Welcome to CS" is based on the book you can access via the Canvas links. This video has some tips on how to track your progress on the assignments related to those readings:

What is CS? Why study it?

Why learn about CS? What kinds of problems do CS professionals solve? This video offer an introduction to computing science as a field.


Computing Fields & Careers

Read Computing Related Fields (Ch 1) in Welcome to CS. This reading is part of the Computing Week 1 assignment.

Here at Chemeketa here is how you get started in the various computing fields:

  • If you are interested in CS or SE, the CS department is your starting point.

  • If you are interested in CE you should check out the Engineering Department.

  • If you are interested in a technical focused IT or IS degree, you should look at the CIS Department.

  • If you are interested in cybersecurity, you probably want to check out the CIS Department's cybersecurity program unless you are interested in a very code oriented cybersecurity degree (reverse engineering, malware analysis) in which case a CS degree may make sense.

OPTIONAL: You may also want to browse through these sites for more information on various computing career opportunities and the associated educational requirements:


History of Computing

Read History of Computing (Ch 2) of Welcome To CS. This reading is part of the Computing Week 1 assignment.


Algorithm of the Week: Indexing

Read Chapters 1-2 of Nine Algorithms that Changed the Future (from the Vital Source link in Canvas): Introduction and Indexing Algorithm

This OPTIONAL video has some background and tips to go with the reading:


Programming

Do the Chapter 13 assignments from the Programming chapters from Welcome to CS.


Impacts of Computing

We are going to explore the topic of Self Driving Cars in a week 3 discussion. As preparation for that discussion, you need to do some research and thinking this week.

Start by skimming through Ch12 - Impacts of Computing in Welcome To CS. It provides an outline for how we will be thinking about the topic.

Then see the Canvas assignment in the Week 1 module for specific instructions on what to do for this week.