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Hello class,<br>
<br>
Many of you seemed really stressed in class today. Like any four hour
class, Programming one is going to require some considerable effort on
your part. While I will be demonstrating my version of the "plane"
class to you on Friday, I need you all to be working on your own to
try and understand the concepts as best as possible. I do not assign
homework in lower division classes. I learned a long time ago that
when I did such things many students would rush at the end to turn in
something that was unreadable and virtually ungradeable. Since we do
have a test coming up next week -- and possibly a quiz before then --
let me give you some guidance on how to prepare for this class.<br>
<br>
<ol>
<li>I do utilize the book heavily and we are proceeding through the
book in a linear manner. I have not been diving into the graphics
sections, but other than that the material from the book is either
explicitly stated or expounded on in the class. You will notice that
I use terms like methods, mutators, instance variables, constructors,
etc. These are all technical terms that you must know to advance in
this class. They are all defined in the book.</li>
<li>Each section of the book contains "Self Check" questions. Don't
ignore these. They are designed to help you understand the content of
the book sections. The answers are found at the end of the chapter.
If you do not understand why a particular answer is given, then that is
a perfect time to shoot me an e-mail and ask for clarification.</li>
<li>At the end of each chapter you will find a chapter summary. Look
over these and make sure you understand them. In the authors thinking,
these are non-negotiables that you must know before you start the next
chapter. If you are lost on one of these your first course of action
should be to look back in the chapter and review the concept. If you
are still lost, then send me an e-mail.</li>
<li>Look at the Review Exercises at the end of each chapter. While
you won't see the answers for these, some of the answers should be
obvious. If you need help answering them, send me an e-mail. <br>
</li>
<li>Pick one or two of the programming exercises at the end of the
chapter and attempt them. Many of these are really simple and designed
to do nothing more than get your "feet wet" with some of the chapter
concepts in code. Some of these also rely on examples from the
chapter. I sent you the web link in a prior e-mail (and placed it on
the website) to the site that contains all of the source code found in
the book. You should therefore be able to quickly experiment with
those programming exercise problems that draw on the examples found in
the book.</li>
<li>Take the in-class examples I give you and work on them outside of
class. These are designed to either develop concepts from the book and
class or re-inforce these concepts. I take time to carefully design
these so you will have to take the concepts and engage them in code.
Today was the first time you saw one of these. You'll probably see at
least one of these every two week if not more often.</li>
<li>Get started early on the programming assignments. If the
in-class examples are stretching you, then the programming assignments
will blow your mind with the infusion of concepts into code. You have
to create and integrate many things in the programming assignments --
this strengthens your problem solving skills, your math and logic
skills, and your ability to transfer abstract concepts into tangible
products. You will often find little pieces in the programming
assignments that I don't explicitly tell you how to do. I completely
expect you to read, experiment, and figure these things out on your
own. I will provide some guidance, but am looking for you to
demonstrate your progr<br>
</li>
<li>Don't miss class or lab. Some of you have already found out that
when you miss class you might miss big conceptual chunks that tie many
things together. I pity those that missed class on Monday.<br>
</li>
</ol>
<br>
Now -- I keep telling you that things pick up quickly once we get
through chapter 3. The approach this author takes is that objects are
fundamental to the Java language; we will therefore introduce them
early and then use them as our basic building block. You will find
that this is certainly going to be the case when it comes to the
programming assignments as well. The quicker you start to master these
concepts, the easier the design of solutions in your programming
assignments will be. You still have plenty of time to get ready for
the test by applying the principles I described above to chapters 1-3
of the text.<br>
<br>
Some of you have found that if you ask questions, I will respond. The
more specific the question, the faster the response. In some cases I
have to get to a system where I try and reproduce your errors or we
have to get together for you to demonstrate your problem. In those
cases e-mail is a good way to get the problem resolution started, but
the solution will take a little longer. For most questions I prefer
e-mail because I am so rarely in my office these days due to other
university and professional commitments. I generally sit down two or
three times a day and answer e-mails from students. At night if I am
online I generally answer on the spot. If you have to take the time to
think through your question to put it in an e-mail, then it also helps
you think critically about the question you are asking. If you are
simply lost, then you can certainly find me during my office hours or
make an appointment to meet with me.<br>
<br>
My office hours are:<br>
<ul>
<li> Monday and Wednesday, 11:00 AM in the Willet Science Center
room 332</li>
<li> Thursday at 11:00 AM in the Computer Science Building Supply
Closet</li>
</ul>
My dad played football for the University of Georgia and was later a
high school football coach in Atlanta. A "coaching" mentality in the
teaching process is part of my genes and my upbringing. You learn
your plays, do your push-ups, tackling drills, roadwork, and
participate in the scrimmages (1-8 above) and I'll do my best to help
you succeed in the game.<br>
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--
Andrew J. Pounds, Ph.D. (<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:pounds@theochem.mercer.edu">pounds@theochem.mercer.edu</a>)
Associate Professor of Chemistry and Computer Science
Mercer University, Macon, GA 31207 (478) 301-5627
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