Computers show up in just about all disciplines these days, so nearly everyone could benefit from taking this class. You don't need to have ever programmed before or even know that much about computers. CIS 110 and Math 111 are listed as pre-requisites to enroll, but this class should be accessible to everyone.
CIS 122 Details
The goal of this class is to learn to program. We won't study a lot of theory, instead everything will have a very practical bent. We'll use the Python programming language, but the concepts and skills we'll learn should apply to pretty much any programming endeavor, from writing javascript for a web page to Visual Basic macros for an Excel spreadsheet, to a C++ simulation of fluid dynamics.
Target audience
What we'll learn
We'll learn to write real programs that do real things. The Python programming language makes it very easy to get started but has enough power to do pretty much anything you could want.
Upon completion of this course you should:
- Be able to write a Python program that does something useful!
- Understand the concepts behind variables and data types
- Know how to use functions and control statements
- Be able to write programs (in any language) with good style
- Not be scared of the idea of programming
Fun
You should have fun in this class. Learning how to make a computer do your bidding and perform real, useful tasks is pretty cool. Most people who take this class have a great time and learn a lot.
Why Python?
Python is a modern scripting language with a clean, understandable syntax and a very easy learning curve. It is a fully powered language ("batteries included" as some like to say) that ships with an extensive standard library. It is used by Google, Industrial Light and Magic, NASA, and many more, and is lauded for the way it allows the programmer to get the job done as quickly as possible.
Expected Workload
I may sound repetitive, but it is important to remember that this is an intensive class. What does that mean? Well, let's look at the UO's definition of one credit hour:
1 credit: Represents approximately three hours of the student's time each week for one term in a lower-division undergraduate course. --From the Reader's guide to the UO Catalog
The above quote means that for a four-week four-credit course, you should normally be expected to put in about 6 hours per day on this class. That amounts to two hours in lecture/lab and four hours outside of class. They don't call it intensive for nothing....
The truth is, my hope is that most of you won't require anywhere near the full four hours outside of class for most of the term. But, some people always find this material harder than others (and some people love it so much they want to spend a lot of time on it), so you should be prepared to put in the hours if you need to.
If you find that the class is taking more of your time than this, then by all means come see me and we'll try to figure out what to do about it.