Course Structure
CS 5010 uses a flipped-classroom model. Each week, students study online materials before coming to class. These online materials take the place of traditional lectures. The class meetings are devoted to discussions of the material, exercises, quizzes, and other activities designed to reinforce or supplement the online materials.
The semester is divided into week-long modules. Each module contains online materials to be studied before class, in-class activities, and a problem set to be done outside of class.
Before Class
Before coming to class, students are expected to have:
- read any assigned readings in the online textbook
- studied the online lessons for that week's module
- worked through the guided practice exercises
As you do those things, you will probably have questions. Please ask those questions on the course's Piazza discussion board, or ask them in class.
In Class
Weekly class meetings will be devoted to:
- questions and answers
- in-class exercises and quizzes
- review
- other supplementary material
You can ask questions of the instructor, but the instructor can also ask questions of you. Be prepared to answer questions when called upon by the instructor.
The in-class quizzes may or may not be announced in advance, so you would be well-advised to attend every class. If for some reason you are unable to attend a class, please contact your instructor in advance.
Problem Sets
Problem sets are assigned weekly. They are usually assigned on Monday and are due at 6pm the following Monday. If you have questions about a problem set, be sure to ask those questions early, in class or on Piazza, so your progress will not be delayed by waiting for answers.
Later in the week you submit your solution, you will give an oral presentation describing your submission and answering questions about it. We refer to these presentations as codewalks. Codewalks are a key element of the course, and are critical for both your own learning process and for our evaluation of your progress.
Boston students will fill out a form let us know the times at which you are available for codewalk, and which of those times you would prefer. Please be as flexible as possible, to improve your chances of being assigned a slot with which you can be happy. We will collect your codewalk preferences weekly, usually late on Saturday night. You will be sent electronic mail informing you of the time and place for your assigned codewalk.
Students in Silicon Valley should consult their instructor for their codewalk scheduling procedure.
Your problem sets will be judged on:
- correctness
- quality of design
- adherence to our coding and documentation standards
- appropriate use of tools and techniques
- your ability to explain your program and design decisions
More details on how problem sets are evaluated can be found at the page on Grading.