In general you should read the text in order to be prepared to ask and answer
questions in class. If you have looked at material before it is discussed in
class you will get much more out of the class work. Although time will be given
at the beginning of lecture for you to ask questions about the reading, the
majority of the lecture will be an extension of the reading, not a summary.
Computing
This course will be taught in a workshop format in an Interactive Computer Classroom, ICC,
that contains twenty HP workstations running Windows. If some of the software
and descriptions do not include other computing platforms, like Macintosh or
Linux, it is not meant to show a bias, simply the reality of the working
environment.
In general, students will be expected to be active participants in group
exercises involving the computers available during class time. This makes it
vital that you prepare before coming to class. In fact, most of the graded
work for the course will be done during the class meeting time and why we feel
that three 75 minute periods each week are needed.
You should expect to work with another student during class. This process is often referred to as pair programming,
which is defined as follows:
Two programmers working side-by-side, collaborating on the same design,
algorithm, code or test. One programmer, the driver, has control of the
keyboard/mouse and actively implements the program. The other programmer, the
navigator, continuously observes the work of the driver to identify tactical
(syntactic, spelling, etc.) defects and also thinks strategically about the
direction of the work. On demand, the two programmers can brainstorm any
challenging problem. Because the two programmers periodically switch roles,
they work together as equals to develop software.
-- Laurie Williams, North
Carolina State University
In other words, it is essential that all students in the group are active
participants. Done right, this can be a very positive experience for all
involved. Here
are some students enthusiastic responses to pair programming.
Policies
