Follow these steps to get started in ICS 21:
Read now, and reference throughout the quarter,
this page, the “course web page”
the Course Reference, the main document that details this course
the Course Schedule, for a schedule of lectures and their associated readings and example programs, the dates of exams and the due dates of evaluations
the Enrollment Information page, to learn how to add or drop the course, or change your lab section or grade option
through the section "Lab Exam 1" of the Lab Manual; the Manual contains lab policies and procedures; details about pair programming, lab partner evaluations, lab exams and their scoring; and the lab assignments that prepare you for the lab exams
Get a print copy of the textbook, or sign up for the on-line version, or both
Obtain a memory stick or mini hard drive, or access other means (e.g., your H drive) to back up your work
Get a print card, if you plan to use lab printers
Activate your UCInetID
Activate your ICS account
Find a pair programming partner
Learn about UCI email, the lab set-up, Eclipse, and other basic computing skills needed for this course (described in the “Orientation to the Lab” section of the Lab Manual)
Read in the Lab Manual about how lab exams are conducted
Begin work on Lab 1
Attend the lectures; we will make important announcements and often cover material that isn’t directly in the textbook. You may audio tape lecture, provided only you, yourself, use it and only to study for this course.
Go to the Help Center; it’s a great place to work with your partner, and where you can ask TAs and lab tutors about the assignments while you are working on them.
Keep up with the reading; you’ll need the information it provides to do your assignments and exams, and the quarter system goes so fast that a few missed pages can quickly become a few chapters if you’re not careful. But don’t try to memorize everything the first time you read it through. A good strategy is to read for the broad ideas before lecture, listen to lecture carefully, and then refer back to the text for reference as needed.
Start working with your partner on the lab assignments early on; computer work always takes longer to complete than you think it will, even if you have previous experience. You want to know each lab assignment’s material cold before you take the lab exam that corresponds to it. All lab assignments are in the Lab Manual; to keep from getting behind, start each no later than the date given for it in the Course Schedule.
Take each lab exam on the the day it is scheduled. Not taking a exam when scheduled (wthout prior approval) is at minimum a hassle for you (and us!) and, at worst, will result in the equivalent of a permanent Not Pass score for the missed exam.
Be very sure to label your lab exam submissions properly, and to have your name, ID number and UCInetID in the exam where indicated. When submitting evaluations, be sure to send them to the indicated email address. We often cannot find exams that are placed into the wrong folder or improperly lableled; we don’t receive email sent to wrong addresses. We cannot score what we do not have; we cannot record a score for work when we cannot determine whose work it is.
Let us know if one of your scores is wrong or missing. If you do not see your score for an exam or evaluation you turned in when we post its scores, contact the TA (about lab exams) or the instructor (about the midterm and final). We’ll work with you to determine what has happened. Often, a missing score means you did not turn in your work properly (see the previous bullet). If we can find the item, we’ll score it; if we cannot, you’ll need to contact the instructor to determine what can be done.
During the quarter, important announcements will be made in lecture; those of particular importance will also be posted to the Announcements Board; check it often!
Some students like to do their Java programming outside of the Help Center. That’s fine, as long as it is in addition to—not instead of—working with your partner in the Help Center; as discussed in the Course Reference and Lab Manual, pair programming is a required part of this course. For guidance on installing Java on a home computer, see the primer Setting Up Java at Home. Note that we do not have the resources to support your home installation; you’re on your own for working out problems or difficulties you encounter (except that, during my office hours, I’ll help you as I can with these issues, provided no one is waiting to discuss course-related matters).
The retake times and rooms are below. Please come a few minutes early to allow time for signing in. Each session begins on the hour and lasts for 50 minutes. So, for example, 9:00 to 11:50 am would mean there are three sessions, one from 9:00 to 9:50 am, one from 10:00 to 10:50 am, and one from 11:00 to 11:50.
Retakes begin Wednesday, February 1. They are not held on University holidays.
These times do not apply during Finals Week; those retake times will appear on the Announcements page.
| Day | Room | |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 11:00 am to 12:50 pm | ICS 183 |
| Tue | 2:00 to 2:50 pm | ICS 189 |
| Wed | 11:00 am to 12:50 pm | ICS 183 |
| Thu | 7:00 to 7:50 pm | ICS 183 |
A set of questions in the form of the midterm, called the sample midterm, and in the form of the final, the sample final, in Word format, are available to provide you some guidance on what to expect on this term’s midterm and final. Do note, though, that these tests may contain questions on topics that will not be on the exam you take, and there may well be questions on your exam covering topics not on these tests. (We’ll discuss details of the midterm and final in lecture as they draw near.)
Course grades are now posted at ICS21 Course Grades; a discussion about how they were computed is posted at A Note on Course Grades.
If you have general questions about the course, send email to the course staff; if you have questions about scoring of a lab exam, send email to your TA; if you have others questions about the course, or questions about or problems with this web site, send email to the instructor.